THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 16, 1995 TAG: 9503140129
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 19 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, COMPASS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
BARBARA EATON longingly watched Esther Williams movies back in the '40s and wanted nothing more than to swim to music.
Unfortunately, there were no synchronized swimming teams to join, and she had to wait until she was 25 before her dream came true.
But thanks to Eaton, now 71, area swimmers don't have that problem.
Eaton has been instrumental in bringing competitive synchronized swimming to the Virginia, D.C. and Pennsylvania areas.
Nowadays, Eaton is busy coaching the Tidewater Aerials, the only local club, and remains active in the Masters division of the sport. She is also on the Olympic selection committee for synchronized swimming and continues to judge.
With her plethora of experience and knowledge of the sport, it's no surprise that the Aerials - a team comprised of just six girls ranging from 13 to 16 - took second place behind national champion Briarwood of Richmond in the Virginia State competition Saturday at Northside Recreation Center. They will advance to the Region tournament beginning March 31.
``People keep asking me when I'm going to retire,'' said Eaton, who has been involved in the sport for more than 45 years. ``I love it. It gets in your blood and is a way of life. When I'm physically and mentally not able to do it, then I'll retire.''
Eaton, who recently placed second in the Masters solo competition, says that the public has a different perception of the sport that has brought so much joy to her life.
``It's not just swimming like Esther Williams,'' she said. ``It's very demanding. It's very difficult and very artistic.''
Eaton says that synchronized swimming entails much more than being graceful in the water. A swimmer must have the moves of a gymnast and ballerina but must also have the strength and endurance of a distance runner.
Courtney Clayton, who joined the team after answering a newspaper ad, was once part of the majority that didn't think twice about synchronized swimming.
``I love swimming,'' she said. ``But I had no idea what it was.''
It didn't take her long to find out. In her second competitive season, she placed high enough to make the Region cuts and is the only Aerial advancing to the solo meet in Pennsylvania.
Though she's come a long way in a short time, she thinks that the sport has an even longer way to go before it get the recognition it deserves.
``I think that people have gotten the wrong idea from TV,'' she said. ``People think it's sissy stuff, but you really have to work hard. You have to have a lot of strength.
``I love synchronized swimming and I'm going to stick to it.''
While Clayton is still considered a rookie, most of her teammates have been at it for years.
Carola Barth, a 16-year-old exchange student from Germany, has been competing for five years. She even competed with her country's youth national team.
But when she wrote her prospective host family that she wanted to stay active in the sport, she almost came up short.
``It took two months to find a team,'' said Ken Leff, who has taken Barth in for the school year. ``Nobody knows about it. I've always had respect for the discipline synchronized swimming takes, but I never knew where it was going on.
``I was really interested watching it on TV in the Olympics. I always wondered where it got started. I finally got lucky and heard about Barbara.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Members of the Tidewater Aerials synchronized swim team compete at
the Virginia State championships at Northside Recreation Center.
by CNB