special to viewAshley Taylor, left, and Karli Farris of the Southern Nevada Desert Mermaids won gold in the 18- to 19-year-old duet competition during the Esynchro Nationals at the Nixon Aquatic Center on the Miami University campus in Oxford, Ohio, June 23-July 1.
special to viewThe Southern Nevada Desert Mermaids will use established routines and new material for its performance at the Beach Party Splash 2007 next month.
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The Southern Nevada Desert Mermaids, the only competitive synchronized swim team in the state, is gearing up for the annual water show Beach Party Splash 2007, to be held next month at the Pavilion Center Pool at Palo Verde High School in Summerlin.
This year's show will have some special guests. Members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic synchronized swimming team will perform at the event, alongside the 7- to 17-year-olds that make up the Desert Mermaids squad.
Stephane Miermont, a member of the Mermaids coaching staff for the last five years, has been working with the Olympic team for the last year and a half, and since the team was planning to spend a month training in Las Vegas, the connection to the local youth squad was a natural option.
"It's going to be so special for our girls to be exposed to that level," said Mermaids head coach Katie Tipton. "That's something they haven't been able to see yet -- that level of ability. It's very exciting."
The Mermaids may not be ready for competition on a global level, but the team has been more than holding its own lately. At the Esynchro Nationals held at the Nixon Aquatic Center on the Miami University campus in Oxford, Ohio, June 23 through July 1 -- considered the largest gathering of synchronized swimmers in the United States -- the Mermaids medaled in several events.
Ashley Taylor and Karli Farris won gold in the 18- to 19-year-old duet competition. Meanwhile, the 13- to 15-year-old swimmers took second place in the team competition, earning a qualifying score of 80.66 points for next year's junior and senior divisions, while the duo of Alyson Haylor and Ellen Duffy placed fourth in the duet competition in that age group. Also in ages 13-15, Katie Spada and Anna Boyle placed fifth in the duet, and Haylor placed fifth in the solo and 11th in the figures competition.
"There are four competitions in each age group: the solo, duet, trio and the figures competition," said Tipton. "This event was unique for us because we finally came around and placed well in the figures competition, which is the most technical. We competed against very good teams and we got more even with some of those teams from California."
Tipton, who has been with the Mermaids for the last six years, said her swimmers exceeded expectations at the national meet, the highlight of the competitive season.
"The younger girls definitely exceeded what we thought they would do because it was their first time and we really didn't know what to expect," she said. "These girls put in a lot of time and they give up a lot of fun and part of their social life to go to these meets and get better, and it really shows."
The Mermaids squad is broken up into five age groups. The beginner/intermediate team consists of Erica Bronstein, Megan Crandy, Talia Desbeins, Gabbie Dinglason, Danielle Harris, Brooke McKinley, Roxanne McKinley, Stephanie Morton, Meg Sharples and Molly Sharples.
The 10-and-under team includes Holly Allen, Emma Burns, Petra Gelu, Jade Lactaoen and Ande Morgan. The 11- and 12-year-old team consists of Sarah Gex, Hannah Halverson, Amber Peterson and Mackenzie Zwiefelhofer.
Besides Haylor, Duffy, Spada and Boyle, the 13- to 15-year-old squad includes Paige Bentle, Kaitlyn Gilmore, Logan Halverson and Brooke Taylor. Farris and Ashley Taylor make up the 16- to 19-year-old age group. Rounding out Tipton's coaching staff are Miermont, Linda Tannenbaum, Stephanie Bissionnette and Christine Stark.
After the recent success, the team is ready to have some fun with its annual water show. Some of the routines will be the ones that won at nationals, and others will be new material set to music.
"There's some fun stuff we put together just for this show," Tipton said.
And, of course, the Olympians will be there, too.
Beach Party Splash 2007 will start with a silent auction and pre-show at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Pavilion Center Pool, 101 N. Pavilion Center Drive. Tickets to the event are $10. For more information, call 562-5016 or visit www.nevadadesertmermaids.com.
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