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Tales of a Novice Synchro Mum! (Or How to Schlack Hair and Survive Your Daughters First Year in Competitive Synchro)
When my daughter started synchronized swimming in the recreational division it was a very pleasant experience. We brought her to the pool each Friday night; it didnt matter what she wore; she swam around for a few hours and out she got. When it came time for the year end show, we simply had to buy a black bathing suit, sew on a few flowers; ask some friends for make up tips, the coach helped with the hair schlacking and away we went. Moving onto the competitive level brings your synchro preparation skills and your parental stress level up a whole other notch. Luckily the more experienced mums (note I did not say old) were more than willing to share information. BUT sometimes you dont know what you dont know, so how do you know to ask? After one particularly stressful meet, I decided that I was going to try and share all I could for the up and coming Novice mums in hopes that their frustration level wouldnt get as high as mine sometimes did. What The Heck Are You Talking About? The first thing you will realize in novice is that you have no idea what it is that these coaches, experienced synchro mums (yes you will start referring to yourself as this) and swimmers are talking about. Land drilling, knoxing and spacing seemed like something that should be happening on the moon as opposed to the pool deck! And what sort of equipment, outfits and tools do they need for this trip to the moon anyway? Did you say Land Shark? Dry Land and Pool Time At the Novice level there are two parts of synchro practice: Dry Land training and Pool training. Dry Land consists of stretching and other exercises on land to get your daughter ready for the moves that she will soon be doing in the pool. For Dry Land your daughter will require gym clothes and sneakers. The pool practice is just that: time in the pool. The girls will be working with one (or maybe more) coaches to perfect their figures as well as to work on conditioning and their routines. Trust me, there will be times that you think they are simply standing around doing nothing but this is not necessarily the case. When the coach is working with one (or other girls) on their figures/routines, your daughter may be off to the side practicing her figures/routine on her own OR on the pool deck land drilling her routine. To the untrained eye this seems like they are wasting time playing around or doing nothing.
Having said that, this is a sport where you will need to encourage your daughter to take responsibility for some of her own training, particularly when the coach is working with other girls on their routines or figures. For pool practice your daughter can wear a one piece bathing suit of any colour, will need a bathing cap as well as a nose plug and goggles. One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other: Team Uniforms Soon after the new season starts the coaches will be ordering the team-clothing. When I first saw the team-clothing list I had no idea what some of it was; i.e. the spacing suit. I was picturing a big white astronauts uniform complete with headgear. Hang on to your hats because sizing night is nothing short of crazy with all these girls trying on clothes and trying to find the right size. The Moncton Aquasouls team uniform consists of the following: Green and White Team Jacket with logo Black Team Yoga Pants with logo Pink Team Shirt with logo Black Team Shorts with logo Green spacing suit with logo Green Team bathing cap with logo Green Hoodie with logo (optional) Green kit bag with logo (optional) Competition Nose plug (beige nose piece with wire) **Note this is not the only uniform your daughter will have; there are specific bathing suit requirements for Flex, Figures and of course for their routine; more on this below. The team uniform is worn throughout events. You should also note that no jewelry is allowed during competition. Also, no fingernail or toenail polish. One helpful tip the coach gave us as well is not to use moisturizing cream before a meet. While your little swimmer may have dry skin, the cream makes her slippery and this could cause problems during lifts, etc. in her routine. Spacing for Synchro, not for Astronauts! Spacing is essentially the trial run that the swimmers take in a pool prior to a meet. All swimmers get to run through their routine one time complete with music. This is particularly important if the meet is not in their home pool. Spacing is the first part of the meet that occurs and timeframes depend on the number of competitors and routines.
