Synchro Canada – San Juan, August 31, 2016 — The Canadian 13-15 National Team has arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they will be taking part in the 2016 UANA Pan American Synchronized Swimming Championships scheduled for September 1-4 at the San Juan Natatorium.

The 10-athlete squad, who has been training in Toronto since the beginning of the month specifically for this competition, will be taking part in the team, duet and solo events at the competition, in the 13-15 age group.  “This team is ready to take on UANA 2016,” stated Team Captain Maura McLean.  “We can’t wait to get in the pool and get started!”  

The 2016 13-15 National Team members are Eva Blainey (Toronto, ON), Salomé Boissonneault (Quebec City, QC), Evangelia Clavel (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC), Flynne Gossling (Victoria, BC), Teah Hoffmann (Calgary, AB), Olivia Jensen-Large (Ottawa, ON), Cendrine Lemire (Rawdon, QC), Maura McLean (Toronto, ON), Anne-Sophie Moreau (Lac Beauport, QC) and Jade Warren (Ottawa, ON).

“This team has had an amazing preparation camp and their hard work is showing in their most recent performances,” said Head Coach Jennifer Koptie. “Our group has been focusing a lot on execution and synchronization, which will allow for the outstanding “clock” choreography to shine through!”

Maura McLean and Olivia Jensen-Large will represent Canada in the duet event.  The pair, who won the National Championships last June in Winnipeg, is excited to show off their improvement. “We’ve been working very hard on five focuses this past month,” said Jensen-Large. “We are prepared to demonstrate our devotion to the sport all week long.”

In the solo event, 2016 national champion Teah Hoffmann, from Calgary, will be the Canadian Entry.  “I am so happy to be representing Canada in the solo event,” she mentioned.  “I have worked so hard this last month to improve my execution and my coaches said that I have made a huge jump in the last week, so I am excited to perform and show my best here at UANA.”

Over 250 athletes from 14 countries are expected to take part in the 2016 edition of the yearly competition, which will feature solo, duet, team and free combination events in the 11-12, 13-15, junior and senior age groups, as well as a mixed duet event.

Participating federations include Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, the United Stated, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Provincial Teams also entered

Three provincial teams will also take part in the competition as Team Ontario will compete in the solo, duet and team events in the 11-12 and 13-15 age groups, while Team Quebec will do the same in the 13-15 age group. In addition, the 13-15 provincial teams from Ontario and Quebec trained together over the summer and will compete in the combo event together.

The competition gets underway on Thursday morning with the figures event, followed by the team preliminary rounds in all age groups.  Schedule, start lists and results are available on Synchro Canada’s event page.

About Synchro Canada
Synchro Canada is an organization that fosters the pursuit of excellence while developing athletes, citizens, and ambassadors of the sport of synchronized swimming at all levels. From its 1924 beginnings in Montréal, synchronized swimming has been actively pursued by more than 70 countries worldwide. Canada proudly ranks among the best of these nations.

Synchro Canada would like to thank its sponsors: 

Program partners: Sport Canada, Own The Podium, the Institut national du sport du Québec
Official Aquatic Supplier: Speedo Canada
Official Skincare and Suncare: Shiseido Canada

For further information, visit Synchro Canada’s Website at www.synchro.ca or follow Synchro Canada on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

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For information:

Stéphane Côté
Communications Manager
Synchro Canada
Email: stephane@synchro.ca 
Cell.: (418) 420-2125