Nose clipped. Muscles burning. Breathing held back. Eyes wide open.

And then, with a triumphant burst out of the water, Katie Gu (9) emerges in perfect unison with her teammates.

As a competitive synchronized swimmer, Katie has competed four times at nationals, formerly known as the Junior Olympics, as well as three times at the international level.

“[Synchronized swimming is] really exhilarating, and it’s nice to get a chance to show what you’ve been working so hard for,” Katie said. “You’re really in the moment so it goes by quickly.”

Katie is one of eight members of the 13-15 Team A, based on her age and skill level, at The Santa Clara Aquamaids club. The team typically practices at Gunderson High School in south San Jose; otherwise, they practice at the Santa Clara International Swim Center or at San Jose State University.

Competitive synchronized swimming has provided Katie with the opportunity to travel to various locations such as Peru. Her team may even visit Italy this summer.

“[International competitions are] always a lot of fun because there are always different people from different countries coming to the competition yearly, so you get to know a lot of people,” she said.

Thus far, Katie has also managed to visit nearly every state in the nation for synchronized swimming competitions.

“[You] get to travel, get to know people better, and know more people from all over the country,” Katie said.
During her trips to nationals, Katie’s mother Huan Tu accompanies her for support, and considers the parents as the “cheer team.”

“[As] I watched Katie walk out from backstage, I was in tears,” Tu said. “I [could not] believe [that she was] such a young lady – the way that she walks, the pride, it’s just very different from every day when you watch Katie,” she said about her daughter’s first water show.

From both international and national competitions, ranging from the US Age Group Nationals to the Junior Nationals, Katie and her team have won numerous awards.

Even before she entered elementary school, Katie participated in dance, gymnastics, and speed swimming. Later on, Katie became tired of speed swimming, and her coach then recommended synchronized swimming. After Katie began participating in synchronized swimming at seven, she found it to be “a combination of all the sports that [she] loved and did.”

At first, Katie was slightly intimidated by the older team members.

“I thought it was really hard, and there was a lot of dedication [required], considering I was just seven-years-old,” she said.

Eventually, however, she grew to love synchronized swimming for the close friendships and bonds with her teammates who were “always there to support [her].”

As Katie grew older, balancing her academic workload and synchronized swimming was a challenge, especially in the eighth grade.

“I’d eat dinner in the car, and then I’d get home and start doing homework right away,” she said. “I had no time to waste on Gmail or Facebook [since] I got home at 9:30 [in the night].”

Katie also had to become accustomed to the soreness that resulted from each practice.

“[Synchronized swimming is] really a complete body workout – flexibility, leg strength, arm strength, endurance, and all that,” she said.

In an email response, her current coach, Kendra Zanotto, Lead Coach of the Santa Clara Aquamaids, said that “this year, Katie is working on a new lift set up that we are hoping gets her flying higher than our competitors. These acrobatic moves take a lot of training. We currently train our aerial lifts at Paramount Gymnastics, close to the Saratoga campus.”

During her journey as a synchronized swimmer, Katie has had several coaches, including alumnus Andrea Nott ‘96, daughter of Director of Nursing Services Debra Nott.

Katie said, “You have to be dedicated to your team, the coaches, and if you let down yourself, you let down everyone else.”