At Altruic Advisors, we’re honored to work alongside several United States Olympic sports teams, including USA Synchro. USA Synchro was established as a nonprofit organization in 1979. The team is funded by private and public donations, corporate sponsorships, membership fees, and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). The USOPC is a federally chartered nonprofit corporation that supports athletes through a variety of programs.

Synchronized swimming was introduced to the Olympics at the 1984 Los Angeles games, where the USA took home the gold in both the solo and duet competitions. Like many sports, synchronized swimming is constantly evolving, and several changes have been made since its Olympic debut. The solo event was removed from the Olympic games after 1992; it was replaced by the team event, which was introduced at the 1996 games. And while not yet an Olympic event, the mixed duet was introduced by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 2015.

One thing that remains constant is the immense skill needed to compete in this sport. Synchronized swimming requires strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, and precise timing. Led by head coach Andrea Fuentes, and assistant coach Reem Abdalazem, the current Senior National Team embodies all of that and more. According to Emily Falkenberg, USA Synchro’s Communications Coordinator, “Andrea and Reem have always tried to challenge what the typical ‘synchro routine’ looks like. They are always trying to come up with something new, creative and different. The team has a significant say in what goes in the routine as well, and that it is really a team effort to put the best product in the pool.”

This team looks strong and fierce. The average age of the athletes is 17.5 years, making them one of the youngest teams in the field. Their current training schedule is six to eleven hours a day, six days a week. And their hard work and dedication are paying off. In the mixed duet technical event, they’ve earned a gold medal at the 2019 Synchro America Open, a silver medal at the 2019 Spanish Open, and placed 4th at the 2019 FINA World Championships in South Korea. And just last month at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, the team earned back-to-back bronze medals in the duet and team competitions. With qualifying events for the Tokyo Olympic Games to be held in April 2020, USA Synchro looks to secure a spot on the world stage.