A handbook explaining the skills, techniques, exercises, and musical interpretation involved in synchronized swimming.

How do you invent an Olympic sport? For Katharine Whitney Curtis, it took the right idea, great talent, some good timing, and the determination to make it happen. The originator of synchronized swimming as we know it today, she even wrote the first book on the subject in 1936. But there was much more to her life and career. After the start of World War II, Curtis became a recreational director in the American Red Cross and followed the troops wherever the course of war took them, serving under Generals Patton and Eisenhower, before becoming a director of travel for the U.S. Army in Europe during the Cold War. Unbound by fear or the narrow expectations of society, this was a woman who lived ahead of her time, making things happen along the way. As her first biography, this book generously features Curtis's own words, selected from more than 2,000 pages of letters, and contextualized by her surviving friends and family members.

It’s summer behind the Iron Curtain, and six girls are about to swim their way to the Olympics — and a new life. In an unnamed Soviet state, six girls meet each day to swim. At first, they play, splashing each other and floating languidly on the water’s surface. But soon the game becomes something more. They hone their bodies relentlessly. Their skin shades into bruises. They barter cigarettes stolen from the factory where they work for swimsuits to stretch over their sunburnt skin. They tear their legs into splits, flick them back and forth, like herons. They force themselves to stop breathing. When they find themselves representing their country as synchronised swimmers in the Olympics, they seize the chance they have been waiting for to escape and begin new lives. Scattered around the globe, six women live in freedom. But will they ever be able to forget what they left behind?

Children's chapter book geared toward girls ages 5-8 introduces the Olympic sport of synchronized swimming and teaches life lessons including the values of friendship and perseverance. Written and published by a teenaged swimmer (and first time author) to help grow the sport she loves. All profits from book sales go directly to USA Synchro.

Do you have a daughter who loves swimming? Is she the child you can't get out of the pool to have lunch or put more lotion on? Does she also like to dance, listen to music, or play dress up? If any of these things apply, you might have a "Water Ballerina" or "Synchronized Swimmer" on your hands!This book tells the story of how author, Diane Garcia (Wendy Willow), first learned synchronized swimming when she was11 years old, at a swim club in Staten Island, NY. It is beautifully illustrated in watercolor by one of her former coaches, Ida Noelle Calumpang, a former member of the Philippine National Synchronized Swimming Team.It includes pictures of figures and patterns performed in synchronized swimming, and follows Diane's (Wendy's) journeyfrom a NERVOUS first-time synchronized swimmer to a truly SELF-CONFIDENT ONE!The book is appropriate for children ages 4-8.The forward of the book is a letter to parents explaining the benefits of this sport and includes a website to find synchronized swimming classes anywhere in the U.S. There is also an email address on the last page where parents andchildren can write to Diane and chat about "Synchro"!Diane Garcia, a NYC elementary school teacher, wrote this book to increase awareness of this BEAUTIFUL/FUN sport! Synchronized Swimming has given her JOY and LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS, as well as, SWIMMING, the BEST FORM OFEXERCISE THERE IS!She was compelled to write this book to share with young children the FUN she was having, and to plant a seed ofinterest in their minds.Synchronized Swimming has kept up with the times and now uses all types of music, including pop and hip hop.There are regional and national competitions for people ages 10-90 in the U.S. and internationally. The internationalcompetitions have also begun to include male synchronized swimmers!SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING ISN'T JUST FOR OLYMPIC SWIMMERS, IT'S FOR EVERYONE!

You Can Still Make a Splash Even If You Can't Hear It Sophie was already a strong swimmer and an accomplished dancer when she saw her cousin Gilly in a synchronized swimming performance. She instantly knew that was something she wanted to do. The fact that Sophie was deaf was not going to stand in her way, even though she couldn't hear the music. Learning the moves was easy. Getting the girls on the team to let her perform with them was another story. How the girls and Sophie handle the situation demonstrates how what appear to be challenges can be overcome. Filled with rich, full color illustrations and sign language diagrams, the book is as beautiful as it is moving.