COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Nine-year-old Cammy Engel grew up around pools.
“She was born in Florida and obviously needed to get her swimming lessons right away,” said her mother, Molly Engel.
However, Cammy soon realized that swimming straight back and forth was not her style.
“I would just do a bunch of laps, but I didn't like it so I stopped,” Cammy said.
Ironically, it took Cammy moving away from the coast to Columbus to find her swimming style, a synchronized version.
“This was a way for her to combine the things she loves: gymnastics, swimming, dancing, cheerleading. It's a combination of all of those things,” Molly said.
Kellagh Frank is the swimming programming coordinator at the Jewish Community Center of Columbus. And she explains why synchro works for young athletes like Cammy.
“It gives water time to kids who love swimming but get bored to tears just doing laps,” Frank said. “There’s sports, there’s competition, there’s creativity.”
Frank is also one of the coaches for the Ohio Coralinas, a synchronized swimming team that has been around since 1955. She is also a former swimmer at the club.
“There have been some mergers in the last few years,” Frank said. “A number of years ago, Coralinas and Ohio Synchro merged to form the team we know today, Ohio Coralinas.”
Frank also said one of the most difficult aspects of synchronized swimming is communicating to young athletes that what makes a routine stand out is everyone fitting in.
“It takes incredible cohesiveness and everyone needs to learn to work and move together in harmony,” she said. “We're teaching them techniques. We're teaching them how to train. How to mentally overcome the challenges of practice, season, disappointment, and success.”
This weekend, Coralinas will aim to take the final step towards a successful season. The regional championships will be held in Columbus, and the top teams and individuals will qualify for the Junior Olympic National Championships.
“It's very competitive to get there. You have to be in the top three in certain events and the top two in others throughout the region, so you'll have multiple states competing together.” said Frank.
This will be Cammy's first attempt at qualifying for a national competition, but it will definitely not be her last. Sport has become a part of her. She will feel as if she is experiencing music underwater. she feels it.
“It's like everything you've done is going there,” Cammie said. “It feels good when you get it right.”
The regional competition will be hosted by the Lakes Mermaids at Columbus School for Girls on Saturday, May 18th and Sunday, May 19th. The National Junior Olympic Games will be held from June 29th to July 6th in Gresham, Oregon.
