Happy Birthday Pamela Morris!!
Pamela Morris (USA)
Honor Synchronized / Artistic Swimmer (1965)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: U.S. SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING NATIONALS: 1965 Indoor Titles (solo, duet, team); 1965 Outdoor Titles (solo, duet, team).
In the young sport of synchronized swimming so popular in the United States and Canada, the quality and quantity of competition has improved dramatically since the sport began its national competition in 1946, adding solo in 1950. Ruth and Gloria Geduldig of the Chicago Town Club were the first indoor and outdoor duet champions.
June Taylor and Beulah Gundling respectively won the first four indoor and outdoor solo titles, but in the entire 16 years of three way competition, only one girl, Pame Morris of the San Francisco Merionettes has been a triple winner. Pame accomplished this difficult combination of individual and team performance twice, winning solo, duet and team titles (the synchronized swimming hat trick) in both the 1965 indoor and outdoor championships at Houston, Texas and Maumee, Ohio. Pame’s duets teamed with Patty Willard. These two great performers were joined in the winning San Francisco Merionettes team competition by Margo McGrath, Rhea Irvine, Patsy Mical, Carol Redmond, Kathie McBride and Sharon Lawson.
In recognizing the recently retired Pame Morris as an honoree, the Swimming Hall of Fame acknowledges synchronized swimming as a mature sport in the swimming framework of aquatic sports.
Happy Birthday Lillian “Pokey” Watson!!
Lillian “Pokey” Watson (USA)
Honor Swimmer (1984)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1964 gold (freestyle relay); 1968 gold (200m backstroke); WORLD RECORDS: 7 (200m freestyle; 6 relays); AAU NATIONALS Titles: 26 (100m, 200m, 200yd freestyle; 100m, 200m backstroke; 20 relays); PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1967 bronze (100m freestyle); AMERICAN RECORDS: 42 (100yd, 100m, 200yd, 500yd, 500m freestyle; 200m backstroke; 29 relays).
“Pokey” Watson swam her way from Minneola, New York to Honolulu, Hawaii with gold medal stop-offs in Tokyo for the 1964 Olympics and Mexico City for the 1968 Games. Between her Olympic gold medals, the omnipotent “Pokey” (who never was pokey in the water) made nine overseas trips with U.S. teams. A freckle-faced prodigy for George Haines at Santa Clara, she won the first of her 22 National Championships at 13 and five years later hung it up to become a coach. Along the way, Pokey set six World Records individually and had a relay leg up on 20- more for a total of 26. Her American records were even more impressive with 13 and 29 relays. Thought of principally as a crawl swimmer who had been at it a long, long time, Pokey and her coach George Haines decided to turn her over and almost unnoticed, she won the 100 backstroke at the 1967 U.S. Outdoor Nationals. It was still a surprise when, abandoning freestyle completely, she won the Olympic gold medal in the 200m Back at Mexico by 2.6 seconds over the reigning world Record holder Elaine Tanner of Canada. Pokey was never a good breaststroker. She took care of this when she married one of the best in June, 1971, and became Mr. Allen Richardson. Her coaching career at U.S.C. was cut short when the Richardsons moved back to Hawaii where Allen set up his medical practice.
Video Interview: Rowdy Gaines Provides Analysis of U.S. Performances at Trials; Looks Ahead to the Paris Olympics
Photo Credit Peter H. Bick
06 July 2024, 07:55am
Rowdy Gaines Provides Analysis of U.S. Performances at Trials; Looks Ahead to the Paris Olympics
First as an elite international athlete and now as the lead swimming analyst for NBC Sports, Rowdy Gaines has been a fixture in the sport for more than 40 years. At the 1984 Olympic Games, Gaines earned three gold medals in Los Angeles, including the title in the 100-meter freestyle. He’s been a world-record holder and has demonstrated perseverance by returning to the pool after his Olympic dreams were short-circuited in 1980 by the United States boycott of the Moscow Olympics.
