Durham Synchro Posts Impressive Finishes to 2004/2005 Season

Durham Synchro's competitive teams have wound up their 2004/2006 season with impressive results at provincial and national championships in Calgary , Saskatchewan , and Ontario .

In May, Durham 's Tier 7 team swam to a ninth place finish at the Canadian Open Synchronized Swimming Championships at the Talisman Centre in Calgary , Alberta . This four-member team (Sophie Baetz-Dougan, Katie Cornish, Lindsay Maclean and Chelsey Matthews) placed in the top ten in spite of an automatic two-point penalty assigned because they did not have a full team of eight.

Also in May, Durham 's Masters team plus their Tier 1 and Tier 3 teams competed at the 2005 Ontario Tier Championships in Waterloo . The Masters team brought home the gold medal for Durham . In Tier 4 duet competition, Christina Bell and Christa Hutton placed fifth. The Tier 3 team of Christina Bell, Stephanie Geller, Christa Hutton, Alexandra Opydo and Ali Young finished second in Ontario , while in Tier 3 duet competition, Opydo and Geller placed fourth. In Tier 1 team competition, Lindsay Dawson, Alycia Halyk, Kayla Hunt, Hannah Koke, Brooke Manson, Carla McCagherty, Rachel Nickerson and Amber Steele placed fifth in Ontario .

In figures competition at this meet, Rachel Nickerson placed fourth in Tier 1; Ali Young took silver in Tier 2; and Tier 3's Stephanie Geller placed fourth.

In June, the club's Tier 6 team (Katie LePage, Julia Maclean, Brianna MacLellan, Allie Mear, Carrie Mouck, and Alaina Wade) flew to the 2005 Canadian Espoir Championships in Saskatoon , Saskatchewan , where the team placed fourth in Canada , missing bronze by one-tenth of a point. In Tier 6 15 & Under duet competition, LePage and MacLellan finished on the podium in sixth place, while Mouck and J. Maclean also posted a top-ten finish in 7 th place. In solo, Maclean came ninth in Canada .

Selections for the National 13-15 team also took place at the Espoir Championships, and Katie LePage was among 11 athletes chosen from a field of 189 Tier 6 swimmers from across Canada . Katie will compete with the team in Greece this summer.

Durham Synchro is one of the largest synchro swim clubs in Ontario . The club currently provides recreational, competitive and masters opportunities to over one hundred swimmers in Durham Region.