|
Santa Clara Aquamaids is a synchronized swimming team located in Santa Clara, California. The ages of the athletes stretch from age six to twenty six. Their mission is to "To champion the pursuit of excellence in the international sport of synchronized swimming." The club, a non-profit, member supported team creates nationally ranked synchronized swimmers of all ages. The Aquamaids have produced over 60% of all Olympic Synchronized Swimmers representing the United States since the sport became an Olympic event in 1984. == History == In 1964, the club was founded by Wilbur Luick. He hired Kay Vilen as the first head coach. She was praised for her expertise and knowledge on the sport. She had the big ideas and interesting techniques that make the Aquamaids famous today. The Aquamaids were able to attract transfers from other established clubs, including the Howel Swim Club of Walnut Creek, the Athens Club of Oakland, CA, and the Riverside AQuettes. They soon became a leading contender, taking the titles of Solo Champions, Duet Champions, and Team Champions at the Senior and Junior National levels on numerous occasions. After Vilen's death in 1976, the two top swimmers at the time, Gail Johnson and Pam Albin Edwards took over as head coaches, and the club continued to thrive. 〔Bean, Dawn Pawson Bean. Synchronized Swimming: An American History. McFarland Company Inc. Publishers, Jefferson (North Carolina, USA), 2005.〕 In 1984, Chris Carver was appointed head coach. Even with no history of participating in the actual sport, her innovative choreography and her great attention to detail is what makes the Aquamaids national champions. She has received the "Coach of the Year" award every year for the past fourteen years. In 2000, Carver was appointed the head coach of the 2000 Summer Olympic Synchronized Swim Team. The nine-member team consisted of seven Aquamaids. The team consisted of Carrie Barton, Anna Kozlova, Bridget Finn, Kristina Lum, Elicia Marshall, Tuesday Middaugh, and Kim Wurtzel. The duet of Anna Kozlova and Tuesday Middaugh also competed. The team came close to a medal, placing fourth. The duet didn't place as well as the team did. In 2003, Carver and her team were determined as ever before to become a successful team. After three years of training, the same team who competed in the 2000 Olympics competed in the 2003 Pan-American Games. Where the team took a gold medal, and the duet of Anna Kozlova and Tuesday Middaugh took home a gold medal as well. In 2004, the first two athletes to compete on the US Synchronized Swimming Team were announced. It was the freshly created duet of Anna Kozlova and Alison Bartosik. For the second year in a row, the duet that was representing the US consisted of two Aquamaids. Later the team added five more Aquamaids, and two swimmers that were not from the team. The five other Aqumaids were, Tammy Crow, Becky Jasontek, Sara Lowe, Lauren McFall and Kendra Zanotto. The team places third and was rewarded and bronze medal. This was the first year that the US got a metal since 1996. Anna Kozlova and Alison Bartosik placed third, receiving a bronze medal as well. Kozlova and Bartosik were among only twenty-two other athletes that had multiple metals. In 2005, Carver stepped down as National Training Coach after twenty-five years to focus fully on the Aquamaids. The club continues to host swimmers from all over the world. They have recruited swimmers from Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Russia, Scotland, Switzerland, France, Germany, New Zealand, and South Africa. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Santa Clara Aquamaids」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|