The Moncton Aquasouls Synchro Team has a spacing suit that is part of the team uniform. The girls will need this green, team bathing suit with logo as well as the team bathing cap for the spacing event. They should also have goggles and nose plugs for this part of the meet. Of course they will need to wear their team uniform to and from the pool. Its Getting Hot in Heretime to Warm Up Warm up is required prior to any event the girls are competing in. Normally the coaches will ask that you have your daughter on deck an hour before the time noted in the schedule for each event. They will wear the appropriate bathing suit for the event (spacing; figures or routine) and come in their team uniform. Some girls will bring yoga mats for this part as stretching on the pool deck is not always the most comfortable. Figaro, Figaro, FigaroFigures! Figures. This is what your daughter will be working on perfecting throughout her synchro career; the pretzel, the ballet leg, sailboat, blossom.makes me want to dance or to eat. A standard meet begins with the swimmers doing "figures", which are positions performed individually without music. The figures component of a meet is likely the most boring for synchro parents wide and far. The girls are focused on the skills they need to demonstrate and there is no talking allowed while they complete this portion of the meet. Essentially the girls will have mandatory figures as well as optionals (randomly selected). They will line up in their age grouping in the pool and one by one swim in front of the judges, complete the figure, receive their mark and get back in line until all figures are completed. Scores are marked on 10 although for the first competition for Novice girls the goal is to not get DQd (disqualified)! Dont be discouraged, it happens! Especially since it is their first meet and they are nervous. Often the judges are very understanding and will give them an opportunity to retry at least once before actually DQing them. All swimmers will be wearing the same thing: black swimsuit, a white bathing cap, clear goggles and a nose plug. Please remember to trim their nails, and to remove jewelry and nail polish prior to the event. The bonus about figures is that there is no hair schlacking required. The bad news is that all the girls look alike so if you dont keep track of your daughter and her competitor number you will surely end up taking pictures or video of someone elses kid! 3
Flexnot for the weak at heart Flex is one component of SOME synchro meets. My first time seeing this on a meet schedule I assumed it was fun time and optional for the girls. Needless to say we were not prepared time wise, clothing wise or food wise for this part of the meet. Flexibility is integral to synchronized swimming and throughout the year the coaches will be working with the girls to improve their flexibility. This component of the meet is where the girls are required to demonstrate certain flexibility skills with judges measuring distances to see who is most flexible. What does one wear to Flex? The girls will wear their black bathing suit and normally their black team shorts. Some girls will opt to wear white bobby socks as this will allow them to slide easier but this is not a requirement. Routines.Team; Duets or Oh Solo Mio This is what most people picture when they think of synchronized swimming. 6 or 8 girls with schlacked up hair and massive amounts of eye shadow; lipstick and blush moving in unison in the pool. This, for me, is the most stressful part of the meet. Its not getting my kid to the pool an hour before warm up time, its not wondering if they are going to key up the wrong music, its the hair schlacking and makeup that stresses me out! For their routine normally the girls, along with their coaches, will select music and choreograph their routines over the first several weeks of practice. They will perfect these routines and you will not believe the progress that they will make from September to May. What at first seems like total chaos and nonsynchronization will turn into a beautiful routine that will have you bursting with pride. The girls will have a bathing suit for their routine (or maybe more than one if they are involved in team and/or duet/solo). Bathing suits can be commercially purchased but realize now that the bling is important. If you are going with a normal suit bought from Costco or Sears, you will likely end up spending countless hours sewing on little tiny beads so your daughter can shine bright like a diamond (apologies to Rhianna) . There are also websites where you can purchase custom made synchro suits. Although I have never ordered from here, I know some other synchro mums have: http://www.splish.com. Having said that, Coach Carol Daley and her daughter are AWESOME swimsuit designers and sewers. Sometimes you can make arrangements with them to
create swimsuits for your Novice Swimmer. Be patient though. Carol not only coaches the National Stream Girls, making all their team, duet and solo suits, she also normally makes all suits for the provincial stream girls (team, duets and solo). But know one thingif she says she will make your suit. She will. You may be panicking because it is the week before the first event but she WILL come through and not leave you in a lurch. Goggles are not permitted for the routine although they are allowed to wear a competition nose plug. Knox, Knox, Knoxing on Heavens Door or Knoxing 101
