Photo credit: Allie Mattes

Synchronized swimming is a sport that requires participants to perform a routine underwater in a pool while simultaneously staying in time with their teammates. Each athlete must believe in the rest of the team to perform as they have practiced because they can’t see them while they are swimming. At the age of seven, junior Claire Nurse watched her first synchronized swimming performance at the Lakefront Park, and she has been in love with the sport ever since. The uniqueness of synchronized swimming and the immense trust between swimmers is what initially caught her attention. 

With this, her interest peaked and Nurse decided to start practicing synchronized swimming all year. Now, she practices with the Michigan Sharkettes all year alongside competing for North in the winter. By competing with multiple teams she is able to learn under different coaches which aids her ability to continue performing at a higher level. 

“I got into synchronized swimming because I saw it at the Woods park, and I just did it for fun at first, and then I started doing it here at North competitively,” Nurse said. “I also joined a team in Livonia.”

Trust is a crucial element in synchronized swimming for Nurse because the sport requires swimmers to believe that their teammates will work together in unison. Having trust in her teammates has not always been an easy task, but she has dedicated many hours throughout her synchronized swimming career establishing confidence with her teammates and herself. Additionally, synchronized swimming has created lifelong connections. She recognizes that if she lacks these crucial relationships with her teammates it might be difficult to perform well enough to meet her own expectations. If just one person is out of time, the whole routine may become disarranged. 

“I think it requires just a lot of team work since it’s not individualized, like regular swimming,” Nurse said. “It requires a lot of teamwork and patience and dedication to the sport.”

Aligning with the importance of trust, synchronized swimming also allows Nurse to learn leadership, responsibility, and confidence that she can apply to her life and community outside of the sport. Synchronized swimming takes up a lot of time, but having the responsibility of teaching people has taught me to build leadership. Being able to participate in an activity that strengthens not only her reliance on others, it lets her strive to be a better person. 

“Synchronized swimming has taught me a lot in life,” Nurse said. “It has taught me how to work with people better with just dedication, patience, and time management. It is a very time-consuming sport.”

Deciding to dive even farther into her commitment to synchronized swimming, Nurse has decided to become a coach this summer at the Lakefront Park where her passion was first ignited. By becoming a coach, her goal is to make an impact on the new generation of synchronized swimmers. 

“I just love teaching people, because I am very passionate about this sport,” Nurse said.