The Calgary Aquabelles

Welcome to the Calgary Aquabelles Synchronized Swim Club website!

The Aquabelles have a long standing history of excellence in all aspects of Synchronized Swimming. We offer a variety of Recreational and Competitive Synchro Programs from September to June. These programs are open to all. We also work within the framework of the Long-Term Athlete Development program.

Come join us to learn skills in Synchronized Swimming and develop new friendships through teamwork!

Club Philosophy

Providing superior technical and artistic knowledge and expertise. Have a lasting, positive impact on the lives of our athletes, coaches, parents and all stake holders.

Our Locations

The Aquabelles train at two different pools, depending on the teams and facility scheduling.

Our Coaches

Jenn Tregale, Head Coach
headcoach@aquabelles.com

Returning as the head coach for the Aquabelles, Jenn provides a wealth of knowledge and exprience to the athletes she coaches as well as the coaching staff she works with. Some of her recent accomplishments include:

• 2009 Named Head Coach of the Synchro Canada National Junior Team, leading to 5 Gold Medals at the Junior Pan-American Championships
• 2009 Coached Tier 6 15&Under Team (Jungle team) to Bronze medal at Espoir Nationals
• 2009 Coached Tier 7 Senior Tech Team (Jitterbug team) to gold medal at Canadian Open
• 2009 Coached Tier 7 Senior Solo (Courtenay Grant) and Duet (Emily Brooks/Rosilyn Tegart) to gold medals at Canadian Open
• 2008 Named Head Coach for the Synchro Canada National B Team
• 2007 Named assistant coach to Junior National Team
• 2007 Coached Canadian Open Senior Soloist Gold Medal
• 2007 Coached Canadian Open Senior Team Bronze Medalists
• 2007 Nominated by Synchro Alberta for Coaching award in outstanding achievements in Synchro in the province of Synchronized Swimming
• 2006 Received the Suzanne Eon Coaching Award: Recognition in commitment to coaching excellence. Also in recognition for placing swimmers in finals at nationals.
• 2005 Co-coached Canadian Open Junior Duet 4th place (Brianna D’Amico, Courtenay Grant, Samantha Larose)
• 2005 Co-coached Canadian Open Junior Solo Bronze Medalist (Alison McKenny)
• 2005 Co-coached Canadian Open Combo Team Bronze Medalists (Funky team)
• 2005 Co-coached Canadian Open Junior Team Bronze Medalists (Stampede team)
• 2004 Head Coach of Calgary Aquabelles
• 2004 Assistant Coach of Pacific Sport Aquasonics Combo Team who placed first at Senior Nationals
• 2004 Assistant Coach of Pacific Sport Aquasonics who placed second at Senior Nationals
• 2004 Assistant Coach of Tanya Matson and Jessica Outhwaite who attended the German Open and placed first at Senior Nationals
• 2003 Team BC Assistant Coach for Canada Winter Games in Campbellton, NB
• 2000 – 2004 Assistant Coach of Senior Team of Pacific Sport Aquasonics

Kim Strachan, Wildrose Coordinator

Kim has been with the Calgary Aquabelles for many years and brings a huge amount of technical knowledge to our club. She swam with the Belles from 1974-1979 and was on the National Team for 5 years. Kim will help the coaches at Wildrose to ensure that the swimmers are learning their skills properly from day one. She has great plans for the girls and I know the amount of time and effort she puts in to the club will allow the girls to achieve their goals and show improvement in their techniques.

Her coaching career includes the following:

• 1980 Coached 10 & Unders
• 1981-1984 Coached Senior B team
• 1983 Coached Alberta Winter Games Team
• 1984-1989 Coached Senior A team
• 1983-1988 National B team head coach
• 1989-1991 Coached 12 & Under team
• Kim has been coaching the Aquamums for many years as well

Pam Larose, Coach

Pam will head up the Wildrose program for the Aquabelles. Along with mentoring coaches at that level she, along with Jenn Tregale, will provide a superior fundamental & developmental program for our Wildrose Program.

