Annette Peterson of Thornhill was part of the Canadian junior team that won gold at the U.S. Open Synchronized Swim Meet in Ohio. She trains with the Olympium Synchronized Swim Club and was named the winner of the club’s leadership award this season.
Sports
August 07, 2008 12:51 AM
Thornhill synchro swimmer goes extra miles to train and compete
Mike Hayakawa
For Annette Petersen, a typical day begins very early, with her father driving her from their Thornhill home at 5:20 a.m. for a 6 a.m. synchronized swimming practice at the Etobicoke Olympium.
During the school year, the 16-year-old Olympium Synchronized Swim Club member attends Silverthorne Collegiate in Etobicoke from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
And when the final school bell rings, there’s a two-hour trek home, primarily by public transit.
While Petersen concedes this represents the worst part of her day, the fruits of her hard work are paying off lately.
As a member of the provincial junior team, Petersen was part of a contingent that won a gold medal in the team event and silver in the combination event at the recent US Open Synchronized Swim Meet in Cleveland, Ohio.
Petersen also earned individual honours with a silver medal in the figures competition that fielded 130 competitors from the U.S. and Mexico.
That result far surpassed a strong seventh-place effort in figures at the U.S. Nationals in Florida in April.
Those results have brought a high degree of satisfaction to Petersen.
“I feel my hours of training have definitely paid off. Placing second and seventh in both U.S. competitions has not only been great placement achievements, but what I value most was the experience that came along with it,” she said.
“It was interesting to watch the styles of U.S. competitors as they’ve inspired me to incorporate some of their strengths into my training for next year.”
In addition to crediting the hours she’s laboured in the pool to improve her aquatic manoeuvres, Petersen said other individuals have been influential in her development.
Among those, she revealed are her parents, coaches and teammates.
“I believe that my success has come from a variety of support systems that I’ve been lucky to be exposed to,” she said of the above-mentioned groups.
Petersen’s performance this season did not go unnoticed by her Olympium Synchro Club leaders as she was the recipient of this year’s Amy Caskey Leadership Award.
Voted on by the club coaches, the top individual award recognizes performance and achievement.
For Petersen, who enters Grade 12 at Silverthorne Collegiate this year year, it was the first time she had earned the award. It caught her off guard, she added.
‘It was a pleasure for me to accept this, as one of the most rewarding things to be is a role model for younger swimmers in the club.’
“This award was definitely a surprise as many of the club members display outstanding leadership, contribution to the team and motivational qualities as well as outstanding achievements,” she said.
“It was a pleasure for me to accept this, as one of the most rewarding things to be is a role model for younger swimmers in the club.”
Having been on the provincial junior team for the last three years, Petersen hopes to take things a step further next year by making the junior national team.
“Right now I’m not certain about other future plans. But I will try my best to make everything out of my synchro career at the moment,” she said.