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Club Success Stories We have had many successes with members becoming Great Britain team members and Midland District champions. Two of our most successful girls in recent years tell their stories below. Mhairi Laing I first started synchro when I was ten. I loved swimming, and my sister had already been doing synchro for a while, so I decided to follow in her waves!! For the first few years it was all about having fun and learning the basics. It wasn't until I was thirteen and came fifth in 13/14 National Age Groups that everything began to take off. The result meant that I qualified for a two-week training camp with one of America's top coaches. It was the first time I really realised what it would be like to train full time, and what it would take to get to the top! A couple of years later, I qualified for the Midland district squad. Then, in 2000, with Ali's help, I won National Junior Champs, made it through the assessments, and qualified for the National Junior team. The first year swimming for GB was a massive learning curve. We would train for 20-25 hours during the week, and then have training camps every weekend, and during the holidays. It was hard work, especially fitting training around my GCSE's, but it was all worth it!! In June 2000 the team travelled to Bonn in Germany for the Junior European Championships. It was really exciting seeing all the routines from other countries, and I can still remember the Russian and Spanish teams, which were amazing! I swam again for GB Juniors in 2001, and this time captained the squad at Junior Europeans in the Ukraine and Junior Worlds in Seattle, which was a lot of fun. It was also nice getting to know some of the girls from other countries. I don't think I'll ever forget walking out to do my solo at Worlds, with the Italian team cheering for me from the balcony! After my A levels in 2002, I moved to Russia to train full time for a year with one of their coaches. I don't think there was a single day of the whole year when I wasn't exhausted or in pain from training so hard, but it was all worth it in 2004 when I qualified for the 2004 Olympic duet squad. 2004 was a very busy year, with training camps and competitions all over the world. In April the duet qualified for the Olympics, but for one reason or another they decided not to send anyone. That we weren't sent to the Olympics in 2004 was a massive disappointment, and I retired soon after that. However, there isn't a single thing I would change. I think synchro in great sport. It teaches the girls how to work as a team, have grace as well as fitness, and gives them the opportunity to travel the world! My tips for the top would be to train hard every session, and listen to Ali. If it weren't for her none of the above would have happened!! Elizabeth Smith I became a member of the City of Birmingham Synchronised Swimming Club at the age of seven after my sister had joined a few years before. My first achievement was becoming Warwickshire 12 and under champion at the age of nine. I have come first in my age group in all events every year since. I have also been Midland Age Group Champion several times as well as Midland Junior champion at the age of fourteen. I was selected to be a member of the Midland Inter-district Squad in 2003 when my sister and I competed as the Junior Duet for the district. In 2004 I was selected to be the Junior Soloist for the Midlands, as well as being in the duet and the team. From my placing in the National Age Groups in 2004, I was selected to be part of the England Junior Development Squad in 2005. After further trials I travelled with the team to Croatia to compete where we came first. At the end of 2005 I took part in the trials for the Junior Great Britain Squad for 2006. I was successful and began training with the GB squad that Christmas. I then travelled round the country for National Camps, with training most weekends and every holiday, in preparation for the Junior European Championships in Bonn in May. After trials within the squad, I was selected to be in the travelling squad and one of the eight to swim the team. Training continued towards the Junior World Championships in October in China. We travelled there two weeks before the event for an intensive pre-competition camp at the British Olympic Holding Camp facilities in Macau. We were placed 13th in the team event, the best ranking Britain has had in thirteen years. In December last year, I took part in the National Age Groups once again. I was hoping to get a medal in the figure event as I had been ranked within the top three juniors my age in the GB squad throughout the year, but I knew this was ambitious. However, I was delighted to discover I had won the figure event becoming 15-17 National Figure Champion. |
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