Local synchronized swimmers celebrated their 30th anniversary of performing at the Cape Coral Yacht Club on Saturday morning.
The show featured eleven performances with dozens of swimmers ranging in age from five to 18 years old.
“Eight weeks were devoted to putting the show on and these girls did a great job,” said Wendy Stafford, synchronized swimming coordinator. “It’s quite intense.”
Younger children practiced with Stafford twice a week for an hour and trained a total of sixteen hours before the show on Saturday.
Stafford said she is looking to grow the program by adding more swimmers. Classes typically run $50 per month and begin on Sept. 12 at the Pine Island Pool.
“It’s special that this has been around for 30 years,” she said. “Not many things have this kind of staying power. It’s good family entertainment.”
After the approximately one-hour show this weekend, the swimmers and their families enjoyed a pot luck lunch. Stafford said she wanted to thank all of the parent volunteers who helped with the program, creation of the costumes and setting-up of the family lunch.
Veteran swimmer Samantha Festa performed and swam to Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel,” wearing one glove as an ode to the late pop star. Another group of young girls choreographed a dance to the theme from Ghostbuster’s in matching green bathing suit wraps.
The second to last performance featured sixteen mothers who rode in on a pink cadillac and swam to Aretha Franklin’s “Freeway of Love.”
Anyone interested in signing up for synchronized swimming classes should contact Wendy Stafford at 233-3813 or e-mail her at wendystafford@gmail.com.