Knox, the hallmark feature of synchronized swimming yet the bain of synchro mums and of pools everywhere. Knoxing (yes, we HAVE turned it into a verb but you will not find it in the Websters dictionary) your daughters hair can be very stressful the first few timesor if you are challenged like me in the girly department it can be stressful ALL the time. For the routine, hair is worn in a bun; flavorless gelatin, Knox, is applied to keep hair in place, and a bun cover or decorative headpiece is bobby pinned to the bun. What do you need? Knox Unflavored Gelatin (4 or more packets) o You can purchase Knox in the baking section of the grocery store by the Jell-O section. It comes in an orange box that usually includes 4 packets. Larger boxes are also available. o Do not buy flavored gelatin! It might taste better, but it doesnt work for our purposes! o There is quite a strong smell (not necessarily a good one my daughter likens it to the smell of wet dog) associated with Knox but that only lasts during the mixing and brushing on stage, after that you wont even notice. Bobby Pins Pony Tail Holders (aka elastics) Comb/Brush Container to mix gel (butter tub/cup & spoon) Very hot but no where near boiling water Pastry or paint brush and large toothed comb to apply gel Hair Net Bun Form for swimmers with thin or short hair Picket fence thingy officially known as a stretch comb 5
It is not hard to knox hair, just messy! It will get to be routine the more you do it, and over the course of the year you will get lots of practice! The object is to get the hair up, look neat, and stay up while your daughter is swimming. The Knox hardens and keeps the hair up. After you have done it a few times, you may find ways that work better for you. 1. Brush or comb the hair up into a high, tight ponytail diagonal from the chin (use a pony tail holder). Twist the ponytail around and pin into a bun. Many swimmers braid the ponytail first. If the hair is especially thick or long you might want to braid it into 2 or 3 sections. Make sure the ponytail is tight, with no bulges or ridges in the hair. If strongly curled, a small amount of conditioner may help smooth unruly hair into a ponytail. Another option is to pull the pony tail through a bun form, comb the hair over the bun form, place another rubber band around the pony tail to catch the hair, then comb the long hairs around the form and pin. Bun forms can be found at Sallys Beauty Supply. Kitchen or body scrubbees also work as bun forms. The Knox will go on much easier if the hair is wet or damp. You can wet the hair before you put it into a ponytail or use a spray bottle to wet it before applying the Knox. A common recipe for mixing Knox is 1/2 c. hot water to 4 or more packets of Knox gelatin. The water needs to be hot to dissolve the gel. Otherwise, the Knox will make clumps that are difficult to smooth out (we do not want clumps!!!). The Knox should transform into a syrup-colored liquid that is a bit thicker than rubber cement. If your Knox is too dark, slowly add a bit more hot water and stir until the Knox is of a good smooth consistency. If your Knox is way too thin, it's best to start over or see if another swimmer has some leftover Knox you can use. It's a waste of time and effort trying to salvage Knox that has WAY too much water
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The best method that we have found is to mix it in a small butter tub or cup and use a pastry or small paint brush to apply it. Whatever container you use to mix it, dont shake it! Shaking causes bubbles that turn the knox white when they dry. Instead, stir gently with a spoon. Some synchro mums use a small strainer to ensure that al the clumps are out before applying the mixture. Once a thick, clear solution has been obtained slowly brush the gel on the hair. Moving from the hairline towards the bun, use your hand or a paintbrush to smooth Knox onto the hair. You will want to have a towel handy around your shoulders to catch drips; not only is it sticky but it also
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burns when it lands. 7. While the gel is still freshly applied, you may run a comb through to smooth any wispies particularly around the temples, ears and back neckline. Keep adding Knox and smoothing the wispies in place; bobby pins are not an acceptable alternative for taming all the loose hair. Additional gel should be poured or patted into the bun. The gel should dry in a smooth, shiny helmet. Ridges and lumps should be minimal. If you have time, use a hairdryer to help the Knox set initially. After the gel is applied and hair has begun to thicken, pin the headpiece on. Once the hair is dry (this can take some time and can be hurried along by using a hairdryer if youre short on time), it will harden. It is easier to pin the headpiece on while it is still wet. It is important for it to dry before you get into the water. Otherwise, your hair may come down in mid-swim! When planning on when to Knox, allow enough time for the hair to set solid afterwards (at least one hour). Your swimmer may also have some of the Knox run down their neck. This can be quite irritating. Please do not allow them to pick at it or they will have red marks all over their neck. Instead take a warm wet cloth or towel and gently hold it on the Knox it may not come off completely, but at least it wont be quite so bothersome. Be sure to use enough bobby pins so the headpiece (or bun cover) does not come loose during a routine! Criss-cross the pins for better stability! The rule of thumb is: when you think youve put in enough, add more. Be sure the bobby pins do not show outside the headpiece unless it is completely unavoidable. A headpiece lost during a routine affects the manner of presentation score! Now - once the gel is in, will it ever come out? Yes, but the thicker you have applied it, the more shampoos and hot shower water it will take to get it out. Running a comb through the hair as you shampoo seems to help. Just remind your swimmers that Knox is actually very, very good for their hair (pure protein) People who manage and maintain pools hate Knox. It clogs up their drains, makes their floors sticky, and usually causes locker rooms to smell weird. So please do your part to BE NEAT WHEN YOU KNOX. NEVER pour Knox down the drain. Give any leftover Knox time to congeal IN THE CUP. When it's hard enough it will actually peel out of the cup like a flubbery kind of plastic. Throw the hardened Knox away and you're left with a clean cup for use next time!
