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purpleyeti

Listed below are comments made by purpleyeti between Wednesday, 20th August 2008 and Wednesday, 20th August 2008.

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What's the most impressive sport? 7:14pm on 20 Aug 2008 Dear ceedee63 and anyone else of the same opinion,

Your point about the olympic motto, while slightly better thought out than most brainless criticisms of synchro and other judged sports, still doesn't make the definitive point you think it does...

How do you think synchro swimmers get higher marks than their competitors? By being *swifter* at changing from one movement to another, one pattern to another, covering the area of the pool, etc. By being *higher* out of the water, both in eggbeater (head / body out) and vertical (legs out) positions, boosts, lifts, etc. And by being *stronger* to allow both of the above, particularly to provide the bursts of shear power required for lifts, and to be able to hold their breath for long periods of time while undergoing intense aerobic activity.

Far from fulfilling none of the "criteria" it fulfills all of them in complex ways that necessitate it being judged as opposed to in some ways simpler sports where anyone can tell who wins. Perhaps your actual reason for objecting to it is that you don't understand it.

I'd say that the lack of "wow" factor some people mention is also possibly at least partially due to a lack of understanding. I certainly find the Olympic synchro routines very impressive, as having done synchro competitively for 9 years (and I wish longer) I know just how tricky it all is. Have a go yourself, do some thinking about what the athletes are actually managing to do in an unstable medium where even staying on the surface of the water expends energy, and you'll have a new appreciation for it all! And I don't see how anyone can fail to find the lifts in the team events impressive.

I'm very glad though to see some appreciation for both synchro and water polo. Incidentally, synchro swimmers can make quite good water polo players, I found my synchro eggbeater legs extremely handy for water polo goalying, and I know other synchro swimmers who've become far better water polo players than me!

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