Figures and Finals

2011-12-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we hosted an competed in our anual New England figure meet. Everyone did a great job and showed off our slow and controlled figures. The judges and our coaches were pleased with the outcome! This week is our last week together before heading off to sunny California. With that being said practices are getting tough but we are pushing through and showing our strength. Keep up the

The New Wheaton

2011-12-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!We just got back from a nice break... from school that is. Now its back to the pool for the wheaton lyons. We are preparing for our figure meet this weekend where we will be hosting, competing and volunteering. We are so excited to show off our new outfitting that has a more althetic feel to it. Although we're cute and cuddly, were tough and determined Wish us luck!

When Times get Tough, the Tough Get Swimming

2011-11-15T12:36:00.000-08:00

Hey all,We have been very busy these last few weeks as we move along to the more extensive phases of our training program. The team is getting excited for our upcoming training trip in San Diego California in the beginning of December. We will be staying in the home of one of our captains, Christiana Butera and training at the City of La Mesa Municipal Pool from December 18th-23rd. Our team

And so it begins

2011-10-04T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hey All,Practice has been going great these last weeks as the team continues to improve. On Friday we worked on goal setting for the year and are really striving to be CRISP in all of our moves. We have already started writing our team routine and have the first lap done which is more than we have had at this time in past years. After tryouts last week, the team was named as well as the small

Happy Synchro New Year!

2011-09-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,The first two weeks of practice have been great. We feed off of each others energy and have a strong team bond already. Our three freshmen have been a great addition to our team. At the end of this week we will hold team tryouts where we will be performing a quick paced and fun tryout routine. From watching my teammates swim in groups, it feels great to say we are already stronger

Summer

2011-04-18T13:14:00.001-07:00

Its finally the end. It has been a great year full of many accomplishments and great new friendships. We are so excited for our incoming freshmen and are already looking forward to next season. One of our final team projects was a clinic we hosted on Sunday. We had a great time teaching and writing routines with local club teams as well as working on other skills and techniques. It was a

US Collegiate Nationals 2011

2011-03-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

The Wheaton College synchronized swimming team recorded its highest finish at a U.S. Collegiate Championship since 2002, as the Lyons placed sixth out of 21 teams Results Synchronized Swimming ChampionshipsMarch 16 - 19 Tonowanda, NYOverall Team TrophyOhio State University 193.0Stanford University 290.0University of Incarnate Word 375.0Canisius College 463.0Lindenwood University 562.5Wheaton

2011-02-16T11:39:00.000-08:00

Wheaton College synchronized swimming junior Christiana Butera (San Diego, CA/Academy of Our Lady of Peace) is believed to be the first NCAA Division III swimmer named to a U.S. national team, as she was one of 12 athletes selected to represent her country at the 14th FINA World Aquatics Championships from July 16-31 in Shanghai, China.

WHEATON SWIMMER REPRESENTS!

2011-01-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

USA Synchro Names2011 U.S. World Championship TeamIndianapolis, Ind. – USA Synchro named the 2011 National Synchronized Swimming Teamwhich will represent the United States at the 14th FINA World Aquatics Championships later thisyear. The elite international competition which features all four aquatics sports, will take placeJuly 16-31, in Shanghai, China.The roster includes five returning

On to warmer places

2010-12-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

While the majority of colleges and teams are looking forward to a break, we are looking forward to our training trip. Every year after Christmas when the school pool is closed, our team picks a warm place to train. The last four years the team went to Puerto Rico and stayed with '10 alumni Laura Montez and her family. This year we will be staying in San Diego California at one of our captains

Holiday Season

2010-11-30T12:52:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a restful and wonderful thanksgiving. Although we still practiced on our own, we enjoyed our small break to see our family and catch up on school work. We have met our goal of completing all small routines by thanksgiving break. Today at practice we came up with new goals for our training trip. Its that time of year again where we start stressing over finals. Next week is our

Figures

2010-11-16T14:12:00.001-08:00

On Sunday we will be competing in our first meet of the season!!! It will be here at wheaton so feel free to stop by and lend a helping hand. This figure meet also includes age group swimmers which helps us build a strong relationship with club teams nearby. For encouragement and to make the freshmen enjoy rather than fear their first time representing Wheaton Synchro, we were given a

Its weight time

2010-11-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

Recently we have started our phase 2 of our new training plan. This phase involves the use of weight belts throughout workouts and routine drills. By using the belts, we are becoming more aware of our alignment as well as strengthening our muscles so our height will be better than ever before. It has been a tough first week but I am very proud of everyone of us. Our team routine is being

Rest Week

2010-11-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

Greetings, This year we have a new training method involving different levels of training on a bi-weekly basis. After the "hard" weeks of strength building we have our ever so needed rest (recovery) week. For that week we get to come into practice at 6:30, which for us is a big deal. We also have a less intense workout and we use lighter weights for our land exercises. This program

