Durham Swimmer Helps 13-15 National Team to Fourth Place Finish in Greece

Katie LePage (fifth from right) says Greece was "awesome" !

Durham Synchro's Katie LePage has returned from the Comen Cup tournament in Athens , Greece , where she helped her team to a very satisfying fourth place finish out of 17 international teams.

Katie, who was chosen for the new 13-15 National team at the 2005 Canadian Espoir Championships in Saskatoon last June, says she was "absolutely honoured" to make the team along with ten other top swimmers. Just before the team left for Greece in early August, Katie was thrilled to learn she had made the top eight swimmers for the team.

The team clinched their fourth-place podium finish on Saturday, August 6, doing even better than expected. Synchro Canada had hoped for a top-six finish for the young team, which had taken part in intensive training at Etobicoke Olympium and then in Montreal , before boarding their plane to Athens . Katie was also coached by Durham 's Tier 7 coach, Holley Lundmark, in preparation for the team's routine practice.

"It was extremely challenging for Katie because she had to train very hard and also learn the routine on her own, before joining the other swimmers," says Holley. "It's a credit to Katie's ability and commitment that she was able to do this so well, in so little time."

Katie began a well-deserved few weeks of R&R before returning to Durham Synchro's Tier 7 team in September.

Congratulations, Katie!