Well-suited

Lesley Kennedy, Rocky Mountain News

Saturday, May 26, 2007

They float, flutter-kick and dance through the water. They win national attention for their perfect poses, athletic maneuvers and smooth routines. And, let's face it, they spend a lot of time in bathing suits.

So, it seemed a natural to ask members of Denver's Rocky Mountain Splash, Colorado's top-rated, nationally competitive synchronized swim team, to model the season's hottest swimwear.

Join the team and dive right in. 4

Sync & swim

"It's kind of like running a race while holding your breath," says Shari Darst, head coach of the Rocky Mountain Splash synchronized swim team.

Darst, who also coaches the squad's Gold Team (which competes in the ages 18-19 bracket), was a synchronized swim collegiate All-American for the University of Arizona in 1977 and 1978. She has been with Splash since its formation in 1991.

Some facts about the team:

• Splash consists of 28 swimmers ranging in age from 7 to 18.

• Our models, the nine members of the Gold Team, placed seventh at the National Age Group Championships in 2006. This year, they placed second at the North Zone Championships, whichearned them the right to compete at the U.S. National Championships. They will compete at the National Age Group Championships and theU.S. Junior Open in Honolulu this summer.

• They practice four days a week, about three hours per practice, Darst says. "We'll ramp it up in the summer, practicing five days a week, sometimes twice a day," she says.

• While they don't officially time it, swimmersprobably hold their breath for a couple minutes during routines, Darst says. A team routine lasts four minutes, while solos, duetsand trios last three minutes.

• Routines are set to music, with underwater speakers in place to help swimmers keep count.

• Splash alum Janet Culp was recently named to the 2008 U.S Olympic synchronized swim team. Littleton High School graduates, Culp and her sister, Jennie, were members of U.S.National Team 1 for the past several years. Layla Smith,who also swamfor Splash, has been a memberof U.S. National Team 2 and was a member of the national squad which competed at the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

• Online: rmsplash.org

Meet the models

Name: Audrey McMahon

Age: 16

School: Dakota Ridge

Name: Becky Rolapp

Age: 17

School: Fairview, Chico State in fall

Name: Haley Suby

Age: 15

School: Mountain Vista

Name: Anna Zelinskaya

Age: 18

School: University of Colorado

Name: Victoria Burdon

Age: 15

School: Rock Canyon

Name: Taylor Daniels

Age: 15

School: Peak to Peak

Name: Lauren Slater

Age: 16

School: Mountain Vista

Name: Teagan Darst

Age: 16

School: Grandview

Name: Allison Coates

Age: 18

School: Littleton, Stanford in fall

See the Splash

• What: End of Year Water Show

• Where: Sheridan Recreation Center, 3325 W. Oxford Ave.

• When: June 10; doors open at 12:30 p.m. for a barbecue and silent auction. Show begins at 1:30 p.m.

• Price: Everyone 6 and older $1; children 5 and under free.