Clubs are spread throughout New Zealand, offering synchronised swimming lessons and team opportunities. Some swimmers enter the sport as soon as they can competently swim, while others have joined from other water disciplines such as water polo, surf life saving, and squad swimming.The sport is also open to boys. The best way to get started is to find a club and contact the coach for more information.
Swimmers start with learning basic techniques such as sculling and eggbeater kick, then progress onto learning figures. Figures are special technical moves and once mastered they will form the foundation for team routines - a synchronised routine of moves choreographed to music. The categories of synchronised swiming are organised by age groups, and swimmers move through levels called KiwiStars. Once a swimmer has reached KiwiStar 2 they can then start going to regional competitions. There are usually three synchronised swimming competitions held in a year; North and South Island Clubs host regional competitions and ASNZ hosts a National Championship every year. Athletes from New Zealand and overseas clubs converge and compete in figures and routines.
Visit the ATHLETES page in the main menu to see swimmers in action and learn more about what is happening in clubs around New Zealand.
To learn more about the history of synchronised swimming and the structure of the sport visit the official World Aquatics (Previously FINA) website http://www.fina.org/content/structure-sport
