Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Kendra Zanotto, front, practices a synchronized swimming routine with other members of the 1998 U.S. National Junior Team.

Aquatic Art

Kendra Zanotto earns one of 12 spots on the U.S. National Junior Team

By Shari Kaplan

It could almost be a scene from The Little Mermaid. Strains of lilting music fill the air as a group of graceful young women glides together through the water. Almost effortlessly--or so it appears to the uninitiated--they form a whirlpool of intricate patterns and shapes, the sunlight glistening off their wet hair and beads of water dripping from their always-smiling faces.

Being part of that world, however, is not exactly like living a Disney musical. In fact, sometimes it's more like boot camp in a swimming pool. It's a sport of equal parts beauty and brawn, aesthetics and sheer will. It's called synchronized swimming, and Los Gatan Kendra Zanotto is a veteran of the sport.

Although only 16, Kendra has been a synchronized swimmer for nearly 10 years. This April, following several days of competition in Norton, Mass., she earned one of only 12 spots on the 1998 U.S. National Junior Team synchronized swimming training squad.

Under the direction of coaches Gail Pucci of Walnut Creek and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Nathalie Schneyder Bartleson of San Jose, these dozen swimmers are training seven to nine hours per day at the San Jose State University pool until the first week in July, when the squad will be pared down to 10.

Those remaining will prepare to represent the United States in the American Cup international junior meet, which takes place July 27 through Aug. 2 in Cerritos, Calif. Synchronized swimming has also been part of the Olympics since 1984, but Kendra and her team are not on that circuit.

In spite of the privilege and excitement her sport has given her, Kendra remembers her humble beginnings as if they were yesterday.

"The first thing I remember about it is shivering a lot. It was so cold I'd turn purple, I was so tiny. They made me take warm showers," she recalls with a grin. Today, at 5-foot-3 and 100 pounds, she's still not big, but she has no problems holding her own--or holding her breath.

A member of the Santa Clara Aquamaids, who practice at the International Swim Center in Santa Clara's Central Park, Kendra says the sport of synchronized swimming--or "synchro," as its athletes call it--clicked with her right away. She credits this partly to her love of swimming in her back-yard pool as well as the enjoyment she got from dancing and taking dance classes as a child.

As for her success in making the National Junior Team, Kendra credits Jenny Mayer, her Santa Clara Aquamaids coach for the past three years or so. "She started pushing us real hard," Kendra says, adding that this led them to several team wins at synchro competitions.

Of Kendra, Mayer also has nothing but accolades. "She is amazing. She's a very hard worker who rises to the occasion and doesn't let anything get her down. She's very expressive and theatrical [in synchro] and continues to improve," says Mayer, who, like Zanotto, lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

"Kendra's an inspiration not only to her teammates but also to me. It's not easy to practice for six hours and have a smile on your face the whole time, and every day. But she does. It takes a very strong person."

Synchro can involve a solo swimmer, a duo, trio or teams of up to eight. Sometimes swimmers compete in compulsory events with no music in which technical merit is the only criterion. All the swimmers wear black swimsuits and white caps, and each gets her own score.

More entertaining for the audience and creative for the swimmers are the group routines, in which the swimmers create constantly changing figures and patterns--with names such as "Aurora" and "Catalina"--using their arms, legs and bodies.

During lifts, swimmers rely solely on their own strength to lift their teammates out of the water; no pushing off the pool bottom is allowed. Additionally, during the more complex five-minute routines, swimmers might spend 30 to 60 seconds underwater. At the same time, however, they are constantly using their arms and legs to suspend themselves in the water or swim in synchronized patterns.

"You have to sustain yourself in the water and do all these things and look nice, all the while holding your breath. It's like running and holding your breath," Kendra says of her least favorite part of the sport she loves. Training for the rigors of synchro includes frequent speed swimming and swimming underwater, she adds. She also does plyometrics, a specialized type of workout, at the gym.

Among the other quirky accoutrements of synchro are the cosmetic supplies: dissolved unflavored gelatin that swimmers apply to keep their hair in place while underwater, and the waterproof makeup used to bring out their facial features.

Most important are the clips that pinch swimmers' nostrils tightly shut to avoid the misery of water flowing up the nose during upside-down maneuvers. Swimmers even carry spare clips in their suits in case they lose their original pair.

Kendra's favorite aspect of synchro, she says, is the camaraderie.

"You practice so much that you make a lot of good friends. The relationships you make with your teammates are unlike anything else," she says. "You learn how to pull it together and to be mentally and physically in sync. Ideally, you do the most possible [variety of] patterns. You want to be interesting and unique, not boring."

She also enjoys the simple fact that she's swimming and in her element--water.

"It's relaxing. It's sort of an escape when you're in a pool. It puts you in a different place; it's like a different world. It's totally different from being on land," Kendra explains.

Spending time on land is a necessity, however, even for this little mermaid. This fall she'll be a senior at Los Gatos High School, where she maintains close to a 4.0 grade point average. As for extracurricular activities, she doesn't have much time anymore. In her freshman year she tried out for speed swimming and was the youngest player on the varsity team. As a sophomore, she played girls' water polo, but synchro (and homework) began taking up most of her free time after that.

"[Synchro] takes a lot of dedication. Sometimes you like that, but of course being a teenager in high school, sometimes you don't," she says.

When she does have free time, Kendra teaches synchro at the Central Park pool in Santa Clara and offers private children's lessons at her mountain home. It's a challenge being a teacher sometimes, but, she adds with a smile: "I'm used to having a lot of patience!"

That smile may be in reference to her busy household, which includes her parents, Dan and Kimber Zanotto, younger brothers Khris and Alex and younger sister Khadija. They also share their lives with two dogs, a cat and a parrot. And yes, she says, her family owns the Zanotto's Family Markets found in San Jose, Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz.

When not involved in water-related activities, Kendra finds relaxation and joy in another element--earth. Gardening in her big back yard is among her favorite pastimes, and growing and picking her own vegetables is very rewarding, she says, as is cooking with her family. Of course, she also finds time to go out with her friends.

After graduating with the Class of 1999, Kendra plans to pursue a career in the medical field. While studying for her degrees, she also plans to compete on the synchro team of whatever university she ends up attending. At this time, she has her eye on Stanford and a few East Coast schools.

Kendra Zanotto isn't someone waiting for her ship to come in; she's swimming right out to greet it.

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