TOWN OF TONAWANDA N.Y. (WKBW) — The town of Tonawanda aquatics center is where a unique event brought swimmers from all over the world to Western New York. The Aquettes hosted a synchronized swimming showcase with Team USA, Australia and Aruba. Cheering roared through the stands as hometown swimmer Anita Alverez, all smiles, received a warm welcome home.
"A sense of freedom in a way. like when you dive in the water its like everything just goes quiet. Its like you dont have to worry about anything," Aquette dancer Lizzie Sirgey said.
She said she got her toes wet for the first time around nine years ago.
"When I joined I didn't know how to swim," Sirgey shared. "So i pretty much started from the bottom up."
Her teammate Maya Gentile is also no stranger to the pool.
"I've been swimming competitively for 10 years," Gentile said.
Gentile stated spending time with Team USA has been such a great experience.
"Seeing them do the things they do is really giving us a new mindset for how we are practicing," she shared. "Watching their lifts like their acrobatics is mind blowing."
Head coach of the Aquettes Kahle Bostaph said after this showcase she hopes her team sees how limitless they can be.
"Its amazing to see where they could go too. They do their hard work they can get there," Bostaph shared.
This is not only an amazing experience for the kids, Coach for Team USA Andrea Fuentes said, but also for her team.
"I think its very good that they see that once they were there. No? One time they were this little kid and now they are the grown up they were looking up to," she said.
Fuentes said the time they have spend in Wester New York is a learning opportunity and she wants everyone to take something away.
"I want them to see that hard work in a smart way, not just like hard work it has to be in a balance. It can not be hard work that makes you unhappy, it has to be hard work that makes you feel proud of yourself," she shared.
The showcase bringing out the city of good neighbors to also help fundraise the local team and Team USA.
"Its something we can give back to them as some of our athletes are its their heroes they're watching today," Bostaph said.
Team USA is making their way to Toronto for their next competition as their road to the 2024 olympics starts now.