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When is the Best Time to Knox? Unless specifically instructed otherwise by your coach, do your hair at home or in the hotel before the start of the competition. Allow enough time for the hair to set solid after gelling (at least an hour). Once Its In, How Do I Get It Out? Getting out the Knox is perhaps a little more challenging than getting it in. I much prefer when we are travelling so I am washing it down the drain of a hotel as opposed to my own house. We find that starting with conditioner works quite well; then we alternate: shampoo; conditioner; shampoo; conditioner. After about 3 rotations most is out of the hair. Some mums swear on using dish detergent; others will tell you that there daughters run a hot bath and simply soak their hair in the tub to soften up the Knox which makes it easier to come out. Whatever method you use, how tough it is to get it out will depend on how long and how thick your daughters hair is. Just a warning though, she will be picking out bits of Knox for a few days following a meet.
Make Up for Mothers Wearing make-up is a part of the artistic and performance side of synchronized swimming. Each swimmer needs to come prepared with their own WATERPROOF make-up. It often works best if a team parent coordinates the same make up for each swimmer, based on input from the coach, and keeps it packed as part of the standard meet needs. They will need at least, blush, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick. Dont forget that what goes on must also come off so waterproof makeup remover is a must. Sephora is expensive but has awesome waterproof make up designed especially for synchronized swimming as well as make up remover that will save you hours of scrubbing! Yahoo its meet weekend! We are going to have so much fun shopping and going to dinner and .andUm.no youre not! Your first meet weekend you MAY have visions of all the above dancing in your head. While the meet weekends are fun times, you should know right up front that there is not a lot of spare time and as I quickly found out, sometimes there is not even enough time between events for you to skip out and grab some lunch. I found out the first weekend just how unprepared I was for spending a full day at the pool so hopefully these tips will help you be a bit more prepared than I was! A. Most Clubs block hotel rooms when they are coordinating events. It is recommended that you stay at the same hotel as your teammates as often the coaches will have the girls land drilling at night to ensure that they are ready for action. It also helps if you have no clue what you are doing with the
schlacking and make up as you will be able to ask one of the more experienced mums for help. B. Bring the meet schedule with you! There is so much going on that it is always smart to have the event schedule so you can reference warm up and event times. Sometimes you will also get a package for figures identifying your daughters competitor number. Bring that as well as it will help you track her in the sea of black suits and white caps. C. Know that it WILL be warm and sticky in the pool area so perhaps layering clothing is the best idea so as the meet (and you) heat up, you can shed layers and keep your cool. D. Flip flops are a good idea as you may need to go into the locker room. This will also help you from overheating. E. Snacks. This is where I missed the boat completely but thanks to watching other, more prepared synchro mums I learned my lesson quickly. Pack a small cooler to bring with you to the pool. We pack baggies and use ice from the hotel to ensure that the food stays cool. Juice, water, crackers, cheese, granola bars, fruit, veggies, anything to give you and your swimmer a boost is a smart move. We have even packed subs or single serving salads in Glad containers complete with forks. Just keep in mind that the Coaches will want you to ensure that all snacks are healthy. F. Lights, camera, action. Many meets have a professional photographer there taking pics of the swimmers but you may want to capture your own moments. G. Bring medication. You (or your swimmer) may need it. I thought we had it all covered with Advil, Tylenol and allergy meds (both adult and child strength) only to have our daughter come down with the flu bug. Thankfully another synchro mum was prepared and gave us some Gravol for the drive home. What? More Money? The Scoop on Meet Fees Each meet that your daughter participates in you will need to pay meet fees. The amount that you pay will depend on what exactly your daughter is competing in. There are fees for figures and for each routine she swims in. These fees go to covering the cost of the pool rental for the event; the cost of judges rooms; Synchro Canada fees, awards, sound equipment rentals, office stuff and anything else needed to actually run the meet. How will I remember it all? P There is a lot of stuff to remember as a synchro mum. In order to keep us organized I opted to have a synchro kit. Essentially it is a plastic tote with all of
