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| Picture courtesy: Lama Mohammed Belal |
On 24th May, the members of the Ras al Hamra Recreation Club
(RAHRC) witnessed an exclusive spectacle as they assembled by the pool.
Ten
little mermaids between 6 to 11 years, demurely wrapped up in white towels,
emerged at the poolside to present a Synchronised Swimming Show. With bright
faces and cheerful smiles, they danced in the water displaying elaborate moves
timed to catchy music.
Synchronised swimming was called water ballet in its early years. It is
a sport that requires advanced water skills, stamina, endurance, breath
control, and grace.
The two short pieces choreographed to popular numbers like Cotton-Eye Joe and Happy had the audience clapping and tapping their feet
to cheer the girls. In one formation, a girl jumped off from the backs of two others
who held the railings at the edge of the pool. The rest then dived in one by
one to form a straight line and then split into two circles.
A trio of girls completed the show by swimming to classical music. The girls displayed amazing control, teamwork, flexibility and strength. Their formations in water left the audience spellbound.
A trio of girls completed the show by swimming to classical music. The girls displayed amazing control, teamwork, flexibility and strength. Their formations in water left the audience spellbound.
A couple of hours earlier, in the green room, after the girls had had
their waterproof makeup done and their hair gelled, their coach, Engy El
Selouky, rehearsed the steps one last
time:
“Eggbeater 1- 2 - 3 – 4 Eggbeater
5 - 6 - 7- 8...
Tub 2 - 3 – 4... Tuck 2
- 3 – 4... ”
During the Synchronised swimming course, the girls learnt some
interesting new terminology including ‘sculls’ and ‘eggbeaters’! The
‘eggbeater’ is a kick that allows a swimmer to be upright in the water with one
or both arms free to do the dance moves.
During the routine, the girls did not touch the bottom of the pool for
support but depended instead on sculling and eggbeaters to keep afloat and maintain
their balance.
The girls – Alix Dupont, Anna Lemos, Ella Wusten, Gargi Moghe, Hanna
Van Doren, Julia van Bourgonje, Julia van Cuijck, Jumana Saada, Maria Crampin, and Saskia Tromp, seemed to be
in their element in the water.
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| Picture courtesy: Lama Mohammed Belal |
They had worked hard and practised the
techniques thoroughly. It was a strange feeling for them when they had to wear
rubber nose-clips for the first time to prevent water from entering their
nostrils. Their hair was rolled up in buns and gelled by flavourless gelatine
to keep it in place. They all wore matching fuchsia and black costumes and
glitter ribbon sashes and hairpieces. The elaborate eye makeup enhanced their natural
beauty. It was a proud moment for their families and friends. They celebrated by offering flowers to Engy and sharing a cake shaped like a pool!
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| Picture courtesy: Lama Mohammed Belal |
Engy was visibly proud of her pupils too. Besides being a coach, she is
a financial expert too. She has graduated from the American University in Cairo
(AUC) with a Bachelor of Business Administration. She has done Master of
Business Administration and CFA, and has worked as a Senior Credit Analyst in
Egypt and the UK.
She started learning Synchronized Swimming at the tender age of eight
and participated in several national competitions in Egypt. Her passion for the
sport led her to train as an assistant coach in Egypt. In 2011, when she
travelled to the UK, she joined the Queen Mother Sports Team as a synchro swimmer.
She later coached girls under 18 years for local club competitions.
In 2015, she joined the RAHRC and started training 6 to 11 year old girls.
Engy enthusiastically says, "This was the first time that synchronised swimming was introduced in Oman. When I first advertised for it in the RAHRC, 80 girls applied and they were all really interested. I did an assessment session for them to judge their water skills, and chose 10 girls to be trained once a week due to the limited timing available at the pool. I started training these girls since October 2015, and by the end of May, they did a wonderful show. As this was the first synchronized swimming show in Oman, I am really proud of these lovely girls."
The young ladies received their certificates of participation after the show. They showed the promise of untapped potential and superb aquatic skills.
In 2015, she joined the RAHRC and started training 6 to 11 year old girls.
Engy enthusiastically says, "This was the first time that synchronised swimming was introduced in Oman. When I first advertised for it in the RAHRC, 80 girls applied and they were all really interested. I did an assessment session for them to judge their water skills, and chose 10 girls to be trained once a week due to the limited timing available at the pool. I started training these girls since October 2015, and by the end of May, they did a wonderful show. As this was the first synchronized swimming show in Oman, I am really proud of these lovely girls."
The young ladies received their certificates of participation after the show. They showed the promise of untapped potential and superb aquatic skills.
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| Picture courtesy: Lama Mohammed Belal |
(Parts of this post were also published in The Oman Observer, Muscat Daily, and The Week, June 2016.)
