To be as good as the Estevan Mermaids Synchronized Swimming Team, you're going to need some top coaching and top athletes.
That's what Synchro Sask realized at their banquet last weekend, with Mermaids members coming back with a bunch of hardware. In total, five coaches and athletes were handed awards.
“At the end of each season, we have the opportunity to nominate athletes, coaches and volunteers,” said Lyons. “It's awarded at the banquet on the Saturday night.”
Amber Mantei is a first time athlete winning an award in the masters category, as well as being a judge.
“She did a duet at provincials and they won first place in their category,” Lyons said.
Nicole Thievin is a recreational coach for the club and was the recreational coach of the year, an award she also won a few years ago.
“She coached our masters program and... she also coached a Special Olympics athlete for us as well,” Lyons said.
Shannon Wanner is a provincial stream coach at the club.
“She had one team that went competitive last year in the 11-12 age group and recreational 11-12 group,” Lyons said. “They both went to provincials and she's been a coach for ten years. She's also park of Synchro Sask's board of directors as an athlete rep.”
Brenna Lawrence won the recreational athlete of the year.
“She's recognized for her excellence and passion for the sport,” Lyons said. “She doesn't compete but she can go to one meet a year and do figures. She chooses to do recreational because she doesn't have as much time but still likes to swim.”
Lyons, meanwhile, was awarded the Jami Eistetter Coaching Excellence Award. In recent years, she's won the national stream coach of the year and the provincial stream coach of the year.
The synchro season has just begun for the Mermaids. Saturday, they did an individual program and then a camp. They start working on routines and their first routine competition is at the end of Januray, Lyons said.
“Then we have a meet in February and provincials are in April,” Lyons said. “We also have a group of girls that are part of the district that are training for the Saskatchewan Winter Games in North Battleford.”
Seven girls from Estevan and three from Weyburn made the team and are hard at work practicing already for the games, which are Feb. 18-21, 2018. Lyons is the head coach for that team.
“We've done lots of team building exercises,” she said. “We're almost done learning our routine because you have to have your peak performance in February, which is a couple months earlier than we normally peak for. But they're really excited and practicing really hard.”
