Canadian Synchronized Swimming Community Member of the Month

Synchro Canada nominated Suzanne Pagé-Pytura as the July 2011 Canadian Synchronized Swimming Community Member of the Month.

After she obtained her level 1 judge/referee certification in 1994, Suzanne Pagé-Pytura judged at provincial level and refereed at nationals competitions until the 2011 Canadian Open Championships when she announced her retirement. She has her level 3 referee certification.

Suzanne Pagé-Pytura was also the meet manager of the host organizing committee for the 2011 Canadian Espoir Championships, the first ever synchronized swimming national competition to be held in Gatineau. She lead her organizing committee and her pool of volunteers to a successful event making sure that the 220 athletes, their coaches and officials felt like home.

Suzanne Pagé-Pytura was also involved in synchronized swimming as the previous vice-president, president and interim executive director of Synchro Quebec, and the president of the synchronized swimming club Les Fées d'eau and Gatineau Synchro.

Synchro Canada would like to congratulate and thank Suzanne Pagé-Pytura for all of her work, passion and contribution to the sport of synchronized swimming since her first day of involvement in our sport.

Congratulations!

Neptune Synchro Club of Saint-Jérôme nominated Caroline Fink-Mercier as the June 2011 Canadian Synchronized Swimming Community Member of the Month.

Member of the Synchro Laval Club, Caroline met the youngest novice groups of the Neptune Synchro club at a division two interregional competition in Quebec which she participated in to encourage and congratulate them for their great work.

"When I was their age, an older athlete also came to talk to me as a swimmer. I still remember it today, as that moment impressed me so much. It confirmed that I chose the right sport", said Caroline Fink-Mercier.

Neptune Synchro Club would like to congratulate and thank Caroline Fink-Mercier for the positive impact that she had on the young athletes in their first year of synchronized swimming.

Congratulations!

January 2011 member of the month, Jennifer Mong is again the member of the month for May 2011!  Jennifer, of the St. John's Sea Stars, is the winner of the Canspell Spelling Bee for the Newfoundland and Labrador region. In Toronto, at the National competition, she placed 7th out of 21 spellers. Congratulations Jennifer!

Deborah Skilliter, co-founder and past president of Atlantis Synchro, nominated Allison Balan as the April 2011 Canadian Synchronized Swimming Community Member of the Month.

Allison has been swimming with Atlantis Synchro since she was six years old. In 2007, she was one of the team members that captured first place in the national Espoir team competition, a historic first for the province of Nova Scotia. In 2009, Allison attended a university outside the city of Halifax, and still traveled back to Halifax to swim as a masters swimmer. Allison missed competitive synchro so much that she returned to full time training last summer and was selected once again to represent her province at the Canada Games in Halifax, her second Canada Games. Allison is also a Level 2 judge and regularly volunteers her time at meets.

Above all, Allison is one of those remarkable swimmers that always seems to have a smile on her face, a kind word to say to a team mate, encouragement for a younger swimmer, and is a joy to coach. She is a positive role model for synchro swimmers in and out of the pool. Allison says of synchro: "Synchro has been a big part of my life. It has allowed me the opportunity to travel throughout Canada, make close friends, and develop life skills, while getting exercise and having fun."

Congratulations Allison!

Synchro P.E.I. nominated Elizabeth Proud as the March 2011 Canadian Synchronized Swimming Community Member of the Month.

Elizabeth was the volunteer assistant coach/manager for the P.E.I. team at the 2011 Canada Games. She has put in many coaching hours in preparing the athletes for the games averaging 11 hours of pool coaching per week.  Additionally she works tirelessly with fund raising, pool bookings, music, training camps, competitions, funding submissions, government games preparation requirements and many other activities directly related to the success of the team. Elizabeth is an extremely high energy person who will take on anything she can to the benefit of others.  

Congratulations and thank you Elizabeth!

The London Synchro Club nominated Yvonne Lennards as the February 2011 Canadian Synchronized Swimming Community Member of the Month for her outstanding volunteer efforts.

Yvonne Lennards ran the first Synchro Ontario meet of the season in December in London.  She spent many hours compiling the volunteer schedule by contacting each competitive member family – and there were almost 50 – to determine the best times for them to volunteer at the meet.  She set-up several sub committees to oversee the different areas of the meet and during the meet, she remained at the pool and on deck the entire time.  The meet was a success with over 500 swimmers and coaches attending this annual provincial stream event. 

Congratulations Yvonne!

(In the photo: Yvonne Lennards (with a blue shirt) with Nancy Fisher, head judge of the meet)

The St. John's Sea Stars would like to offer congratulations and share the achievement of one of their younger athletes.
 
Jennifer Mong, one of their 12 and under team members, received a gold medal and scholarship for excellence in violin for achieving the highest marks in Newfoundland and Labrador in her Grade 5 violin examination and Grade 1 theory examination under Conservatory Canada's classical music program.  The conservatory is a non-profit educational institution that encourages musical excellence by offering training, programs of study, and examinations nationwide.

The Sea Stars are extremely proud of Jennifer on these achievements! 

Synchro Ontario nominated Elizabeth Sweeney of the Sudbury Synchro Club as the November Canadian Synchronized Swimming Community Member of the Month.

For the fifth consecutive year, Elizabeth Sweeney was the athlete with the most pledges collected for Burning Bright for Breast Cancer in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation with a total of $2,500 raised, bringing her 5-year personal total raised to $10,305! Overall, Synchro Swim Ontario member clubs across the province raised an astonishing $40,330.71. Congratulations Elizabeth!

(In the photo: Elizabeth Sweeney with Synchro Ontario executive director Mary Dwyer and staff member Karen Wilson-Davis at a Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation-Ontario Luncheon)