Wheaton Synchro Meets 2010-2011 Season

2010-10-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

Below Is a list of our meets this year the meets in bold are at wheaton college.We hope to see you all come support your Wheaton Lyons!!Nov 20, 2010New England Figure Meet Jan 29, 2011Wheaton Invitational Jan 28, 2011 Feb 5, 2011Ohio State-Jessica Beck Memorial Meet Feb 19, 2011Boston University Invitiational Mar 5, 2011East Regional/ECAC Championship Mar 6, 2011East Regional/ECAC Championship

Bollywood

2010-10-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

This year our team is swimming to a Bollywood themed routine. We are all so excited to swim to our upbeat music with quick and new choreography. Because this year we are going in a different direction with our overall look of our team routine, we are beginning to swim quickly and with more intention. In order to improve our skills, we are working on each component of the national team trials

A Great New Year

2010-09-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hey,I would like to start by reintroducing myself. I was one of the swimmers who posted the blogs for Wheaton synchro last year. My name is Rebecca Gordon and i am a sophomore and a proud Lyon! With our 7th place overall finish at collegiate nationals last year we all have high hopes for this years team. Although we have lost 3 fellow teammates we have welcomed two new freshmen. This year we are

Where in the World is Lau?

2010-08-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

We've all been wondering what our most recent Wheaton graduates have been up to. Below you'll find an update from Laura Montes whom is competing on the Puerto Rico National Team. --------------So, ever since I got home I am training about 8 hours a day. Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, we are in the pool for 4-5 hours and then the gym for 2 and a half hours. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays we

UP - UP - UP

2010-06-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

The Lyons are climbing that scholastic mountain! With a tie for 1st place grades Christiana Butera and Liz Watkins posted a semester GPA of 3.66! Not far behind were Christine Dyster and Jenna Swinkin with a 3.50. With all but 3 members posting a semester GPA at or above a 3.25, success still rains on the Wheaton team. Of course these scholastic accomplishments didn't come without a ton of

Turning the pages towards success

2010-06-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

As I look back on a truly amazing year I'd like to send one more expression of congrats to all the girls whom competed on the 2009-2010 Wheaton Synchro team. We pushed each other in ways we never thought possible and ended up with an amazing result (7th place overall!). Please take the summer to both reflect and look to future goals. As for our incoming freshman... best of luck at Nationals

2010 US Collegiates - Wheaton College Team

2010-05-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

Weekend of Spring? Yes please!

2010-04-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

Hi all!Spring weekend is finally here and for those of you who are confused as to what that is I will explain it. It is a weekend where we have outside concerts, games around campus, barbecues and free stuff. There are dodgeball tournaments and boat races on the pond as well!The festivities officially started last night with the dodgeball tournament which of course the synchro team participated

Tests and more Tests! Stoked!

2010-04-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Hi All!I write this in between procrastinating studying for all the tests that are coming my way. Great way to relax right? The team is preparing for the final few weeks of our year by trying to keep our stress down (insert extra gym time here =]) and forming study groups.I have only one test this week but one on Tuesday next week, and fingers crossed, they will go excellently. On the flip side

One Month!

2010-04-09T10:35:00.001-07:00

Hello all!I am happy to report that there are four weeks left of classes and yours truly is doing great in all of my classes =] There was no post last week as I was not working, because our coach was off to Mexico for a much deserved vacation. So much has happened though, so lets get started!We had our annual Water Show for Charity and this year we helped to fund the Green-Pink Project, which

Lucky Number 7

2010-03-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

Ciao Regazzi!Sorry about the prolonged absence folks, I am fresh off of our Spring Break and Collegiate Nationals where we had a triumphant showing and got great tans. We had all of our counted routines make finals and has a strong showing in all of them. Our two soloists Laura and Christiana finished 10 and 8 respectively. Our "A" trio of Christiana, Kirsten and Jenna finished a strong 11 and

We are Defying Gravity... And Expectations

2010-03-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

Ciao All!As I am sitting here listening to "Defying Gravity" from the Glee Soundtrack, I have decided that the lyrics mirror our intentions as a team for Nationals. We are finished with accepting the limitations places upon us by being a D3 school, as well as the limitations we set for ourselves because we are afraid.We are working hard every practice to reach our full potential and grow as a

And the Lyons have it! (Talent, I mean)

2010-02-25T13:09:00.000-08:00

Ciao Ciao!We are fresh from a stunning victory at the Regional meet at UPENN. Our trio, consisting of Christiana Butera, Jenna Swinkin and Kirsten Wendth, captured the first place in an unexpected outcome. This is the first time since 2003 that Canisius has not dominated all the events. We are ecstatic to see where our routines are going to place at Nationals in just two short weeks. Regionals

Snow Day (but where exactly is the snow?)

