The Syncettes began in 2019 as a group of five swimming friends who met in the “latte lane” of their local swimming club in the Darwin suburb of Fannie Bay.
Inspired by the British comedy film Swimming with Men, this fun-loving bunch of masters swimmers are now a retro-focused, synchronised swimming team of nine who are launching into a series of Christmas performances.
“Like the movie, it was an inspiration to have people who were all different shapes and ages who could bond and have fun,” says one of the original members, Corinne Fabian. “When we are strutting poolside in our cossies we feel really good. When the music starts and there is an audience … woohoo! We love it.”
Aged between 30 and 66, the group initially trained to YouTube clips before they found 85-year-old Elaine Edwards, a synchronised swimmer in Canada in 1950. Their first performance was during the morning coffee break at the final masters swimming session in Darwin.
“Up until now we have only done YMCA Christmas events but people are asking us to do private parties,” Fabian says. “And we have been approached to perform at the Darwin Waterfront and Mecure Resort. We are in demand and have developed quite a fan club.”
Another Syncette, Helen Gould, says: “When we first teamed up with Elaine we did some great sessions learning the basics: sculling, floating, turning, holding your breath and swimming in a line. Elaine has been our biggest supporter and mentor.”
Says Fabian: “We train all year to get a performance together and ramp it up in the last month or so. We aren’t restricted to women, we are happy to have blokes along but the only criteria is they need to attend our practices – they can’t be irregular.”
The women enjoy the vintage appeal of old-style synchronised swimming, now called artistic swimming, and put a lot of work into costume selection and music.
“Synchronised swimming makes us feel youthful, you get really strong in the core and it’s great for ‘tuck shop arms’,” Fabian says.
“This year we were joined by a 30-year-old and we had a lot of interest but we need to find a new coach because Elaine is finding it a bit hard standing poolside. Our struggle will be to find someone to teach us the moves and technique.”
