An Alternative Way to the Top

“Instead of going to prom, I went to Rome, and instead of walking at graduation, I was traveling the world before I was 18,” said Jessica McMahon, a coach for the Arizona Aqua Stars synchronized swimming team.

She was homeschooled. Just as 30 percent to 40 percent of the girls competing at the national level of synchronized  swimming are, McMahon said.  

At last year’s national competition, 11 of the 13 Aqua Stars routines placed in the top three. What makes the Aqua Stars different, though, is that unlike many of their opponents, none of the girls are homeschooled.

“We have the same mentality and work ethics as the California and international teams, but we’re seeing the same results, if not better,” McMahon said.

The majority of some of their biggest competitors—one of which McMahon trained with for 6 years– are homeschooled in order to swim sometimes more than eight hours per day, six days per week. But the Aqua Stars prove they can win without practicing as much and without giving up their high school experience.

“I feel lucky that I can practice half as much but be just as good. And that I can have a life and do what I love,” said Jaime Kuchan, a swimmer on the Aqua Stars who placed first in her duet and third in her solo at nationals.  

The Aqua Stars is divided into age groups. The older the girls, the more they practice:

• 16 and up age group 16+ hours per week
• 13-15 age group 13 hours per week
• 11-12 age group 8 hours per week

The Aqua Stars’ top team spends about one third of the time training that the top team of their three major competitors from California spend. And about 20 percent of that training time is out of the water, which is more than their primary competitors, said McMahon, Aqua Stars 13-15 age group coach.

“You have to be really careful not to burn out your swimmers, and not spending all our time in the water has given us better results,” McMahon said.

She recounted the grueling practices she had with one of her former teams—the Santa Clara Aquamaids– and added “they never had an ending time, just a starting time.”

Even the girls who weren’t homeschooled on the Aquamaids team McMahon was once a part of had special circumstances given to them by a local high school.  They could attend school part time and only complete the general education requirements (i.e. math, science, and English) so that they had more time to train, McMahon said.

Other countries take even more drastic measures to become the best.  

According to McMahon, several countries such as Russia, Japan, Spain, China, France and some parts of Canada have synchronized swimming schools. “You have to move away from your family as early as age 13; it’s like a boarding school for synchronized swimmers,” she said.

Sandy Kuchan, a parent on the Aqua Stars said she probably wouldn’t have put her daughter, Jaime, in synchronized swimming if she knew Jaime would have to be homeschooled or move away.

“We always stress the importance of education to Jaime. You can only swim for so many years and then what are you going to do? Your education is the only thing you have to fall back on,” Kuchan said.

McMahon said she didn’t have any problems or regrets related to homeschooling, but she knows girls who did, and she’s glad the Aqua Stars are able to maintain such a successful balance between training and education.  

Guest article contributed by Chelci Vaughan, Student
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication