Rocky Mountain
WHAT IS ARTISTIC SWIMMING?
Strength. Skill. Creativity. Teamwork.
Artistic swimming is a unique combination of swimming, dance, gymnastics, and acrobatics, all performed in the water and set to music.
Athletes develop strength, flexibility, endurance, breath control, and body awareness while learning to perform individually and as part of a team. From powerful lifts and acrobatics to precise underwater movements, artistic swimming is every bit as athletic as it is artistic.
And yes, it’s a lot harder than they make it look!
More Than Artistic Swimming
You may know it as synchronized swimming, but the sport officially became artistic swimming in 2017.
Today's artistic swimming is a fast-paced and highly athletic sport. Athletes perform complex choreography above and below the water while staying synchronized with their teammates and the music.
Swimmers train in:
Swimming • Strength • Flexibility • Acrobatics •
Choreography • Endurance • Teamwork
And they do it all without touching the bottom of the pool!
It's Not Just About Looking Synchronized
Modern artistic swimming routines are carefully constructed and scored. Judges evaluate multiple parts of each performance.
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Difficulty - The difficulty of the skills, hybrids, and acrobatics performed throughout the routine.
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Execution - How accurately and successfully athletes perform their skills.
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Artistic Impression - Choreography, musical interpretation, presentation, transitions, creativity, and the overall performance.
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Synchronization - How precisely athletes perform movements together.
At higher competitive levels, coaches declare much of a routine's planned difficulty before the athletes compete, making both difficulty and execution an important part of building a successful routine.
What Do Artistic Swimmers Compete in?
Artistic swimming offers several different routine events. The events available to an athlete may vary depending on their age and competitive level.
SOLO
One athlete performs a choreographed routine showcasing individual technique, difficulty, artistry, and performance.
DUET
Two athletes perform together, combining technical skills, choreography, artistry, and synchronization.
TRIO
Three athletes perform a choreographed routine together, adding another level of synchronization, patterns, and teamwork.
Trios are offered at the Novice and Intermediate levels.
TEAM
A group of athletes performs together, combining synchronization, technical skills, formations, choreography, and acrobatics.
MIXED DUET
A duet performed by one male and one female athlete.
COMBO
A fun, fast-moving team event that combines different styles of artistic swimming throughout one routine. Athletes may perform sections as a full team as well as in smaller groups, creating opportunities for changing formations, choreography, and creative moments.
ACRO
A high-energy team event focused on exciting acrobatic skills such as lifts, throws, platforms, and other airborne movements.
From Local Meets To Bigger Competitions
Splash athletes have opportunities to compete throughout Colorado and across the United States.
Athletes may begin at introductory or developmental competitions and progress toward larger championship events as their skills and competitive level grow.
Every athlete's path through artistic swimming can look a little different. Some athletes enjoy competing locally, while others choose to work toward regional, zone, and national-level opportunities.
What Does A Competition Look Like?
Artistic swimming competitions are called meets.
Athletes typically arrive before their scheduled events to prepare, stretch, warm up, and get ready with their teammates and coaches.
Once it's time to compete, athletes perform for a panel of officials and receive scores based on the requirements of their event.
And of course, meets also mean plenty of cheering for your teammates!
There's A Place For Every Swimmer
Whether an athlete wants to learn something new, perform with friends, compete locally, or work toward national-level competition, artistic swimming offers opportunities for many different goals.
No previous artistic swimming experience is necessary to get started.
All you need is a love of the water and a willingness to try something new.