We put this in our hair for when we swim
so our hair stays in a bun
cos we're not allowed to wear caps.
I think people use this for their cooking,
like, I don't know.
It's like food, right?
Yep, we put foodstuff in our hair.
She always gets in trouble for her little side hairs...
- Yeah. - ..and she just
missed them a little bit.
How do you get this stuff out of your hair?
Just, like, stuff to, like, melt it, like, acidic stuff.
Like Coca Cola.
(SYNCHRO SISTERS)
One, two, three, four. Pulse, one, two, three, four.
One, two, three, four. Last two, two, three, four.
Last one, two, three, four.
And right now we are in warm-up
for finals for National Championships.
But where, what's the location?
Oh!
Tucson, Arizona. That's where we are right now.
At a typical National Championship,
we have about 350 athletes,
and those are the athletes
who are the best athletes in the country.
So there's a lot of people around.
It's actually quite hectic when you come here.
We have many clubs from the east coast, from the south,
from the middle from everywhere.
Walnut Creek of course is our big competitor, and
they are fighting against us.
Renee, Brianna, get your feet flat.
No. Yara, Yara, very late.
- Brianna, Brianna - Stick, stick.
They've been changing their routines and spicing it up,
and making more difficult.
That was better.
Last line, you're not together at all.
Brianna, you have to fix this.
You're not extending all the way.
You're like this, and then to your knee,
falling on your face.
So of course we look at them,
but we try to do our own strategy
and our own, you know, preparation to be our best.
Guys, don't take too long.
OK. Lacey done?
Tonight we have the junior combos, and then
tomorrow afternoon we have team finals,
which is the last thing we're doing
so we're really excited about that
and just to strut our stuff one more time.
This morning, we've been working
on combo the whole time.
We'll compete against the Aquamaids tonight,
and again tomorrow morning.
Everyone's pretty, you know, stressed out.
Everyone's just stressed before their swim.
All the other clubs always look to Walnut Creek and Santa Clara
to produce the best product.
During, like, kind of his whole meet,
we've been practising throughout the whole day
and so hoping it shows in the end, you know?
The Aquamaids definitely...
everything they do looks big and very extended.
OK, you guys, move this way, please.
We're not going to have some of that,
but we want to still win the routine.
We think we have a really fun routine
that people can get into
so we think that maybe in artistic we can get
a little bit of a higher score or something like that.
Yeah, that was good on Megan.
Good job, Megan.
My number one reason for being here is to coach,
which I do, but I'm also the only national judge from
Walnut Creek Aquanuts.
There's many, many judges that are also coaches, and
they have to do double duty, so to speak.
The teams are judged by difficulty...
..execution...
and then presentation.
(COMBO EVENT)
(OPTIMA SYNCHRO ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS)
Santa Clara and Walnut Creek, they've been with the
centre of synchronised swimming in the US.
Over the last four years, we're trying to build the other teams
as well to get to their level.
So we're really trying to expand to the whole country
to have a bigger base of competition.
(THE AQUETTES, TONAWANDA, NEW YORK)
Next up, Santa Clara Aquamaids.
- Breathe in. - I've got you.
- All right, ladies. - Come on, guys.
- This is it. - All right, ladies.
Be beautiful.
The Santa Clara Aquamaids, everybody.
(THE AQUAMAIDS SANTA CLARA, CA)
Next up, the Walnut Creek Aquanuts.
Let's bust it out on the lifts.
- Yes. Let's go nuts. - Let's go nuts.
(THE AQUANUTS, WALNUT CREEK, CA)
Really good energy. So we're really proud of them for that.
They did a great job changing the routine,
and I think that was their best swim so...
- Absolutely. - Couldn't ask for any more
- than that, right? - Yup.
- We feel good. - Guys!
Scorecards are in, and the Aquanuts score is 74.97...
..which puts the Aquamaids in first place
with a score of 78.43.
We'll see you tomorrow for the final event - team swim.
A lot of positive feedback on our routines.
Lacked a little bit of energy, but
we really want them to have their best swim in finals.
Yeah, we never want to peak too early.
Right.
Aren't you guys all supposed to hate each other or something?
No.
- Rawr! - Rawr!
(DAY OF TEAM EVENT)
Today we have team finals.
Team is like the 100 metre sprint.
It's the most important event,
and that will be our last event of the competition,
and it's going to be exciting. It's going to be emotional.
We have a lot of girls, you know, who will go into college
or, you know, going to go
to national team. So this is our big meet of the year
where we're all together.
