Focus, The Battalion
Thursday, April 9, 1981
Aquatians plan water show
By Carol Thomas
Battalion Reporter
Eyes and noses red, gasping
for breath, the Texas A&M
Aquatians' hours of practice
under the booming voice of
coach Marti Nix indicate that
synchronized swimming is
much more than just playing
around in the water.
"You're too far apart! Get clos
er together!" her voice echoes
over the blaring music of
"Cabaret" at the indoor pool on
campus.
Somehow, the tiring swim
mers hear her and correct the
problem. But soon another
crops up. They swim on, trying
to perfect their performance.
"I told you," Nixon bellows,
"you don't have time to sneeze,
blink your eyes or think: just do
it." But the blonde, blue-eyed
deeply tanned coach smiles at
the girls in the pool, and later
applauds them when they per
form especially well.
At this practice, the 11-
member club is rehearsing espe
cially hard for the annual Aqua-
tian Extravaganza, scheduled
for tonight, Friday and Saturday
night at 8. Tickets for the per
formance at the indoor pool are
available from Aquatian mem
bers in the MSC or at the door.
All practices require a physic
ally-demanding workout, com
parable to that of straight swim
ming.
"Synchronized swimming is
more controlled, artistic, stylis
tic than straight swimming,"
Nix said.
Before even practicing the
actual synchronized swimming,
the swimmers do flexibility
stretches out of the pool. Then
they swim a mere 300-800 yards
as a warm-up, stopping every
hundred yards or so to stretch
more.
Synchronized swimming con
sists of three basic movements:
sculling, stroking and figures,
each with several variations.
"Sculling is moving the body
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Aquatian swimmers practice maneuvers
and polish up on some stunts in preparation
for a water show they will host tonight
through Saturday at the indoor pool.
Photo by Greg Gammon
through the water with a figure-
eight motion of the hands," Nix
said.
Stroking refers to arm move
ment, but is very different from
straight swimming.
"You have to make move
ments very big and slow so the
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MSC Outdoor Recreation
RENTAL IS OPEN TO ALL TAMU
FACULTY, STAFF & STUDENTS.
IV.
Tents: £^33
Backpacks:
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Canyon
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.60
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Equipment is picked up at the Grove (behind the screen). Equip
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Rm. 216 MSC. Equipment not reserved is available on a first
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Rental Hours:
Phone:
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Thurs.
Fit
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8:00 a.m.-2:45 p.m.
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12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
audience can see them," Nix
said. "The arms are very styl
ized."
Figures refer to the gymnastic
stunts done in the water, such as
tumbling and somersaults, she
said.
One club member, Cheryl
Stuart, who swam competitively
in high school, said she enjoys
the sport as much as straight
swimming.
"In synchronized swimming
you get to use music and a lot of
expression," Stuart said. "And
you're out there to perform
whether it's for a show or in
front of a judge.”
The Aquatians began in 1976
as a synchronized swimming
class. The 20-member class be
came so interested in the sport,
they decided to form a club and
put on a water-show that
spring.
"The emphasis was on aqua
tian art, which is not as highly
organized as synchronized
swimming," Nix said.
Right now, there are no men
in the club. Nix believes this is
because men think the club is
only for women.
"I would love to have men on
the team," Nix said. "Any man
who is a pretty good swimmer
would be able to do it.
"In aquatic art they do lifting
and complement the females in
the water," she said. The male
swimmer performs a role similar
to a male dancer on a stage.
"Their emphasis is to be
strong and masculine in the wa
ter," Nix said.
For now, a group of swim
mers within the Aquatians
would like to compete. Howev
er, because they have not been
sanctioned by the AtlUetic
Council, their competition has
been limited to an occasional
meet with the University of
Texas.
"We hope to be sanctioned in
the future so that we will be able
to compete with other teams in
the United States on the national
level," Nix said. "We have the
potential of becoming a very
competitive team."
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