The Ohio State synchronized swimming team and Jell-O have many similarities.
They are both slick, decorative, congeal and, in a mold, together they form as one.
The Buckeyes portrayed all of these characteristics during their tri-meet Saturday, the first ever held at the Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
“It’s kind of intimidating, (because) it’s so big,” freshman Barbara Nesbitt said.
Hair product companies could be intimidated as well, because these swimmers avoid conventional hair products altogether. Instead, they use Knox gelatin, which keeps their hair in perfect formation during the competition.
“You can find it in the Jell-O isle,” junior Julia Broadfoot said.
The appearance of their gelatin-covered hair was shiny and slick, but so were OSU’s trios.
“We have two really good trios, and the trios will probably be the most important event at nationals,” coach Linda Lichter-Witter said.
The first trio is composed of Nesbitt, junior Leah Pinette and freshman Hannah Shively. The second trio is senior Ellen Hacker, sophomore Carmen Moraes and freshman Caitlin Stewart.
In synchronized swimming, participants perform and congeal as a team, trio, duet or solo. This decorative team was dressed in a variety of bright oranges, purples and teals for fans. The meet was televised in its entirety at the Recreation and Physical Activity Center.
Saturday’s meet features solos, duets and trios.
“Our team routines weren’t finished yet, they take a lot more time,” Broadfoot said.
The team started getting its routine together in November, and sophomore Kendra Sollars said they are still perfecting things.
There are two teams, the Scarlet team and the Gray team. Although there are 10 athletes on each team, only eight perform.
The Scarlet team is coached by Lichter-Witter while assistant coach Holly Vargo-Brown coaches the Gray team.
Both teams practice 20 hours per week and lift three times per week with strength and conditioning assistant coach Scott Charland.
“Practices and meets are intense all the time,” Lichter-Witter said. “We have to be like this all the time, because when we get to collegiates, Stanford is awesome and it’s like all these meets don’t count except the final one.”
In 2006, that “awesome” Stanford team defeated OSU by eight points, placing the Buckeyes second at the U.S. Collegiate National Championships.
Saturday’s meet notched OSU’s first victory of the season against Keuka College and Walsh University. The Buckeyes scored 96 points, Keuka College 70 and Walsh University came in third with 48.
The Buckeyes’ next competition will be Feb. 3, when they host the First Annual Jessica Beck Memorial Meet.
Megan Blake can be reached at [email protected].
