By MARIO BARTEL
Black Press
Disa Fladmark and Brittany Tonello are old-timers. Not something vivacious young women who aren't yet 31 years old like to hear.
But in the world of synchronized swimming, where most competitors have retired or moved on to other sports by the time they graduate high school, Fladmark, 30, and Tonello, 26, are wet and wiley veterans.
Fladmark, who's originally from Port Moody but now lives in North Burnaby, has been swimming synchro since she was 13 years old. Tonello, a Burnaby North grad, discovered the sport when she was nine.
Swimming at the same club in Coquitlam, they bonded and started competing as a duet. They've been together ever since, through high school graduation, beyond a break while Tonello studied nursing, through getting established in careers, relationships.
Now swimming out of the Fraser Valley Masters synchronized swim club at the SFU pool, they compete at the Masters level. They recently returned from the US Masters Championships in Roseville, California with three gold medals. Next June they'll travel to Riccione, Italy to compete at the FINA World Masters Championships.
Fladmark and Tonello credit their enduring partnership to a fast friendship that goes beyond their similar physiques and swimming styles. While the latter scores them points with judges, it's the former that keeps them coming to the pool for at least 10 hours a week, plus dryland endurance and strength training. This past summer they both trained for and competed together in a triathlon.
"Our personalities mesh well," says Disa, who exterminates mosquitoes when she's not upside down under water.
Being in sync out of the water helps them stay in sync when they're in the pool, says Brittany.
"We've always trusted each other."
That trust is important when they're choreographing and executing their routines.They spend hours scouring Youtube videos from synchro competitions around the world to stay on top of trends that are winning favour with the judges. They draw inspiration for their moves from art, dance, music and Cirque du Soleil performances.
On the pool deck, they'll translate their research into manoeuvres, before trying them out in the pool.
Currently judges are awarding points for joined elements and high lifts out of the water.
"It's such a creative sport," says Brittany.
"There's new innovations every year. We want to come up with the new next thing. We want to stand out from the other competitors, make our routines more intricate."
Disa says they're up to the challenge.
"We're more competitive now than when we were younger."
But since the goals they set, and the commitment they make to attain those goals, are entirely their own, they're also having more fun, says Brittany.
"It keeps you well rounded because everyone is on the same page."
"You're more free," says Disa. "You feel like you can talk to the other competitors more."
Neither sees an end to their swimming partnership anytime soon. After all, one of the competitors at the US Nationals was 93 years old.
