| Claudia Holzner wins junior solo event at 2011 Canadian Open Championships |
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Calgary, May 1, 2011 – Claudia Holzner of the Calgary Aquabelles capped a great week for herself and her club on Sunday as she won the gold medal in the junior solo competition to conclude 2011 Canadian Open Championships synchronized swimming competition. Holzner won a close battle for the gold earning 80.454 points. Sarah Brunin-Brouillette of Montreal Synchro was second at 79.599 and Gabriella Brisson of the Calgary Aquabelles third at 79.562. ‘’I was really surprised to get the gold,’’ said Holzner, 17. ‘’Sarah delivered an awesome swim that I thought would be very hard to beat. I think the judges noticed the improvements I made from the preliminaries. I think I gained a new confidence this week that I know I can be the best.’’ Aquabelles coach Jenn Tregale was delighted with her squad’s performances. The Aquabelles swept gold in all the junior events. ‘’It was a great week and I knew they could do it,’’ said Tregale. ‘’It was a lot of hard work and dedication to the program.’’ Tregale is also the head coach of Canada’s national junior team. The top-25 in figures this week advanced to a second trial from which 16 will be selected to attend a selection camp. ‘’We saw this week that it is going to be a close competition for those spots,’’ said Tregale. The Aquabelles added another victory in the senior duet final with Madison Allen and Braley Traub placing first. Janelle Ball and Rachel Fréchette of Dollard Synchro in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., were second and Meaghan Hipkin and Samara Hipkin of Aurora Synchro third. In the 16-18 duet final, Amy Tucker and Shauna Tucker of Killarney Synchro in Calgary won the gold medal with Lisa Dahlke and Maggie Jensen, also of Killarney Synchro, second and Olivia Amaral and Emily Quinn of London Synchro third. AWARDS Here are the awards for this week’s championships: Best junior athlete: Claudia Holzner (Calgary Aquabelles) Charlotte Tutte-Eyres Memorial Trophy (given in memory of a coach who believed in developing team spirit and enhancing the growth of athletes as individuals and competitors): Chantal Vallières (Synchro Élite) The Suzanne Eon Trophy (given in the name of the long time coach and innovator. It is awarded to a coach to reward and encourage this person to continue coaching: Jennifer DeFoy (Dollard Synchro) Here are the age group aggregates for the figures and solo events: 15-figures: Jacqueline Simoneau (Montréal Synchro) 16-figures: Natasha Bernier (Synchro Élite) 16-solo: Natasha Bernier (Synchro Élite) 17-figures: Claudia Holzner (Calgary Aquabelles) 17-solo: Claudia Holzner (Calgary Aquabelles) 18-figures: Haley Ricci (Dollard Synchro) 18-solo: Marie-Claude Hébert (Synchro Élite) This week’s competition, which ended Sunday at the Talisman Centre, attracted 330 synchronized swimmers from all 41 synchronized swimming clubs in Canada. About Synchro Canada Synchro Canada is the national organization governing synchronized swimming in Canada. It represents 10 provincial associations, a territorial association, as well as some 150 clubs and 12,000 members across Canada. A member of FINA, the world’s governing aquatic sports organization, Synchro Canada promotes the quest for excellence by developing the athletes, citizens and ambassadors of the sport of synchronized swimming at every level. Synchro Canada would like to thank its sponsors: Official partner: Epiderma Program partners: Sport Canada, Own The Podium, B2ten, the Centre national multisport-Montréal Official suppliers: Speedo, AdUp, MKI Travel, National Car Rental Official Charity Partner: Plan Canada’s Because I am A Girl initiative For further information, visit Synchro Canada’s Website at www.synchro.ca or follow Synchro Canada on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
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For more information: Patrick Godbout Synchro Canada Communications Manager Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Cell.: (514) 213-9897 Website : www.synchro.ca Facebook: Synchro Canada Twitter : www.twitter.com/synchrocanada |
