Synchronized swimmer Braley Traub’s aquatic coordination has paid off and landed her a spot on Canada’s national junior squad for a second straight year.
The 18-year-old from Irricana, currently trains in Montreal and could make a serious splash with her teammates at the upcoming World Junior Synchronized Swimming Championships in Indianapolis.
She called training for the Aug. 11-15 event “intense” as the yearly championships are now less than three weeks out.
“We’re really trying to work on our endurance.”
The endurance training includes Traub holding her breath underwater for nearly a minute while performing artistic maneuvres with her legs and arms.
In order to build strength and stamina, Traub and others wear three-pound sand belts which, when underwater, feel like they weigh 10, she said.
Her mother Shauna knows her daughter has a knack for the sport and a matching work ethic.
“(Braley) just tried it out when she was young… and fell in love with it,” she said.
That was 10 years ago. Now, she and 11 teammates train seven hours a day, six days a week, and Traub believes many people don’t know what goes into the average synchronized swimming routine.
“We are meant to make it look easy, we put a big smile on,” she said.
“Maybe they just don’t realize how hard it actually it is.”
Alongside Traub are two teammates from her Calgary Aquabelles club, Claudia Holzner and Gabriella Brisson.
Traub’s two events will be the ‘combination’ comprised of 10 swimmers, and the ‘team,’ which has eight competitors.
Along with rigorous training, the team has daily meetings to keep spirits high and eliminate mental blocks.
Assistant coach Jenn Tregale said the girls recently had a breakthrough and attributes the team’s improvement to seeing video of other nations they will be competing against in August.
“We want them to see what they are up against,” said Tregale, who serves as Traub’s head coach in Calgary.
This will be Traub’s first trip to a tournament of such magnitude but the energetic teen isn’t worried.
“When it comes down to the competition, we know we’re prepared,” she said.
“Our goal is to podium in every event.”
Following the championships, her mindset will shift to making the national “A” team at trials in September. The A team represents Canada in large international events including the Olympics.
“The Olympics have been my goal for a while,” she said.
“I think for me, just being on the A team would feel like a great accomplishment.”
Tregale likes Traub’s chances of cracking the A team and said “she has as good a shot as anyone else.”