Following his career in the water, Gaines transitioned to sitting behind the microphone, provided analysis at a wide range of meets, including the World Championships, Nationals and the NCAA Champs. But he is best known for being the analyst for NBC Sports during its Olympic coverage, where Gaines works with Dan Hicks. The pair is synonymous with swimming at the Olympics, and they will be together again in Paris in a couple of weeks.
In this Swimming World video, Gaines breaks down the performances that were recently produced at the United States Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. Here, he covers everything from the most thrilling moments of the meet to Team USA’s chances against its global competitors at the Olympics.
Happy Birthday Peter Montgomery!!
Peter Montgomery (AUS)
Honor Contributor (2013)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: FINA TECHNICAL WATER POLO COMMITTEE HONORARY SECRETARY: 1984-1992; CHAIRMAN FINA DISCIPLINARY PANEL: 2005-2009; MEMBER FINA DOPING PANEL: 1998-1999; PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD OLYMPIANS ASSOCIATION: 1995-1999; AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE BOARD MEMBER: 1989-Present; AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE VICE PRESIDENT Since 2001; MEMBER INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE ATHLETES COMMISSION; INTERNATIONAL COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT BOARD MEMBER: 1993-1999; FOUNDER AND MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE OF AUSTRALIAN WATER POLO: 1982-1992; PLAYED OVER 500 INTERNATIONAL WATER POLO MATCHES: 1972-1984; PLAYED ON FOUR OLYMPIC WATER POLO TEAMS: 1972-1984.
He was raised on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, where he played water polo and swam competitively in addition to being a surf lifesaver and junior rugby league player.
As one of Australia’s greatest water polo players, Peter competed in 404 international matches, serving as captain on 167 occasions. He played in the first FINA Water Polo World Cup, four FINA World Championships and in four Olympic Games from Munich in 1972, to Los Angeles in 1984.
Peter Guy Montgomery’s accomplishments were not just in the pool. He has been a solicitor of the New South Wales Supreme Court since 1972 and has been successful as a real estate investor, property developer and public company director for over 35 years. His business success has provided him with the resources to serve the Australian and International Olympic movement ceaselessly since his retirement as a world-class athlete.
He has served Australian Water Polo continuously since 1982 as Treasurer, Vice President and Patron. In 1984, after playing his last Olympic match, Peter was appointed Honorary Secretary of FINA’s Technical Water Polo Committee, a position he held for eight years. In 1985 he was appointed the first Chairman of the Australian Olympic Committee’s Athletes Commission. As a member of the Sydney 2000 bid team, he was instrumental in women’s water polo being added to the Olympic program. In 2001, he was elected Vice President of the AOC, a position he still holds. He was Deputy Chef de Mission for Australia at four successive Olympic Games from 1996 to 2008 and was the first President of the World Olympians Association.
Within the International Olympic Committee he has served in many positions including the Athletes Commission, Olympic Academy Commission, Cultural Sport and Law Commission and Olympic Bid Evaluation Committee. Along with other awards, he has received the Olympic Order bestowed by IOC President Jacques Rogge, the IOC Universality in Sports Award and the University of Sydney’s Aquatic Center is named in his honor.
For over fifty years, Peter has lived the Olympic ideal of developing both his mind and body and giving back to the sport he loves.
ISHOF’s $218 Million Construction Project is finally just around the corner! September 2024!
A Historic Day for Fort Lauderdale
On July 5, 2024, we marked a significant moment in history as we celebrated a landmark eventfor the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF). This occasion was a testament to theenduring legacy and continuous evolution of our community’s commitment to aquatic sports andeducation.
