The synchronized swimmers of Dorval put on quite a show for family and friends last week in Dorval. It was a sunny evening at Walters pool last Tuesday. The spectacle began at 7 p.m. with a presentation by toddlers of the pre-junior squad to the music theme of Taylor Swift. The presentation made parents of the youngsters quite proud.
“I’m very proud of my daughter. She was the most smiling one out there. I think she is going to continue for the next couple years,” said Pascal Richer, father of 7-year-old Kiva. “I could see her winning the gold medal in the Olympics in the future,” he added with a laugh.
This was followed by performances from the junior, senior and training staff team. The evening was topped off by two special presentations. Immediately following the Dorval swimmers were the divers of the CAMO club with which Olympic silver medalist Alexandre Despatie trained.
The SYNCHRO team was next with a performance of its own. This team from Montreal has a year round program and participates in provincial, national and international competitions.
Geneviève Peel from Ste. Hyacinthe was amongst the five swimmers from SYNCHRO to take part in the show. She was part of Vestales Élite Rive Sud Club which won the gold medal in the grade 6 open category at the Canadian Espoir Championships 2010 in Montreal.
In 2009, she was selected on Team Quebec for 13-15 years old. She was part of the team that won the gold medal at the Synchro Peru Aquatic Cup, an international competition held in Lima, Peru in July 2009. For her, performing at Walters pool last week was more than just a routine practice performance.
“It is a great occasion to do a demonstration for the girls that may one day do synchronized swimming at a competition level. A show like this does a lot to promote our sport,” she said.
For Louise Hurteau, aquatic advisor for Dorval’s three pools (Surrey, Ballantyne, Walters), it was also a great opportunity to have a competitive club showcasing their abilities in front of her swimmers.
“It’s great to have had SYNCHRO doing a performance here tonight because my swimmers were able to see up to what level they can get if they pursue their training,” she said.
