March 18 , 2010

U.S. NATIONAL SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS COME TO HUNTERSVILLE

2010 U.S. National Championships to be held April 15-17

HUNTERSVILLE, NC - The 2010 U.S. Synchronized Swimming National Championships will make a splash at the Hutnersville Family Fitness & Aquatics, April 15-17. More than 100 elite athletes will vie for national titles in the solo, duet and team events in the nation's most prestigious competition. The 2010 U.S. National Championships mark the 65th year of national competition in the duet and team events and the 61st year of solo competition.

Huntersville is no stranger to the sport of synchronized swimming after hosting the UANA Pan American Synchronized Swimming Championships in August 2009.

Synchronized swimming requires a combination of strength, precision, grace and teamwork, and is considered a culmination of swimming, gymnastics and dance.

Tickets for Thursday and Friday's competition are $8. Tickets for finals on Saturday are $12. Three-day event passes can be purchased for $20.

For more information pertaining to the 2010 U.S. National Championships, contact Taylor Payne at taylor@usasynchro.org or 317-507-3410.

SYNCH... OR SWIM

Local athletes offer "clip-ons" challenge to ambitious media

Does your media outlet have a hands-on sports reporter who does not mind getting his or her feet wet? Perhaps he or she is an aggressive sports verteran who will go to great lengths for the inside scoop on a local sporting event. Maybe you've got a macho man who likes to show off during office softball games and can not turn down a chance to put his athletic talents to the test.

Then consider this a bare-bones, knockdown, drag-out challenge! The buoyant media member will receive a great experience and an even greater story. The unsuccessful reporter will receive a visit to the bottom of the pool!

U.S. Synchronized Swimming, in conjunction with the 2010 U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Championships, issues a formal challenge to any and all media outlets to try synchronized swimming (under the close supervision of lifeguards, of course). Swimming alongside participants will be several top-rated athletes.

Even the most confident reporter who scoffs at any athletic event that does not involve helmets or physical contact will become a new person after swallowing a few gallons of water. Just ask Matt Lauer and Al Roker or Olympic gold medalists Mary Lou Retton, Kerri Strug or Summer Sanders, who all accepted the challenge. Even syndicated columnist Dave Barry tried to "Synch or Sink" and was a born-again aquanaut. The experience prompted Barry to exclaim in the Miami Herald, "This is the hardest sport in the world!"

The media challenge will take place at the Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics. Private challenges may be arranged at any time during the event by contacting Taylor Payne at 317-507-3410. Wear your swimsuit and water wings. We'll provide a nose clip, cap, goggles, and ... CPR.

The challenge is held in conjunction with the 2010 U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Championships being held at the Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics Center, April 15-17, 2010.

To RSVP for "The Synchro Challenge," or for more information on the 2010 U.S. Synchronized Swimming Championships, contact Taylor Payne at 317-507-3410.

About Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics (HFFA):
Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics is about family, fitness and fun. Dedicated HFFA staffers produce an exciting variety of programs and partnerships that connect the community and enable members to experience and achieve the most in health, wellness, and total fitness. Built in 2001, the 88,000-square-foot HFFA facility features state-of-the-art aquatic and fitness components, including a 50-meter pool, a 25-yard warm water pool, an outdoor family fun pool, full-court gymnasium, complete fitness center, and group exercise studio.  As the only public facility in the Southeast with an Olympic-sized, 50-meter competition pool and 10-meter dive tower, HFFA regularly hosts aquatics events with up to 2,000 spectators for regional, national, and international swim and dive competitions. For more information, please call (704) 766-2222 or visit www.hffa.com.

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