The ladies in red swimwear and caps, creating waves in the water, are the Pirouettes of Texas, a highly decorated club in North Texas for competitive artistic swimming.
For years, synchronized swimming, once known as the sport of synchronized swimming, has captivated audiences as one of the most fascinating Olympic events to watch.
Athletes like Erin Kim have dedicated eight years to mastering the sport.
“It is quite complex like every single second you have to think of a million different things,” Kim said. “I always have to check underwater to see if I'm in line with someone. I always have to think of counts in my head, make sure my feet are pointing.”
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They perform all this while holding their breath and smiling longer than the average individual.
“Definitely we practice a lot. So, with that comes a lot of, you know, like, I can take a breath, I can relax. I know I've done this before, but it is quite a lot of pressure, honestly," Kim said.
The Pirouettes of Texas train an average of 20 hours weekly.
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“And we're all students, too. So, it's like school and then straight to practice,” Kim said. “But our practices are typically three and a half to four hours. Then, the first hour is typically designated to training.”
Strength and conditioning training is key for the swimmers.
“We're thinking about pushing high so that way she can get up, our flier,” Nathalia Valdez said. Valdez is Kim’s teammate and friend.
Their training extends to land to develop muscle memory.
“Then the two and a half hours to three hours (left) we do in the water,” Kim said. “So, that’s speed swimming to warm us up, and then we jump into some synchro drills, routines, things like that.”
And while their tricks are risky, the Pirouettes of Texas said the Olympians take it to newer heights.
“I think that they are at a whole different level, and I wish I could be that good. But they earned it,” Valdez said. “They trained so hard for it.”
Some of the members of Pirouettes of Texas said they have grown up competing against some members of Team USA.
"Seeing them (on) a giant stage is honestly so inspiring, and I wish them all the best," Kim said.
Valdez is even more eager to cheer on Team USA as she will soon be on the same team as some of the members.
“My favorites are probably Ruby Remati and Keana Hunter because they're going to Ohio State University,” Valdez said. “They're going to be my future teammates.”
This week, TEAM USA's Artistic Swimming took home the first medal in 20 years. The acrobatic team resulted in a silver medal.
“Knowing how difficult it is to do all of that and seeing them do it so perfectly, it’s so admirable,” Kim said.
