Florida Elite Synchro Warriors prepare with positivity for Junior Olympics
The Warrior Way
The Florida Elite Synchro Warriors in Land O’Lakes are going to the Junior Olympics. FOX 13's Mark Skol Jr. reports.
LAND O'LAKES, Fla. - In Land O' Lakes there is a swim team that hardly ever leaves the water.
"It's over repetition and over repetition," Florida Elite Warrior Giuliana Medina said.
They are in the pool five days of the week.
"Just enjoying it and take it one step at a time," Florida Elite Warrior Kinsleigh Brennan said.
They are trying their best to stand out. The creativity is definitely apparent.
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"We are always trying to think outside the box," Florida Elite Synchro Warriors head coach Camille Albrecht said.
The Florida Elite Synchro Warriors are headed to the Junior Olympics.
However, this isn't your typical swim team. They are not just swimming laps.
These are the Florida Elite Synchro Warriors, who are artistic swimmers, aka synchronized swimmers.
"Your legs need to match and you need to be on the same count," Brennan said.
The team works hard to consistently stay in sync.
What they're saying:
"We push our athletes to go after that same feeling of success that they have felt before and try to reach that again," Albrecht said. "When you know you swam a really good swim, you feel it and you know it so every time you are swimming you want to go after that same feeling."
The success is real. Thirty-three of the Warriors qualified for the Junior Olympics in 24 different routines.
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"We put in so much work," Albrecht said. "We start training these same routines in August. This is just a celebration of the work we have done. Yes, it is a competition. We want to do our best but it really is just a celebration of the season."
However, the Warriors are not just celebrating going to the Junior Olympics but the growth of this team.
By the numbers:
This squad consisted of just 15 people in 2020. Now in 2025, over 70 athletes participate.
"It just keeps getting bigger and bigger," Medina said. "Coach Camille just keeps creating a bigger environment."
Bigger has also resulted in something better.
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"Numbers have grown, but our success has been really cool to see over the last five years," Albrecht said.
Dig deeper:
However, the reason for their success making a splash might not be what you think.
"We really wanted to focus on the mental health side of it," Albrecht said.
The Warriors' coaching staff has made it a priority to practice positivity. It all stems from Albrecht's upbringing. She has been around this sport for over 20 years. The long time artistic swimming coach thinks the sport can get too competitive and intense sometimes where coaches forget that it's not just about the score from a judge.
The players appreciate that approach.
"Even though we are working towards the Junior Olympics, I feel like our team has like a lot of personalities that we don't see other teams have," Medina said. "I feel like we are wild and big and crazy."
They even bring in a mental health coach every couple of months to help the athletes stay mentally strong.
"I struggled a lot with that - mental toughness - as a kid," Albrecht said. "I would have a lot of performance anxiety. We really want to create an environment that is fun and positive but pushes you. I think we created that."
That creation has seen obvious results.
"I think it makes athletes want to come back to the pool, and that's important," Albrecht said. "If you don't want to come to practice, you don't show up or you show up with an attitude that isn't going to help you improve so having an atmosphere where you want to come back to the pool makes you work harder."
They aren't just coming back every day, they are loving it.
"They keep us working hard but also having fun at the same time," Medina said.
It's that perfect combination of work and fun that the Warriors hope will lead to success for a long time.
"I think you succeed more when there is a purpose in what you are doing, and going after that," Albrecht said.
What's next:
The Florida Elite Synchro Warriors will travel to Dallas for the Junior Olympics on June 27.
The Source: This story was written with information gathered by FOX 13's Mark Skol junior.
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