Reflecting on a Century of ProgressLet’s take a step back in time to the late 1920s, when the Casino Pool was constructed. Thevisionaries behind this project—Mayor Will J. Reed, Dr. C.R. Kistler, City Manager I.H.Stallings, and businessman Frank Stranahan—had five primary goals: to boost tourism, providecommunity recreation, promote health and fitness, instill civic pride, and host events andcompetitions. The endorsement of Olympic hero Johnny Weissmuller, who had won multiplemedals in the 1924 Paris and 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, lent legitimacy to the project.
Fast forward forty years to the 1960s, another group of civic leaders, including Jack Nelson,Buck Dawson, Whitey Overton, Mayor Bill Horan, and Judge G. Harold Martin, played a pivotalrole in establishing the International Swimming Hall of Fame. This new facility replaced theoriginal Casino pool and continued the legacy of excellence in aquatics.
A New Vision for the FutureNow, another sixty years later, history is repeating itself at a visionary level. Our journey beganin 2018 when the city and ISHOF signed a new 30-year lease. This agreement set the stage forsignificant developments, including the replacement of the center 50-meter pool and dive well,and the spectator stands which were condemned in 2015.
A turning point came during a VIP luncheon at the Riverside Hotel, part of the 2018 inductionceremonies. Bruce Wigo’s sketch of a 27-meter dive tower caught the eye of Mayor Dean Trantalis,who promptly secured funding for its construction. This dive tower is a strategic advantage,positioning us competitively for hosting events across the United States.
Acknowledging Today’s Visionary Leaders
Today’s historic achievements are thanks to the leadership and vision of key individuals:
*Mayor Dean Trantalis and Commissioner Steven Glassman have been critical to realizing this vision.
*Master Developer Mario Caprini has validated and championed the project as a viable public-private partnership, ensuring ISHOF remains central while integrating an aquarium. *Corey Olson and the Hensel Phelps team have brought this vision to life with their construction expertise. *Bill Brown, President of the Central Business Alliance has provided unwavering political support crucial to our success.
The Core Mission of ISHOF
As we celebrate this milestone, lets remember the three key aspects of ISHOF’s mission:
Honoring the Aquatic Heroes: Our annual induction ceremonies celebrate the achievementsof the world’s greatest aquatic athletes.
Preserving History: Our extensive library documents the history of humanity’srelationship with water.
Promoting Water Safety: Inspired by Judge G. Harold Martin in the 1970s, our “EveryChild a Swimmer” initiative, led by Casey McGovern, raises public awareness aboutchild drowning prevention. We are dedicated to providing swim lessons to children fromfinancially disadvantaged families and advocating for legislation to inform parents aboutwater safety. So far, five states have enacted related laws, with more on the way.Thank you for your continued support as we build on this legacy and create a brighter future foraquatic sports and education in our community!
Stay tuned for updates on this exciting project on YOUR Hall of Fame! We need your support, now more than ever while we are under contruction.
To donate, Click here: https://ishof.org/donate/
Throwback Thursday – Aileen Riggin competes in Paris 1924 Olympics and does what no other woman does or ever has!
As we prepare to be thrilled by the athletes competing in Paris this Summer at the Olympic Games, let’s remember that exactly 100 years ago in the very same city, athletes were impressing our ancestors just as much! One such athlete was 14 year old, ISHOF Honoree, Aileen Riggin.
Aileen Riggin was born to be something special. Her father was a paymaster for the U.S. Navy, so the family lived all over the world. Born in Newport, Rhode Island, she learned to swim in Manila Bay, (Philippines) when she was six. After the family moved back to the states, they settled down in New York City where Aileen became a member of the famed WSA in New York. She was coached by the famous ISHOF Honor Coach, Louis de B. Handley of the NYAC, a double gold medalist in his own right at the 1904 Olympic Games. Not only a swimmer, Aileen began diving, where she discovered her prior ballet training helped with her form in the sport. In the early 1900’s, girls did not play sports or have places to practice, so Aileen came up with places to dive own her own, which included tide pools near her home.
