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ABOUT... U-M Synchro | Synchronized Swimming | Collegiate Synchro | U-M Club Sports
Synchronized swimming at the collegiate level has a long and illustrious history in the United States and at the University of Michigan. The first synchronized swimming team in the U.S. was formed in 1923 at the University of Chicago by former University of Wisconsin speed swimmer Katherine Curtis, who had experimented with “stunt swimming” while a student. The first U.S. competition was held in 1939 and was a dual meet between the Chicago Teachers’ College and Wright Junior College. Competitive synchronized swimming was formalized in the early 1940s with the formation of the Synchronized Swimming Committee of the Central Amateur Athletic Union (1940) and the official adoption of the team and duet events at AAU-sponsored events (1941). The 1950s saw international recognition of the sport with its inclusion into the Pan American games (1955) and demonstrations at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics. Athletes continued to demonstrate at the Olympic Games throughout the 1960s and 1970s as various national and international competitions were added. In 1977 the first Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Intercollegiate National Championships were held in Lansing, MI. The sport as solo and duet events premiered at the Olympic Games in 1984 and a team event in 1996. Synchronized swimming at the University of Michigan began in the mid-twentieth century with the formation of the “MichiFish” club, which performed throughout the 1960s in extravagant water shows with elaborate themes. The MichiFish also competed intercollegiately through the Women’s Athletic Association. The first varsity team was formed in 1972 and was one of six first varsity programs for women at the university. Coached by Joyce Lindeman, the U-M team was highly successful, taking silver at the AIAW national championships in 1977 and 1978. Swimmer Ruth Picket was named All-American in 1978 and 1979 and was honored in 1979 with the AIAW’s Broderick Award as outstanding woman collegiate athlete of the year. The synchronized swimming varsity program was discontinued in 1981 after the U-M began competing under the auspices of the NCAA, which did not sanction synchronized swimming events. The club team, however, continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s. After considerable rebuilding in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the team applied for and was granted Varsity Club status in 2005.
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