my daughters synchro equipment in it. This keeps everything in one place and makes it easy to move it from the house to the car, to the hotel to the pool. Another mum gave us a checklist that we found very helpful: Moncton Aquasouls Synchro uniform team routine bathing suit solo or duet bathing suit (if required) green Moncton Aquasouls Synchro Club spacing suit green Moncton Aquasouls bathing cap black bathing suit white bathing cap 2 pairs of noseplugs (or 3) clear goggles towels deck shoes/flipflops hairbrush elastics headpieces bobby pins round stretch (picket fence) comb, if needed Knox clear gelatin and plastic container to mix it in small travel size kettle paint brush to apply Knox waterproof make-up iPod (with your daughters routine music) energy-rich snacks for pre and post competitive events including water or unsweetened fruit juice You think hosting Holiday Dinners are crazy! Try hosting a meet! Each Club in New Brunswick takes its turn hosting a meet. The Meet Manager is the person (or persons) who ensure that everything required for a smooth event is organized. Keep in mind that they cannot do this alone and a successful meet will depend on the participation of synchro parents in the organization. Parents and swimmers will be asked to help in organizing opening ceremonies; the food for the volunteer and judges rooms; taking tasks on the pool deck including music, timing; calling, running and scoring; in ensuring flags and podiums are available for awards ceremonies etc. Below is a brief description of some of the duties you may be asked to help with: Runners: Simply pick up scores and bring them to the scoring room. They should avoid unnecessary movement on pool deck to avoid distracting the judges and swimmers. Figures runners only bring sheets once or twice. Routine runners, on the other hand, have to pick up scores from the judges after each
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performance. One runner picks up from one side of the pool, starting at the far end, and the other runner starts on the other side of the pool. If a judge isn't quite finished when you get there, you just wait a few seconds for her to finish before moving on to the next one. Callers: Clear, calm, and focused people with great voice projection, callers are given a list with the order of swimmers for the particular figure. It may start at swimmer #1; it may start at swimmer #52. There will always be a pre-swimmer, sometimes pre-arranged, or sometimes its the # prior to the first competitor. You will call "Pre-swimmer and the Name of the Figure i.e. "Catalina triple flip flying porpoise baby". The pre-swimmer performs her figure, and then the judges confer for a minute or two. You do NOT call the preswimmer marks. The judges will let you know when they're ready to begin officially. You will then call the first swimmer # (Competitor # 27), and this is important, check that # off your list. When the figure is finished you will say "Judges Marks" then you will read each of the scores at a pace that the scorers can write them down. Then you will proceed to call the next swimmer ("Competitor #28") A referee might encourage you to speed up or slow down, depending on her mood. Finally, a caller doesn't really say anything else except the above. It's very official. If there is a problem with the scorers hearing you or if someone has made a mistake, it's not the end of the world! You might simply say, "Recall" and repeat the scores. This, however, will be very rare. Lets recap for clarity: "Pre-Swimmer Catalina" "Competitor #4" (check off your list) "Judges Marks? 6.4, 6.6, 6.3, 6.4" "Competitor #5" Scorers: There are three scorers per panel of judges. You will each have a list of competitors, with boxes to write in scores. You will write down each score as the caller says it. It is not necessary to enter the decimal point each time (so write down 54 instead of 5.4). You will then add these marks up with a calculator. Again, do not use a decimal point. Then check quickly to see if your total matches with the other scorers' totals. The middle scorer of the row has the official sheet, which will be brought to the scoring room by either a referee or a runner. Two of the marks must agree. If there is a problem, the competition will
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need to stop for a second, but 99% of the time, this is not a problem. Usually one scorer realizes her mistake. (Pencils and calculators are provided) Helpful Links FINA website: http://www.fina.org/H2O/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=86:s ynchronised-swimming-rules&Itemid=184 Synchro Canada website: http://www.synchro.ca Synchro Canada Rulebook: http://www.synchro.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&id=55&Ite mid=40 Synchro NB website: http://www.synchronb.ca Atlantic Competitive Synchro Rulebook: http://synchropei.goalline.ca/files/2011_atlantic_rulebook.doc Figures: 1. Descriptions: http://www.swimming.org/go/library/document/synchronisedswimming-figure-descriptions 2. Demos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL651448A70BC0A78F Synchro Glossary: http://www.fuzilogik.com/Sports-Library/SynchronizedSwimming/Synchronized-Swimming-Glossary.html General Synchro Information: 1. http://synchroswim.isport.com/synchronized-swimming-guides/synchronizedswimming-rules-regulations 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronized_swimming 3. http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Sport-of-Synchronized-Swimming113685.html 4. http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215322/factsss.htm Youtube Video on Knoxing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hojtnnw3iZQ Sports Nutrition website: http://www.coach.ca/sport-nutrition-resources-s12664
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Picture Guide to Synchro Accessories for Challenged Parents (like myself) 1. Competitive Nose Plug
2. Knox Gelatin/Knoxing
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4. Bun Makers
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B. T shirt
C. Shorts
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