At the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Aileen became the youngest U.S. Olympic champion and the first women’s Olympic springboard diving champion. Riggin accomplished these honors, just as she had passed her 14th birthday. The Antwerp Games were the first time that American women participated in regular Olympic events. “Our participation was limited in those days to swimming. Track and field events came later for women, as well as gymnastics, fencing, and various other sports that women compete in today,” said Riggin.
At only 14 years old, it was amazing enough winning a gold medal, but Riggin did it alone. No parents, siblings, just teammates and of course coaches, who were basically adults, no parents, peers or friends. She traveled from her home in New York all the way to Antwerp, Belguim on a steamship to compete in her first Olympic Games and came away with gold. It can’t hurt to add that she also competed in the 10-meter platform event, where she may not have medaled, but she placed 5th….in the world!
She may have travelled alone to the Games, but Aileen recalled, “There was a great deal to do on the ship. In the evenings before curfew, we would go up on the top decks and gather around and listen to our Hawaiian team members sing and play their ukuleles and guitars. There were about 11 of them, and they were all swimmers.” The most prominent was Duke Kahanamoku, who won the 100-meter freestyle in Stockholm in 1912 and was to repeat his victory in Antwerp in 1920. “They were very accomplished musicians, and everyone seemed to have a beautiful, sweet voice. We were entranced listening to them and sitting under the full moon, sailing across the Atlantic. Even though we were supposed to be children, it was a most romantic experience.”
1924 would be the Olympic Games where Aileen would make history. It has been 100 years and STILL no one has done what Aileen Riggin was able to do in the 1924 Games.
At the 1924 Olympic Games, Riggin was and still is the only woman in Olympic History to win medals in both diving AND swimming. Aileen won a silver medal in the 3-meter springboard event and a bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke event.
If no woman started earlier as an amateur champion, certainly no professional woman stayed on top longer. Riggin decided to turn professional in 1926. She played the Hippodrome for three weeks, and toured with English Channel swimmer Gertrude Ederle six months after her famous swim. 1930 saw Riggin touring the globe; she worked steadily, from making Hollywood pictures to helping coach and organize Billy Rose’s first Aquacade where she also starred in, at the 1937 Cleveland Exposition. She even dabble in writing articles on her adventures, which appeared in magazines such as Colliers, Good Housekeeping and others.
Aileen eventually retired, married twice and had a family. Her first husband was killed in WWII. With her second husband, Howard Soule, she moved to Honolulu where she lived for almost 50 years.
Later in life, Aileen was one of the most popular and sought after Olympians and Celebrities in swimming in the U.S. and particularly Hawaii, where she lived with her husband. She was Team USA’s flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies at the 1984 Olympic Games, held in Los Angeles. When the Olympic Games came back to the U.S., in Atlanta, 1996, Aileen was given the honor of being invited to speak to Team USA prior to the start of the Games.
Aileen continued to swim for recreation, health and because she enjoyed it. She even swam and competed in Master Swimming. At the age of 85, she broke six world records in her age group, in the freestyle and backstroke events, and by the time she upped to the next age group she broke five more world records.
By the turn on the new century, she was celebrated as the nation’s oldest living Olympic female gold medalist and she was the only surviving Champion of the 1920 Games. She passed away peacefully in 2002 in Honolulu and will always be remembered as a Pioneer in Women’s Sports.
Canadian Diver Alex Despatie to be inducted as Honor Diver in 2024
Alexandre Despatie first came to public attention at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with an extremely impressive gold medal on the 10m platform which included an unprecedented string of perfect 10s. He was only 13 years old at the time, and the achievement was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records 2000.
At his first Olympic Games in Sydney, 2000, he finished in 4th place, in the 10m platform event. The very next year, Alex won the silver medal at the World Championships in 2001 (Fukuoka) in the same event, and finally gold in 2003 (Barcelona), again at the World Championships, and again, on the platform. He recorded 107.1 for his last dive, which set a new record.
