The national anthem played in the background as Kate Chow (11) and other members of the USA Synchro Team stood at the podium to receive their medals at the awards ceremony.

The team placed first at the Union Americana de Natación (UANA)  Pan American Synchronized Swimming Championship in Puerto Rico from Sept. 1 to 4.

During the competition in Puerto Rico, Kate’s team performed their routine twice, once in the preliminary round and once in the final round. The team ranked first in the 13-15 age group division.

“It was amazing, and the podium is really cool because you’re at the top,” Kate said.

Kate and two other members from her club, the Santa Clara Aquamaids, were selected to be part of the USA Synchro National Team 2 in the 13-15 division. The team trained for eight hours a day for six weeks throughout the summer. Each day, the girls spent seven hours practicing in the water and an hour on land. The team performed a routine called “Magic.”

“Before we swam each time, we would always go in a circle and breathe together because when we swim the routine we get really tired, so breathing was our thing,” Kate said about her team’s pre-competition rituals.

Kate participated in gymnastics and swimming and the dance program at Harker before joining synchronized swimming at nine years old. She currently swims competitively with the Santa Clara Aquamaids.

“She’s super dedicated; she’s there more than she sleeps,” Taylor Kohlmann (11) said.

Kate described her most memorable moment from the competition.

“Meeting the people there, because they were all from different places, [was memorable],” Kate said. “[Our club members] learned a lot about working with other people that you haven’t for years and years and also competing.”