2010-02-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

Hello All!I hope everyone is keeping warm, and training hard! Today Wheaton canceled classes after noon in preparation for the huge snowstorm that was supposed to come in. This alleged "snowstorm" however ended up just being a free day for us, as it is not actually snowing currently, but raining. At practice we were talking about planning a huge snowball fight and snow angels, then we walked

New Semester, New Blogger!

2010-02-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

Hello Hello Hello! This is your second semester blogger, Amanda. I am a sophomore here at Wheaton, I enjoy walks along the beach at sunset, good movies, and synchro! I am from Lakeland, Florida, and swam for the Lakeland Flamingos. I am currently undeclared but very interested in History and Secondary Education, as well as the athletic training route. This is my 12 season as a swimmer, and I am

Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard at it.

2009-12-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Greetings! Last Saturday we hosted and competed in our first figure meet as a team. Everyone did a great job both competing and supporting fellow teammates. Once we were done with awards the team took various positions to help run the meet by scoring the 13-15 and 16-19 age group competitors. At the end of our long day we had a special surprise. Dave Swinkin, an active supporter of Wheaton

2009-11-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

Hey all! This Last weekend Christiana and I had a wonderful experience working on routine writing for an age group team the North shore Selkies. We each spent time writing two different routines and then spent the day teaching the team inside and outside of the water. The girls were quick learners and willing to try new things. We are both excited to work with them again and finish choreographing

A Contact Sport

2009-11-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone Being on top of a lift is risky but when it hits the top, it is so worth all of the falls along the way. As many of you know synchronized swimming IS a contact sport and a lot of risk is involved in making a routine spectacular. In the beginning of October as we were starting our swim offs, the contact part of synchro was demonstrated. In one of our lifts, which is supposed to

2009-11-04T12:16:00.000-08:00

Hello, As you know this weekend was Halloween and to celebrate we had an exciting and spooky practice. We started out by wearing old routine suits to dress up and practice in. After our warm up, coach Rebecca along with Sarah threw apples into the pool for us to bob for (only using our mouths). Next a relay race was put together where the girls split into pairs and did racing laps of spooky

Ghosts, Goblins and Synchro Swimmers

2009-10-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hello!This weekend we had a wonderful experience with teaching a clinic here at Wheaton. Intermediate and Age group swimmers from different teams around Massachusetts spent the day with us as we helped the girls improve on their skills. We went over skills such as extension, routine drills, and counting figures.We started the day off with some stretching and asking each girl what they would like

Leading the Cubs to our Cave

2009-10-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Hello, Last weekend the Wheaton Synchro team had the opportunity to host three wonderful and talented recruits. They came from all over the country to stay with the team, watch our practices and go to some classes with us to get the full Wheaton College experience. We had a wonderful time bonding with the recruits and hope to see them as a part of the Wheaton team next year. This week we

A Day in The Life of a Wheaton Synchronized Swimmer

2009-10-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hello, My name is Rebecca Gordon and I'm a freshman on the Wheaton synchronized swimming team and will be updating you throughout our first semester of the new year. I am so excited for this upcoming season! So here is a little about myself. My synchro career started ten years ago in my home state of Connecticut in the U.S age group division. I competed with the New Canaan Y Aquianas where

As the Leaves Fall We Stay Strong

2009-10-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hola!The team is starting off with a bang. We had a wonderful opportunity to help out with a local 13-15 club team, the Synchromaids of central Massachusetts. We spent our week working with fellow teammates on choreography for a team, trio and solo. Even though it was a long day, all the girls stayed upbeat and got a gread deal done. The Wheaton girls even got in the pool with the synchromaids

A New Season - A New Way

2009-09-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

What are we doing that's so different you may ask. Simple...the every day things. Our goal for the season is to do the everyday things with extreme effort, no energy saved, no holding back. We're back for the 2010 season and this time we're taking names. We're getting things done earlier and spending more time on the little things, the things that make the difference between a good swimmer and a

Closing chapter 2 and starting chapter 3...

2009-06-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hey All! It's official, the girls are off for the summer and I'm left gearing up for next season. So far it's nothing but clinics, choreography, and music cutting for me. But wait, did I say the girls were "off" for the summer? Not really, each of the girls has been given summer workouts and weight room logs to keep them in shape. Most of the team will be juggling part time jobs, internships,

Thats a Wrap!!! (almost)

2009-04-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Ciao! School is out officially in 16 days (not that we are counting), and Senior Nationals is in one week! We cannot wait to be in sunny California for one last chance to show our stuff. Especially exciting is that this is going to be Senior Sharada's official last swim with her favorite Wheaties! To take some stress off the end of the year, we have been having "fun" practices. A couple

If a synchro swimmer who cant count (clearly there isnt one, but hypothetically) finds a four leaf clover, is she lucky?