At the 2004 Centennial Summer Olympics, Alex won the silver medal in the men’s 3m springboard competition, but finished out of the medal standings in fourth place in the 10m platform. This result was contrary to expectations going into the games, where he was expected to win silver or gold in the 10m platform event and not place in the 3m springboard.
In front of his home crowd at the 2005 World Aquatic Championships in Montreal, he became World Champion on the 3m springboard. He won with a world record score of 813.60 points, his “worst” dive being rated an average 8.5. Despatie followed up on that performance by winning the 1m springboard, with a world record score of 489.69, winning FINA World Titles on both the springboard and platform.
Returning to Australia, this time for the 2007 World Aquatics Championships, Despatie went head to head with the best divers in the world, including the top-ranked Chinese diving team. Winning silver medals in the 3m event and the 3m synchro with partner Arturo Miranda, Despatie proved that he was one of the world’s best divers.
At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, he claimed a silver medal in the 3m springboard event and finished in 5th place in the 3m synchro event.
Despatie is the first, and so far only, diver to have been World Champion in all three individual categories (1, 3 and 10 m platform).
Come join Despatie and the rest of this year’s class of 2024 in Fort Lauderdale. If you cannot join us, please consider making a donation.
To make a donation, click here: https://ishof.org/donate/
This year’s International Swimming Hall of Fame Honorees include:
Honor Swimmers:
Lars Frölander (SWE)
Daniel Gyurta (HUN)
Dana Vollmer (USA)
1976 Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Gold Medal Relay Team (USA)
(Includes Shirley Babashoff, Wendy Boglioli, Kim Peyton*, Jill Sterkel)
Honor Divers:
Alexandre Despatie (CAN)
Yulia Pakhalina (RUS)
Wu Minxia (CHN) 2023
Honor Artistic Swimmer:
Virginie Dedieu (FRA)
Honor Water Polo Players:
Carmela “Lilli” Allucci (ITA)
Vladimir Akimov* (USSR)
Honor Coach:
Dennis Pursley (USA)
Honor Contributor:
Dale Neuburger (USA)
ISHOF 59th Annual Honoree Induction weekend
~ HOTEL INFORMATION ~
Host Hotel: Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort & Spa
To make reservations click here: https://book.passkey.com/e/50757008
321 North Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 467-1111. Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $229 per night,
Additional Hotel Option:
Courtyard Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach
Book your group rate for Honoree Ceremony
440 Seabreeze Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 524-8733
Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $169 – $199 per night
~ TICKET INFORMATION ~
Friday, October 4, 2024: Includes:
The Masters International Swimming Hall of Fame (MISHOF) Induction Ceremony
The ISHOF Aquatic Awards presented by AquaCal and
The ISHOF Specialty Awards
Click here to purchase tickets: MISHOF/AWARDS
Saturday, October 5, 2024: Includes
The 59th Annual International Swimming Hall of Fame Honoree Induction Ceremony
The Al Schoenfield Media Award and
The 2024 ISHOF Gold Medallion Award
Click here to purchase tickets: INDUCTION
Happy Birthday Mike Burton!!
Mike Burton (USA)
Honor Swimmer (1977)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1968 gold (400m, 1500m freestyle); 1972 gold (1500m freestyle); WORLD RECORDS: 7; PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1 gold; AMERICAN RECORDS: 16; NATIONAL AAU CHAMPIONSHIPS: 10; NCAA Titles: 5; 1968 “Swimmer of the Year”; First person in Olympic history to win the 1500m freestyle in two Olympics; first man to break 16 minutes for the 1650yd freestyle; First to swim the 800m freestyle below 8:30.
