2007 FINA World Championship
Notes and Quotes

Team USA Quotes:
Comments from Andrea Nott, Christina Jones and Kimberly Probst after the Free Combination preliminaries on Saturday.

Andrea Nott
On the different coloured swimsuits worn by the United States team:
"I think they just look pretty. We wanted to add a new dimension, some new creativity."

Christina Jones
On the team's expectations for the Free Combination final on Sunday (18 March):
"Anything is possible. Of course, we can't predict what the judges will say, but we can perform to our best."

Kimberly Probst
On the different coloured swimsuits worn by the United States team:
"When you look pretty, you perform pretty."

On the team's expectations for the Free Combination final:
"The goal is gold. In the preliminaries we wanted to get it all going. We beat the Russians last year but (tomorrow) there will be 14 judges instead of three, so a lot more people to impress.We wanted to give them (the Russian team) a little tease and now we'll see."

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Comments from Head Coach Tammy McGregor after Free Combination prelims on Saturday:
"It was a good first swim, where the team showed stability and confidence in their routine."

On what her team has focused on in their training regime:
"We had two lifts that were not executed well today (Saturday). Lifting has been something we have focused on all year round in our whole programe, and the more times we have, the more we can improve on."

On the U.S. team members each wearing different colored swimsuits for the routine:
"It is to highlight peel off, and to add dimension to the team. Everyone in the team has individual strengths but are together as a team. It is a totally new concept in combination and we want to push as far as we can with that."


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Comments from bronze medallists Andrea Nott and Katherine Hooven following the Free Combination final on Sunday.

Andea Nott
On the United States' Free Combination performance:
"Tonight (Sunday) we were better than yesterday (17 March), so that's what were hoping for. It's not all we were hoping for though. We really wanted to perform well and affect the audience, and hopefully affect the judges as well. We see the judges as audience members so we figure that if we can affect the audience, then hopefully we have affected the people that matter too."

On their routine:
"We first performed this routine in October 2006 (at the World Trophy Cup in Moscow). It incorporated a lot of new ideas and had some interesting transitions. We think we laid down the challenge because now we see the other teams with new and interesting transitions too."

On the development of the United States team:
"I don't really see the team as going through a rebuilding phase as much as simply a building phase. We have some young ones and this is their first competition, but hopefully we have been helping them through and making it easier for them."

On the next big challenge for the United States team:
"Beijing (2008 Olympic Games) is calling. Everything is building towards that."

On whether the Russian team can be beaten and if so, how:
"You know how it goes - any given Sunday. No, if there was one thing, we need to work on our lifts."

On seeing the United States in third place with one team (Italy) left to
compete:
"We were hoping for a medal and it's definitely not above and beyond expectations. But who's next? The Italians? Oh I think we have it wrapped up now."

Katherine Hooven
On the rigours of the Free Combination competition:
"|It's tough. This is the longest synchronised swimming competition ever and I'm not kidding. It is so drawn out that it's hard to keep picking yourself up and staying focused is impossible."

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Katherine Hooven - bronze medallist
On the United States performance after the Free Combination final on Sunday:
"Our routine is extremely artistic. We first revealed it in 2006 when we won gold (at the World Trophy). We were hoping to repeat that performance but also add a technical aspect. We are very proud of how we performed."

On the team's ambitions:
"Anything is possible - that's what our team lives by. We come from so many different backgrounds and face challenges that other teams don't face, but hopefully this is just a first step for us."

On the challenges they face:
"We are shaped differently to girls from other countries so that makes it hard for us to match them in the water."


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Andrea Nott
On how the United States team could improve:
"We need better execution to get closer to a ten, and to work on our lifts."

On the future of the United States team:
"We want more medals. We got a taste of the good stuff and we think we can do even better."

On the symbolic meaning of their Team Technical programme:
"We have birds on our suits, we're birds, we're supposed to show a lot of power. We relate a lot to the Bald Eagle, the American symbol."

Katherine Hooven
On how winning a bronze medal in Free Combination inspired them for today's
competition:

"I think added confidence made it within reach. We are hungry for more medals."

************************************************************************************************ Comments from Kimberly Probst after the Team Free preliminaries on Tuesday, 20 March
On who designed the "mask" theme routine:
"Our coach Stefan. He was our assistant coach at the time. He designed it.
Tammy (McGregor) was our head coach and she said to him 'If you think it will work and it's going to be good - I trust you.' It's a mime theme, so expression without words."

On preparing the routine:
"The choreography process took probably three to four months. Then it was another three or four months of revising and hard core editing so some parts aren't even there now. And probably another five to six months just to perfect it."

On their routine for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing:
"It will be a brand new routine, but we'll use this one to qualify."

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Comments from Christina Jones and Annabelle Orme after the Duet Technical final on Tuesday.

Christina Jones
On the performance with partner Orme (USA):
"That was awesome. It was really good for us. It was like a complete 360 degree from the preliminaries, or 180, or whatever it is. You know. Just so much better."

On how she deals with her hectic schedule at the 2007 FINA World
Championships:
"We have so many events on and this is such a difficult meet, we have to take it day by day, second by second, move by move. If you start trying to think too far ahead you'd commit suicide."

Annabelle Orme
On what their hopes were going into the competition:
"It was more about self-satisfaction than getting a medal and we're more than satisfied with that performance."

On her friendship with partner Christina Jones (USA):
"We've been best friends ever since we used to compete against each other as six and seven year olds. We used to be at rival clubs back in the United States, then at the 2004 Junior World (Championships) I was the alternate, and the other girl hurt her back, so I stepped in at the last minute. We won silver and we've been together ever since."

On how competing together affects their friendship:
"It actually brings us closer together. We can relate. We know what each other is going through."

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Comments from Jillian Penner, Andrea Nott and Katherine Hooven after the Team Technical final on Wednesday.

Jillian Penner
On how the United States team could improve their Technical routine:
"I felt good but I'm a little disappointed about the marks, but we'll improve."
"We need to improve our elements but that will come with the training."

Andrea Nott
On whether she felt prepared for this competition:
"I honestly didn't know what to expect. We've been doing new training together and we've improved as athletes but maybe not fast enough, and we maybe need to improve mentally."

Katherine Hooven
On not making the medal podium for the Team Technical:
"Well we did our best and that's all we can hope for."
"The medal tally is in the back of our mind, it's not something we want to focus on, we still have a lot to work on."

On what the United States team need to work on:
"Being more together, moving as one group."

On their main goal at the 2007 FINA World Championships:
"We wanted to have a perfect swim, no mistakes. One unit not eight individual people."

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Christina Jones
On being named 2006 United States Synchronised Athlete of the year:
"It was an honour to be recognised in my country, but I don't feel I deserve it any more than anyone else in the team."

*********************************************************************************************** Christina Jones (USA)
On her aims going into this competition:
"I was trying to better myself and to do better than in the preliminaries."
"I really think our team is really good. We'd like to get better and we will be able to do that."

On her performance:
"I wanted to demonstrate my artistic abilities, and it was a story that I made up myself."

On her score:
"You can't judge a performance by the score."
"I think that for the Technical routines there should be a more computerised way to judge the elements."
"I know the judges must do their best and it's difficult for them to remember all the mistakes."

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