Gateway Heights synchronized swimmers shine during 1st year
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As Molly Goss watched the Gateway Heights synchronized swimmers perform their summer routine at the swim club’s pool earlier this month, she said she was overcome with pride for all that the 18 members accomplished throughout the previous month and a half to two months of work.
“All of the girls were really excited to show what they had learned,” she said.
Goss, a 2019 Woodland Hills graduate and a synchronized swimmer herself, said the first-year program, with members from age 4 to 17, exceeded her expectations.
“I probably taught them the moves in the first two weeks of practice, and we went right into working on their routine,” Goss said.
“They picked up everything so fast. I have been doing synchro for 14 years, and there are some girls who have just started who are just about as good as I am.”
Goss said she understands what her new Gateway Heights students went through learning something new as she did the same when she first started in synchronized swimming at age 5 in the long-running program at Forest Hills pool.
“My mom always saw the flyers for synchronized swimming. I started as soon as I was eligible,” Goss said. “When I first started, we had probably over 60 girls in the (Forest Hills) program. It’s always been pretty popular.”
The ball began to roll at Gateway Heights through a connection between Goss and Gateway Heights members Kellie and Adam Whisner.
“Kellie told me she brought up (the synchronized swimming program) with the board at Gateway Heights, and they loved the idea,” Goss said.
“We planned the program for Gateway Heights all winter. We were figuring out costumes, music, decorations, themes, everything. Then, the coronavirus came, and they (Gateway Heights) had no idea if they were going to be able to open. Thankfully, they were able to open, and we just pushed through.”
Because of the remaining covid restrictions on outdoor gatherings, the Aug. 16 performance only was for immediate family members, and social distancing measures were in place.
The performance was recorded so other family members and friends could see it.
“Honestly, I was so impressed with the girls in how they were able to look at each other and watch me and do the moves smoothly together,” Goss said. “It turned out great.
“I think next summer will be even better. The girls will know what to expect. They can start working on their routines a lot sooner.”
Synchronized swimming combines elements of swimming, dance and gymnastics with movements and routines in water set to music. It has been a part of the Summer Olympic games since 1984.
While not an official NCAA sport, college teams compete within U.S. Synchronized Swimming, also known as USA Synchro. There currently are four varsity and 23 club teams competing under the USSS banner.
“I know so many girls who have joined college synchronized swimming teams because of their experience with the Forest Hills program,” Goss said.
Goss says flexibility, strength, endurance and a flair for the artistic are some of the keys to success in the sport.
Most of the Gateway Heights team members, but not all, also swim for the Gateway Heights club program.
Megan Schloer, swam at Woodland Hills as a freshman before moving to Gateway as a sophomore.
Now a senior, Schloer has moved away from competitive swimming but was attracted to what synchronized swimming had to offer.
“I was really excited to be a part of the team,” Schloer said. “I thought it would be a new and interesting thing to try. I was able to pick things up pretty quickly. I learned so much. I was really happy with all the progress I and everyone else made this summer.”
Schloer said that she and other team members plan to return to the program next summer.
Goss said that none of the girls in the Gateway Heights program had prior synchronized swimming experience, but two members, sisters Reily, 13, and Emma Griffith, 8, have a family connection to the start of the Forest Hills program nearly five decades ago.
Their grandfather, Bill, co-founded the Forest Hills program which celebrated its 50th season last year. Forest Hills pool was able to open this summer, but it didn’t offer its synchronized program.
Joe Cenci, the grandfather of Gateway Heights team member Megan Caskey, was a Forest Hills synchronized swimmer under Griffith’s tutelage.
Annmarie Rodrigues, the current Forest Hills coach and a former synchronized swimmer at the club, said she’s excited to see synchronized swimming take hold at Gateway Heights under one of her former Forest Hills students. She also hopes the sport has the opportunity to expand to other communities throughout the region.
“It was great to see the success Gateway Heights had this summer,” she said.
“We’ve always wished there were more teams around so we could go see them and they could come see us. Synchronized swimming used to be more common years ago, but many of those programs didn’t last for some reason. I’ve always felt it gives kids a great opportunity. I’ve coached so many kids who would come in with little to no experience, and by the end of the season, they developed a strong comfort level.”