Maple Ridge’s Faith Phillips, a member of one of the BC Aquasonics National Stream Synchronized Swimming teams, heads to Calgary next week to compete at Synchro Canada’s National Qualifier Championships from March 20 to 24.

More than 700 athletes from across Canada will be competing, including Phillips, who is competing in the combo and team routine events.

“Our athletes have been training extremely hard since August preparing for this competition,” said BC Aquasonics head coach Susan Kemper.

“In this sport we train 15 to 25 hours a week at the high-performance level. These athletes need incredible mental focus to bring that training into competition just a few times a year. The girls are ready and, after their results at the BC Provincials, we have high expectations for this competition,” Kemper added.

This is the first year that Synchro Canada has held a national qualifier event, replacing the former eastern and western qualifier round.

The athletes at this event are national synchronized swimmers in the 13 to 15 age group, juniors (16 to 18 years) and seniors (18-plus).

National stream synchronized swimmers compete at the highest level of competition in Canada.

BC Aquasonics is B.C.’s oldest, largest, and most successful synchronized swimming club. The Aquasonics have produced all but one Team Canada Athlete from the province, all of the Olympic team synchronized swimmers from BC, and two Olympic Team coaches. Training in Coquitlam and Surrey, the Club currently has its largest membership in more than a decade with more than 100 athletes, age six to 20, in introductory, recreational, and competitive streams.