Mike Burton was finished as an athlete at 13 because he tackled a truck with his bicycle. Swimming was all he could do after that and he made the most of his opportunities. At 5’9″, 165 lbs., it was still bicycle versus truck. From September, 1960 to August, 1969, he improved the 1500m record 4 times from 16:41.6 to 16:08.5 and twice set 800m records on the way. “Mr. Machine or perpetual motion”, Burton set examples of hard work hitherto unheard of in practice and specialized in winning meets when he was sick (stomach trouble in World Students Games & Montezuma’s revenge in the Olympics). If Spitz’s 7 gold medals was the greatest performance in Olympic history, Burton’s comeback win in World Record time was the greatest single performance of the 1972 Olympic Games. Married, working and without sufficient training time, he qualified 8th to make the finals at the Olympic Trials, finished 3rd to make the team, and then won the Olympic Games.
‘I Want to Build’: Dara Torres Embraces Challenge of Boston College Coaching Job
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
by MATTHEW DE GEORGE – SENIOR WRITER
02 July 2024, 08:00am
‘I Want to Build’: Dara Torres Embraces Challenge of Boston College Coaching Job
Coaching was never the plan for Dara Torres. But then again, it also wasn’t the plan. So much so that when a friend asked Torres if coaching might be in her future once her daughter went off to college, the Olympian’s answer was, “yes and no.”
It would take the right situation to grasp the 12-time Olympic medalist’s attention, to pique her legendary fire to defy the odds. Boston College was just that situation.
“I don’t want to be thrown in a situation where everything’s just great and you have these top swimmers,” Torres said by phone, a week after BC hired her to lead its men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs. “No, I want to build. I want the challenge of bringing this program sort of back up again.”
Torres’ first coaching position is going to be a rebuild from just about the ground up, tasked with rejuvenating a program that was suspended last September for the entire season due to a hazing scandal.
Torres represents “a fresh, new chapter,” in the words of BC Athletic Director Blake James. She replaces Joe Brinkman, whose staff was suspended in September when the season was paused and dismissed in January, with the program officially suspended through August. Brinkman had been starting his second season in charge.
An icon of swimming, Torres has never been far from the sport. She’s also never been bashful about taking on a challenge, the more naysayers the better it seems. Doubting the winner of four Olympic gold medals and five-time Olympian – who came out of retirement at age 33 to make the Olympics in 2000, then did so again in 2008 age 41 – carries a certain peril.
Coaching, though, has never quite fit into the 57-year-old’s priorities. A single mother, she has devoted the last 18 years to her daughter, Tessa, who starts college this fall. That left time to be many things, including an author, speaker, spokesperson, clinic coach and master’s coach. But coaching at the club or college level was not something she had time for.
Torres didn’t necessarily plan on coaching as an empty-nest alternative. But she followed the events that cost Boston College its season and reached out to the university to see if there was a way she could help.
When the job posted, Torres again reached out, with the first resume she’d compiled in her life and for the first ever series of job interviews. Her ideas and passion for the position helped her land it.
The perspective that she’s bringing is clear.
“These kids have gone through a lot this past year,” she said. “I just think they need a reset, a fresh start, a fresh set of eyes, someone who can help motivate them and help them learn from what happened in the past, but you learn and you move forward and you look to the future. …
“There’s a lot of moving parts of this job, and it was something that I really wanted to be a part of, especially with the tradition at BC of being such an incredible school, the tradition there and their mission statement and what they’re about, I thought that it would be a great fit.”
Though short on coaching experience, Torres is long on life experience. She’s swum for the likes of Randy Reese, Mark Schubert and Richard Quick, coaches who have won dozens of NCAA titles and from which she takes both dos and don’ts. With four older brothers and a long history of training with men, she understands gender dynamics in the pool. When it comes to taking on challenges in the face of prevailing sentiment … that requires no explanation given her track record in.
She’s clear-eyed about the challenges. Boston College is at the bottom of the ACC (the men and women each finished 12th at the conference championships in 2023), with few resources to contend with its much larger, public institutions. That was true even before last year’s fiasco. Her job will require more fundraising than the average college coach’s.
But the starting point also sets a floor from which Torres is confident she can lift the Eagles.