2009-03-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! We have just finished Spring Break training in preparation for Collegiate Nationals. It was an intense week but we got through it like true Lyons. We spent the week cleaning up routines and fixing some things that were not working. Last weekend we had Regionals at Keuka. In overall team points we placed a proud 2nd, something that has not been achieved since 2003. It is so

The Pack is Gaining Respect

2009-02-17T06:33:00.000-08:00

Hello All! We are enjoying a two weekend break from competition, having just come back from a successful New York two day competition. We traveled first Canisius College for a tri meet with them and Keuka. We competed well and had good swims, but as always there was still work to be done. After a delicious dinner at teammate Ana's house we drove to Keuka College. At Keuka we swam

The Lyons have marked their territory

2009-02-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

Hello All, We just had our first meet of the season, and what a show. It was a home meet, and the turnout was fantastic. Not only did we have great swims, we took first in overall points. The results are as followsTeam: FirstTrios: First: Butera, Chils and Montes Second: Strasmore, Cordo and SwinkinDuets: First: Butera and Chils Second: Cordo and SwinkinSolos: First:

The tan will fade, but the memories wont...

2009-01-22T16:49:00.000-08:00

Hello all! We are just returning from our Winter Training in beautiful Puerto Rico, courtesy of captain Laura Montes. While we are all wishing we were back in the sun, the real fun is just beginning back at home. Our first meet is next weekend, and we will be looking tan and lean. Those ten hour days sure did push us to the limits, but we (hopefully) surpassed Rebecca's expectations for the

Clinics and Goals - Always a Full Plate!

2008-11-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

Practices are going great as we're getting ready for Duke Zielinski and the Josephson Twins to visit and whip the girls into shape with a 2 day clinic! We've been having lots of fun creating new lifts and throws...as always some work great and others...lets just say "we'll work on it". We've finally set some new team goals and are looking forward to that "Wow look at Wheaton" reaction.On the

The Wheaton Synchro Season Begins...

2008-10-24T07:52:00.001-07:00

And their off! The girls hit the water swimming this season and I have to say after our first two weeks of practice, I'm impressed. This has to be one of the most motivated group of girls I've ever had the chance to work with. We've nailed down our first lap of team and I can already tell it's going to be amazing. Small routines are also underway with some proving to be a little more challenging

Wheaton Synchro Pre-season 08

2008-09-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hi All! So classes are underway and preseason has started. It's great to see the returning swimmers back in the water and the new ones for the first time. They've been enjoying their first few weeks together by learning their tryout routine, attending weight room sessions and stretching like crazy. They've even made preseason fun by going on scavenger hunts, team dinners, and even movie nights

How we discovered Rebecca Story was right for Lyons Synchro

2008-06-26T21:28:00.000-07:00

Even though it has been a year since Rebecca joined Wheaton as our new Head Coach, we can still remember the first time we met her. Two freshmen, confidently sitting at the end of the table facing the candidate, ready to fire away carefully prepared questions. We were familiar with this scenario because we had already met with other potential applicants. She was the last victim…I mean,

Wheaton Synchro Swimmers really are STUDENT-athletes

2008-05-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

So I just got back from a family BBQ and couldn't stop bragging about how well the team did academically. I ended up having more then half the team make the Deans List with a semester average GPA of 3.32. Our Deans List recipients are Megan Kinney '08, Jenna Swinkin '10, Laura Montes '10, and Sarah Bertrand '11. The teams highest GPA went to Jenna with an amazing 3.75. Megan followed with a

Greetings from a Wheaton Graduate!

2008-05-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hi there! My name is Megan and I just graduated from Wheaton! Yeah class of 2008! It's so hard for me to believe that four years flew by so quickly. Anyway, I just thought that I would talk a little bit about my Wheaton experiences and my four years as a Lyon! Your first question is likely "Where are you from?" I have moved all over the country, and my claim-to-fame is that I have swam in three

Class of 2013 Recruits: To do List

2008-05-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

When you're trying to find the perfect college there's a lot of homework (yes, I said homework). I'll be posting lists like this one to help you stay on target.3 Things you should to be doing now:Create a list of schools you think you may like to attendResearch these schools and make sure they offer your interestsWrite down deadlines for applications Remember: NCAA rules state that Collegiate

2007-2008 Season Recap

2008-05-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Hey! This is the first ever Wheaton College Synchro blog. I'm hoping this will prove to be a great resource for all swimmers while looking to choose the right synchro college. I've just completed my first full season as head coach here at Wheaton and I have to say it was WONDERFUL! The girls were great and the school supportive. We met all our goals for the season and have already begun to set