Grayci Lain is a senior at Hamline University and the captain for the Hamline synchronized swim team, a budding group beginning its third year on campus. Grayci took time to answer some questions for any students who might be interested in synchronized swimming and urges any and all to join the team, regardless of skill level.
How long have you been involved with synchronized swimming?
Wait a minute, let me think about this WOW It has been 10 years.
Why did you want to bring synchro to Hamline?
I wanted to bring synchro to Hamline because it’s a fun sport that can build a close family within a team, and you get a great workout while we jam to music underwater.
What is your favorite part about synchronized swimming?
My favorite part of synchro is performing. We work really hard to make everything look perfect and effortless, then you get one chance to wow the judges. I also love the ladies and gents that have become my pool family.
What does a normal practice look like?
Our practices are 2 hours with long warm-ups that are mainly spent underwater so we can hold our breath for longer than 2 mins. We work on our routines with music for most of the practice while also learning new moves to improve our skills. Our coach makes practices fun but also challenging.
Tell us about your travel competitions?
For most of our competitions, we travel to other states. This coming season we’ll travel to Colorado for our regional competition in early march, and we will travel to San Antonio, Texas for nationals at the end of March. We are really excited to compete for the second year and also compete against some of the best synchro swimmers in the world.
What else should people know about HU Synchro?
We are excited to start our season in the next couple of weeks and we are always open for new swimmers to come out and try this amazing sport. We accept beginners and advanced swimmers. This sport is not just a female sport; we welcome all. Why wouldn’t you want to come hang out in the pool and jam to music above and under the water?
Catch Grayci and her team at the Bush pool on Mondays and Wednesdays 7:30-9:30pm starting September 17th. For more information, contact her at husynchro@gmail.com and follow the team on twitter and instagram (@hu_synchro).