“Since they’ve been at a low this past year, I feel like they have nowhere to go but up,” she said. “I thrive on challenges. This obviously is going to be a challenge.”
Happy Birthday Sylvie Frechette!!
Sylvie Frechette (CAN)
Honor Synchronized / Artistic Swimmer (2003)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (solo); 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (team); 1986 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (team); 1991 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (solo, figures); 1986, 1990 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: gold (solo, figures); 1987 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: silver (solo); 10 CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (figures, solo, duet, team).
Canada has had a rich history in synchronized swimming. Hall of Famers Peg Seller helped organize initial competitions in the sport starting in the 1920s, and June Taylor became the first national champion in the solo event, including in the United States. Hall of Famer Carolyn Waldo won Olympic gold and silver medals in solo and gold in duet with partner Michele Cameron. Then Sylvie Frechette entered the scene and continued Canada’s winning ways.
At her hometown-team, the Aquatic Club of Montreal (CAMO), Sylvie was destined as a youngster to become Canada’s next Olympic gold medallist.
Under the guidance of her coach, Julie Sauve, Sylvie first competed at the Canadian Junior National Championships in 1979, finishing 19th in duet. Only two years later she was winning gold in solo and duet. By 1983, she was traveling with the Canadian National Team and over the next three years won gold medals in international invitational competitions in Mallorca, Berne, Tokyo, Australia, France and Indianapolis.
In 1986 at the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games, Sylvie won the solo gold medal and was a member of the gold medal winning team at the Madrid World Championships the same year. Over the next three years, Sylvie continued to win more international invitationals.
Then, at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games in New Zealand, Sylvie became the first synchronized swimmer to score perfect 10s from all judges in the solo event. The next year at the World Championships in Perth, she earned the highest combined total marks (201.013) received by a synchronized swimmer in the solo event in World Championship and Olympic competition. The record still stands today.
It was at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games that Sylvie reached the pinnacle of international synchronized swimming by winning the gold medal in the solo event. Her routine was done to the music of composer Vangelis and brought fans to their feet. But Sylvie did not receive her medal on site. It was awarded to USA’s Kristin Babb Sprague. However, due to a scoring controversy, FINA recommended that the International Olympic Committee award a duplicate gold medal to Sylvie which resulted in two solo synchronized swimming gold medallists – Sylvie and Kristin. She received her medal 14 months later in Montreal.
Following the Olympics, Sylvie retired from competition, developing a calendar thick with speaking engagements, a television interview program called Simplement Sylvie and a public relations position with the National Bank of Canada. But it only lasted two years, and in 1994, she re-surfaced to help her Canadian Team win a medal in Atlanta. The format for Atlanta had changed and the solo and duet competitions were replaced by one event – the team competition. After the lay-off, she could still execute her movements clearly and decisively. Her artistic expression and physical strength shined. Team Canada won the silver medal, only one-and-one-half points behind the USA.
All totaled, Sylvie had won 45 major international competitions in solo and figures events. Out of the water, she has been an analyst for the Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games and Sydney Olympic Games for Radio-Canada television station. She is author of Sylvie Frechette, Gold at Last. In 1993, she funded a National Bank of Canada bursary program giving $75,000 per year to young athletes in Canada. She has been a master of ceremonies for the Canadian Olympic Association at Olympic events in Sydney (2000) and Lillehammer (1994). She was invited by Prince Albert to do special shows in Monaco. One of the Olympic pools in Montreal has been named in her honor. She has been awarded the Canadian Olympic Order (1994) and Meritory Service Cross of Canada (1993).
Perhaps her most dramatic post-competition achievement has been in founding the O Show of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. Performed daily at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, the show is Sylvie’s creation and is considered one of the “greatest shows on earth” performed both on stage and in a swimming pool “tank.” As aquatic designer, coach and performer, her greatest challenge is to transform her finely tuned athletes into finely tuned artists, doing ten shows per week, 49 weeks per year.