Courtesy: USA Artistic Swimming
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – In a little more than a year, the organization formerly known as USA Synchronized Swimming or USA Synchro for short has transformed itself. Under the leadership of their board of directors they have hired a new Chief Executive Officer, arguably the best coaching staff in the world, revitalized events, directly partnered with the USA Artistic Swimming Foundation, solidified an athlete first athlete policy and made sure the members always come first.
All of this has built up to the greatest change the organization has ever made. After 41 years, the organization has voted to approve the official name change from USA Synchronized Swimming to USA Artistic Swimming. As many know the change comes approximately two and a half years after the international federation for Artistic Swimming, FINA, made the change. While that played an important role in the decision, USA Artistic Swimming CEO Adam Andrasko said this change was also a chance to usher in a new era for the sport.
“As a world leader in the sport we recognized the need to align with the changes FINA made, and we are proud to support the great work that is being done by them to move our sport forward,” Andrasko said “However, that is not the only reason for the change. The name change offers us an opportunity to showcase how the sport has evolved. Gone are the days of water ballet. This is where true athleticism and artistry meet. We look forward to showing you how exciting artistic swimming is”
Along with the name change, USA Artistic Swimming launched a new campaign titled “We Move As One.” USA Artistic Swimming Communications Coordinator Emily Falkenberg, said this campaign will be used to show off every part of the membership and grow Artistic Swimming around the country.
“This campaign and name change offers us a unique opportunity to clearly demonstrate what our sport is and how talented our athletes are in a way that excites and inspires newcomers to join” Falkenberg said. “The “We Move As One” slogan will be used to connect with our current members and invite new fans and athletes to see the unparalleled passion our membership has for the sport.
With the best national team in recent memory focused on qualifying for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, a duet that returns 2016 Olympian Anita Alvarez and a pipeline of athletes that are primed to push the entire sport to new heights, excitement is at a new high. USA Artistic Swimming Senior National Team Head Coach, Andrea Fuentes, said this name change embodies what the reality of the sport really is.
“We are not only synchronizing like rowers do, we are innovating and creating every routine,” Fuentes said. “Artistic Swimming is one of the fastest evolving sports because the competition to have the most unique routines around the world requires it. Every country tries to bring choreography with more difficulty and originality than ever. I want the U.S. to start leading in this direction too and to be game changers and leaders.”
“We want to be a team who makes history,” Fuentes added. “That is why we are invested in doing routines with movements and acrobatics that no one has seen before. We are artists in every sense, and we want to inspire others by being united and moving as one.”
USA Artistic Swimming is ready to show off their skills to the world in 2020, reinvigorate the membership, excite new fans and support the efforts of FINA. The United States has an incredible history in this sport that a name change will not diminish. All athletes, coaches, judges and fans will be involved and celebrated more than ever. USA Artistic Swimming, We Move As One. Keep up with USA Artistic Swimming here.
If you ask me, 14:12 in the 1650 is pretty dang artistic.
Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.