Fork Union Military Academy is honored to host the East Coast Synchro Camp from July 25–July 29 attended by synchronized swimmers aged 9 to 16 from Florida to Connecticut. The camp is directed by Samantha Elhart, who also directs the Charlottesville Swans. The camp is led by clinician Becky Dyroen-Lancer, recognized as perhaps the world's greatest synchronized swimmer of all time. Dyroen-Lancer was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2004 following a career in which she was a dominant in her sport as any athlete in history, having won an unprecedented nine Grand Slams in National Championships and International Competition and elected team captain of the 1996 US Olympic Team that went on to post a perfect score of 100 in their five-minute free routine, earning the Olympic Gold Medal.
The synchro camp led by Samantha Elhart, Dyroen-Lancer, and her staff of certified and experienced coaches offers swimmers drills and instruction in figures, national team skills and routines, as well as targeted strength and flexibility training including pilates and gymnastics. Michelle Bullock coaches gymnastics and Suzette Buck is the pilates coach.
The camp will culminate in a showcase of routines, highlighting the new skills and choreography learned during the week. Swimmers attending the camp all have at least one year of synchro experience, and have competed in local, regional, and national events. One-third of the participants in the camp have competed previously in the Junior Olympics.
Watch the 1996 US Olympic team, captained by Becky Dyroen-Lancer, in competition during the Atlanta Olympics and see the amazing skill and athleticism in action in this video on YouTube.
For more photos from synchro swim camp, visit our online photo gallery.