Pam brings a wealth of coaching experience to the Aquabelles. As a former head coach of the Aquabelles, Pam has coached many athletes to great success. Many of the athletes that Pam coached during the developmental stages went on be become Synchro Canada National and Olympic level athletes. It is this early development coupled with a long term plan that allows Aquabelles athletes the success they all achieve. Some of her accomplishments include:

• Certified Level 1 Crossfit Trainer
• 2005 Won Gold in Team event at the World Masters Games in Edmonton
• 1989-2007 Coached the Calgary Aquamums and competed as a Masters swimmer
• 1996 Competed in the World Aquatic Masters in Sheffield, England, winning Silver in Team and Gold in Duet with Carol Fitzsimmons
• 1990-1996 Provincial Coach
• Began coaching with the Calgary Aquabelles in 1982, became head coach in 2002

Laurel Hindle (nee Alexander), Coach

While achieving her goals of becoming a National Team Athlete, Laurel was also working hard at school allowing her to graduate in 2004 from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts and Minor in Communications. She is currently working to complete her NCCP Level 4 Certification with the National Coaching Institute, and is also working to become a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) with the Coaches Training Institute. In addition to being a National Level Synchronized Swimming coach, she is also Life Coach and ETS Triathlon Coach for the Talisman Centre. Some of her recent accomplishments include:

• 2003-Present: National Age Group Coach with the Calgary Aquabelles
• 2009: Named Assistant Coach to the Canadian National Junior Team
• 2008: Named Assistant Coach to the 13-15 National Team (won 4 gold Medals at the 2008 UANA Pan American Championships)
• 2001-2003: National Team Athlete
• 1988-2003: Calgary Aquabelles Athlete

Kelly Kryczka-Irwin, Coach

We are very please to announce the addition of Kelly to our coaching staff. Kelly is a former Synchro Olympian, winning Silver in duet at the 1984 Olympics in LA. Kelly has too many achievements to list. Rest assured, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Aquabelles program.

Courtenay Grant, Coach

Courtenay has a thirteen year history in the sport, nine of those years were spent with the Calgary Aquabelles. Her three years of experience on Canada’s Senior National ‘B’ team and winning the title of 2009 senior solo champion will help her aid athletes towards reaching their potential. This year will be her first in the coaching chair and she is looking forward to a new adventure with the Aquabelles.

Sarah Alexander, Coach

Sarah is looking forward to returning to the Aquabelles as a coach. She was a member of the club for 17 years, 5 of which were on the National Team. In 2001, she won a bronze medal at the World Championships in the team event. After retiring from the sport in 2002, Sarah helped coach the Seniors (Tier 7) and extra routines (Tier 6 and 7) for a few years. These days, she enjoys Ashtanga yoga and her career as a Civil Engineer both of which have helped her to develop an interesting perspective on the sport. Sarah cannot guarantee results but will try her best, even if it means leading by example and doing splits with the swimmers.

Shannon Benson, Coach

Entering her fourth year of coaching and working towards her NCCP Level III Certification, Shannon is very excited to lead a team at the Aquabelles this season. In addition to her involvement on the pool deck, Shannon also swims on the University of Calgary’s 2009 CUSSL National champion synchro team and has recently been appointed as President of the Canadian University Synchronized Swimming League.

And Many Others

The Aquabelles offer more than just water coaching. Cross training is an integral and important part of becoming an overall performance program. Specialty coaches are brought in for developing the following skills:

• Speed Swimming
• Dance
• Flexibility
• And many other fun activities

A History of Success

Mary Ann Reeves, a former National and International Synchronized swimming champion established the Calgary Aquabelles in 1966. In 1975 Debbie Muir replaced Mary Ann as Head Coach, continuing the legacy of providing Canada with top level athletes.

Today, Jennifer Tregale is overseeing the Aquabelles program, providing leadership that is both challenging and motivating.

Some Prominent Champion Aquabelles:

The 2009-2010 Executive Board

Contact Us

Calgary Aquabelles Synchro Club
Talisman Centre, 2225 Macleod Trail South,
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2G 5B6
Phone: 403-209-2941
Fax: 403-209-2665
Office: info@aquabelles.com
Website: webmaster@aquabelles.com
Head Coach: headcoach@aquabelles.com