Synchro works to perfect routines
Team adopts ‘Green Team Drill’
Parks highest extended synchro team practices pop-ups to increase height in routine in meet on April 28. The team hosts a dress rehearsal May 16 at the high school at 4p.m. Pictured left to right: sophomore Sam St. Clair, freshmen Ella Hammerstrand, Annie Breyak and Isabel Kjaer, senior Emma Breyak and juniors Alex Monson and Savannah Kjaer.
May 15, 2017
According to synchro coach Jessica Gust, the team finished its routines early this season, which allowed time to perfect and refine certain details.
“The girls worked really hard to complete their routines earlier than ever this year,” Gust said. “It has been fantastic to take time to work on fine adjustments and really detailed corrections for the last few weeks of the season.”
Gust said the team adopted the Red Team Drill, a concept that comes from the Navy Seals that they use as part of their preparation for an operation.
“Basically, you have someone outside ‘the unit’ analyze your plan, looking specifically at how they would pick it apart or find the weak spots,” Gust said. “This gives the people involved an opportunity to make changes and improve their plan based on feedback from someone who isn’t emotionally invested in the plan.”
According to junior Savannah Kjear, the team records routines in practice and judges their teammates based on those videos.
“This is very useful because we have that extra time to refine our routines and make them look better,” Kjaer said.
According to Gust, the team adapted to call the exercise the Green Team Drill to make the process seem more positive.
“Each swimmer was anonymously assigned to a routine and used the synchro scoring protocol to analyze each routine for weaknesses,” Gust said. “The girls in the routine then received the feedback anonymously and were able to make adjustments based on what the other person saw.”
Senior captain Emma Breyak said she believes this technique is beneficial because team members can learn from one another.
“It’s helpful because you get an outside perspective other than your coach on what your routines look like,” Breyak said.
Gust said she is excited about the team’s success and appreciates their hard work and determination.
“In 18 years of coaching, I’ve never had a year where all our extended division routines have been completed this far in advance,” Gust said. “It really is a credit to the hard work the girls put in to choreographing their routines.”
The team will host a dress rehearsal show at 4 p.m. May 16 at the high school
