May 17, 2017 — After a physically demanding Canadian Open National Championship followed immediately by the National Team Trials held in Toronto April 25-30, 2017, Synchro Saskatchewan is proud to announce that Alana Hargreaves, High Performance Athlete from the Saskatoon Aqualenes, was one of sixteen athletes named to the 2017 Junior National Athlete Pool. The sixteen selected athletes represent the depth of synchronized swimming across the country, training at nine different synchro clubs and coming from six Canadian provinces, ranging from Victoria, BC to Québec City, QC.
“The main goal of the selection was to select the athletes who have the greatest potential to qualify for the Junior Worlds team in 2018,” stated Sheilagh Croxon, Synchro Canada’s High Performance Consultant. "This summer, Synchro Canada will be investing in the development of these athletes, while creating memorable choreographies for our Junior Worlds routines."
The Junior National Athlete Pool is the first step in a 2-year selection and development process that will culminate with the 2018 FINA Junior World Championships. The athlete pool, whose members are all age-eligible for next year's biennial competition, will be taking part in a month-long Choreography camp at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, from July 3 to 28, 2017. The camp will be led by Head Coach Manny Wu and Assistant Coach Nathalie Lagrange with Jennifer Koptie leading the development of the duet routine.
"This is part of our long-term approach to developing our young athletes," added Julie Healy, Synchro Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. "They will have the opportunity to work with outstanding coaches for nearly four weeks together. This type of training interval helps to build relationships and the competitive readiness for future national and international success. It will be a truly exciting and productive camp for our coaches and especially our swimmers."
Alana first joined synchro as a recreational Aqua Giggles athlete at the age of five. She went competitive three years later and quickly progressed to the national stream level when she was twelve. Alana has been involved in synchronized swimming for twelve years. Having an outdoor pool at her home introduced Alana to the water at a very young age and was instrumental with her development in a sport she grew to love.
This is the first step in Alana’s goal is to represent Canada at the 2018 Junior World Championships.
Synchro Saskatchewan extends our congratulations to Alana and her coaches, Brittany Leaper and Laurie Wachs, for all the hard work that went into preparing for these trials and the fantastic result achieved. We wish you an enjoyable and successful National Team experience.
Read Synchro Canada’s announcement here.http://www.synchro.ca/synchro-canada-announces-its-2017-junior-national-athlete-pool/
