Junior Event Up For Grabs
Several top clubs, swimmers vie for national titles in Fort Collins

Fort Collins takes the plunge in April when the 2003 SPEEDO Junior Synchronized Swimming Championships heads for the Edora Pool & Ice Center, April 3-5.

More than 350 elite athletes ages 14-18 will vie for junior national titles in the solo, duet, trio and team events. Also up for grabs are 10 roster spots on the 2003 U.S. Junior National Team.

The Speedo Juniors is hosted by the Rocky Mountain Synchro Association and the Fort Collins Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"We are thrilled to have the 2003 Speedo Junior Championships in Fort Collins, Colorado," said meet manager Myrna Hagedorn. "We have received tremendous support for synchronized swimming from the City of Fort Collins, the Fort Collins Convention and Visitors Bureau, the staff of the Edora Pool and Ice Center and our sponsors, Waterpik and Speedo. We look forward to seeing the best junior synchronized swimmers in the U.S and expect a very exciting competition."

Though several returning swimmers from 2002 complete a solid list of entries, a few standout athletes are sure to garner their fair share of medals.

The reigning national champion Riverside Aquettes (Calif.) are led by national teamer, Barbara Nesbitt of Riverside, Calif. who finished seventh in the solo event at the 2002 Speedo Juniors. Nesbitt, 15, was the youngest member of the 2002 FINA Junior World Championship Team. Nesbitt will be challenged by Kate Hooven and Becky Kim of the Walnut Creek Aquanuts (Calif.) and Christina Jones from the Santa Clara Aquamaids (Calif.).

In the team event, the Walnut Creek (Calif.) Aquanuts are perennial contenders, though Riverside (Calif.), Santa Clara (Calif.), Cincinnati and Seattle may all reach the finals. The Rocky Mountain Splash from Denver, Colo. cannot be counted out though. The Splash finished second in team at the 2002 Esynchro Age Group Championship.

Top routines will advance to the U.S. National Championships, April 24-27 in Long Island, N.Y., while top athletes will progress to the U.S. Junior National Team slated to compete at the 2003 United Airlines Open, July 15-19 in Federal Way, Wash.

Tickets are available at the door the day of the events.

2003 SPEEDO Juniors News & Notes

• The SPEEDO Junior Championships is a solid indicator of future success in the sport. Eight former junior champions have progressed onto the current U.S. Senior National Team. Twenty-two of 24 all-time Olympians are former Junior champions.
• The 2003 SPEEDO Junior Championships is expected to draw more than 350 entries from across the United States.
• Since 1996, the sport's participation in the United States has grown by 28 percent. Entries in the three major junior events in 2001 numbered nearly 2,000, up more than 20 percent over the past three years.
• Speedo is a National Sponsor and Official Outfitter of Synchro Swimming USA under a five-year partnership announced in February of 2001. As part of the agreement, Speedo gained title sponsorship rights to the SPEEDO Junior Championships through 2005. The world's leading competitive and fitness swimwear manufacturer returned to the sport it sponsored from 1979-1992, and in the process gained sponsorship rights to its fifth major aquatic sport.
• Colorado is a hot spot for synchronized swimming. Aside from hosting national events, Colorado has produced some of the sport's top athletes, including: Janet and Jennie Culp who recently finished third at the 2003 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Synchronized Swimming Duet; 2002 National Team II member, Lindsay Newbill; 2002 U.S. Masters Champion and Alpine Angelfish Head Coach, Becky Meitin.
• The 2003 SPEEDO Junior Championships serves as the final selection phase for the 2003 U.S. Junior National Team.