Swimming "In Synch" to Stay Healthy

Like many swim instructors, Susan Oliver oversees a kids' swim team and teaches aquatics classes. But she especially enjoys leading "In Synch," a synchronized swim team based in Hudson, Ohio, whose members range from 52 to 82 and include cancer survivors and swimmers grappling with heart problems.

The team recently showed up in O: The Oprah Magazine, which features the women as examples of greatness at any age. The magazine's photo shoot inspired In Synch to create a new move in the water. Oliver explains: "Picture us all in an 'O.' We're on our backs in a circle and everyone's feet are on somebody's shoulders and we're all hooked up. And then we're sculling [or propelling] around so the whole thing's moving."

This kind of creativity keeps the team fresh, and Oliver says she encourages the women to have fun planning their routines. The team performs at an annual end-of-summer water show at Hudson's LifeCenter Plus Health and Fitness Center, where they also practice. In Synch's numbers include moves such as "the Star" (where the swimmers bring their feet together in the center of the pool) and "the Wave" (where all the women stand in a line and create a wave with their arms, one by one). Some members focus on the choreography, while others choose the music -- Frank Sinatra's "You Make Me Feel So Young" is a favorite, and they are currently working the Chordettes' cover of "Lollipop" into their repertoire.

Started by national synchro champion Betty Buckles, now 75, the team has 11 members, and most of the women had no synchro experience until joining the group.

"I think they're drawn to the sport itself because it's different," says Oliver, the 55-year-old mother of three grown children, who occasionally performs with the group. "It's fun, but they're also staying in shape and learning new things, and it's very social."

In an interview with SecondAct, Oliver talks about her love of synchronized swimming, how it keeps her healthy, and what she enjoys about coaching the In Synch team.

SA: How did you get started?
SO: I got started with synchro when I was 7 at our local YMCA. I am a natural-born swimmer, so by age 7 I had completed all of the swim lessons. A synchro team happened to practice at the same Y. I loved to watch and asked my mom if I could try it out. I loved it and became quite skilled and joined their team. The synchronized swimming attracted me because I was already doing gymnastics and I was really into ballet, and it was just the coolest thing to be able to do ballet in the water. I was hooked. In the water I feel perfectly peaceful.

SA: How is synchronized swimming different from other types of swimming?
SO: With competitive swimming, also called lap swimming or fitness swimming, the objective is to work out in the water, build strength and endurance, and burn calories. Most good competitive swimmers use the four competitive strokes, which take them up and down the pool at different speeds. Synchronized swimming also builds strength and endurance, [but we do] stunts, formations and routines.

SA: How does swimming maintain your health? What other things do you do to stay in shape?

SO: Staying active is crucial for every age. It helps the body, mind and spirit. One can't help but reap the benefits of being in the pool. The water is therapy for some, who prefer it as their aging joints feel much better in the water than on land. As far as my health goes, I am fortunate to say it's very good. I only have one chronic condition called scoliosis in my neck. It gets stiff and irritated from time to time. In the water, though, it never hurts. To stay in shape, I teach and do the exercises right along with the class. I take spinning classes several times a week. I use a BowFlex machine at my house, and I walk with my dog LuLu for several hours a day.

SA: What does the team do during practices?
SO: We practice at the LifeCenter on Tuesdays and Fridays [one hour each day]. I try to use one practice time for skill-building such as lengths of sculling. Then we practice formations moving up and down the pool. The last part of class I teach them stunts. Those are the ones where you see swimmers upside down [using] lots of leg. The other practice is used to rehearse routines choreographed to music. Routines take a lot of our time, especially if we have a show coming up.

SA: What do you enjoy about coaching?
SO: I have always loved to coach, and this In Synch group is just the sweetest, bravest and so much fun to be around. They aim to please. They look good because they stay in shape. A lot of them do other [activities]; we have water aerobics classes that a lot of them are in.

SA: How do people respond to your performances?
SO: They love it. Especially when people at the club see us, and since they know us, they say, "You can do THAT?"