(TEAM EVENT)
We've all been a team together for years now,
and just knowing that some of us are leaving,
and that it was our final days together,
it hadn't hit us until then, so that's when all the emotions
just started to flood in.
All right, suck it up.
Suck it back up. Get in that head.
Suck it, suck it all the way up.
Next up, the Santa Clara Aquamaids.
(THE AQUAMAIDS SANTA CLARA, CA)
What happened?
It looks like someone's passing out.
Get her! Stop!
- Get her! - Get 'em!
- Get her! - Damn it.
I'm OK, I'm OK.
Can you grab onto the wall?
- We'll help her up. - I'm OK.
- Do you need help up? - No, I'm OK. I'm OK.
Two of my team-mates got stuck together, and then
the other one kicked them in the chest really, really hard.
The rule says basically, any competitor that does not finish
their routine is... the team is disqualified.
The officials ended up meeting, and they concluded
that Santa Clara would swim
without an athlete.
Sonja called us over, and she said,
"OK, guys, Rao can't swim."
Guys, remember just stay calm,
do everything how we normally do it.
Nothing's changed. Breathe in.
- Let's show them what we got. - That's right.
- OK, team on three. Ready? - One, two, three, team!
It was very difficult for Rao because she's one
of our seniors, and this was her last swim at nationals.
You guys, way to show the champions that you are.
You guys were awesome.
That's a score of 75.63 for the Santa Clara Aquamaids.
They did a really great job being able to refocus after
having one of the kids go out. I mean, that was...
- Right, especially... - ..amazing.
A matter of, what, maybe eight minutes to reset some lifts,
and figure out what to do in certain parts?
Not many people can do that.
Let's go nerds.
Yeah, nerds!
Ugh, I love you!
Good job, guys.
The Walnut Creek Aquanuts receive a score of 74.47,
which is good for second place.
Santa Clara wins.
(TEAM EVENT WINNERS 1. SANTA CLARA AQUAMAIDS)
(2. WALNUT CREEK AQUANUTS 3. NEW CANAAN AQUIANAS)
I can't believe we actually did it.
- Good job. - I love you guys.
The score at that point didn't really matter, like,
the fact that we, like, made it through was enough.
One, two, three, team!
- Nerds! - Let's go!
We really went all out in our swims cos it was
the last swim for some of us.
Renee, Daria, Jackie and Quiba
are all going to college next year so...
I just completely broke down over there cos they really
welcomed me this year, and I was really thankful for it.
This was definitely a strong year for the Aquamaids, and
they're losing kids to college, we're losing some, but
both programmes are also building underneath so
the competition will remain.
Good job, you guys. Good one, last lift, finally.
So now we take a few weeks off.
- Yeah. - A couple weeks off.
Two weeks off with no synchro.
No synchro. Studying more,
and, you know, hang out with friends more.
Get a social life.
Next week, I'll probably just be catching up on a ton
of schoolwork, and then also I think I'm getting my licence
next week so hopefully that goes well.
One of my big goals is going to the Olympics so I just want
to keep swimming until I hopefully reach that goal.
Way to go, nerds!
As I get older, my perception of what synchronised swimming
is and the value of it changes.
In first place, the Santa Clara Aquamaids.
I've been able to see many generations pass through,
and what I see as the lasting value has nothing to do
with synchronised swimming. It has to do with character.
I mean, it's a thrill to create something that's beautiful,
but it's a bigger thrill to have been a part
of the development of the kind of people that are leaving
the sport and going out in the world.
I can't imagine what I would have done
in life that would have been more meaningful.
People ask me all the time, "What's your proudest moment?"
And really, my proudest time,
it's just sharing the journey, you know? It makes me...
That way. We go that way.
It's being able to share these moments
and share the hard work.
How are these people at the end?
Did they enjoy the experience, and will they
transcend from this into their regular life?
The journey's been the most important.
Keep going, keep going. Bye!
Oh, my God!
(YARA AVRAMENKO IS TRAINING WITH THE 13-15 NATIONAL TEAM)
(AND HOPES TO MAKE THE LEAP TO SENIOR IN THE COMING YEARS)
(NIKKI DZURKO IS NOW TRAINING WITH THE US NATIONAL TEAM)
(WITH HER SIGHTS SET ON THE 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES)
(JACKLYN LUU WILL ATTEND STANFORD COLLEGE)
(WHERE SHE WILL CONTINUE HER SYNCHRO CAREER)
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