With the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris looming, the U.S. Artistic Swimming Team is in the final stretch of training.
Artistic swimming, formerly known as synchronized swimming, requires athletes to perform at the highest level of acrobatics and artistry.
When the U.S. Artistic Swimming Team qualified for its first Olympic Games since 2008, team members said they often spend eight to 10 hours a day in the water, with no weekends off, while training at UCLA. Told.
“This is our full-time job,” Kenny Gaudet said. “We migrated from all over the country to pursue our dreams of having a chance to join the best team in the world.”
You can continue your training outside of the pool. Athletes say they hone their skills through cross-training, gymnastics and ballet. All for the goal of matching from all angles in and out of the water.
“We take the holidays off. We don't get to see our families as much,” said UCLA student Dani Ramirez. “We sacrifice a lot to get here.”
For swimmers like Megumi Field of Cerritos, wearing USA on their chest is another motivation as they push through grueling workouts and shake off their burning eyes and tired legs.
“I feel very proud to be a member of Team USA,” Field said. “Just being able to represent our team on the Olympic stage again is very exciting for us.”
Ramirez, the daughter of immigrants, also thinks of her parents when training for the Olympics gets tough.
“Being from an immigrant family, it means a lot to us to represent the United States,” she explained. “We've done a lot to get here and we've done a lot for citizenship. It's a great honor for my mom and dad to represent America.”
