When Australia's top synchronised swimmers compete at the London Olympics next year, they will bring together strength, agility and gracefulness - the ultimate mix of beauty and power. To the avid fan and the accidental spectator who has tuned in to this unusual sport, they'll undoubtedly be left thinking the performance looked easy - for this, explained Beijing Olympian Eloise Amberger - is the whole idea.

"The real beauty of our sport is the bane of it as well," Amberger said from a national training camp on the Gold Coast.

"The purpose of the sport is to make it look easy, but we train extremely hard to make it look like that. At the end of the day, it is an aesthetic sport - one that is about elegance and artistry - but we spend a long time perfecting the skills and techniques to get that look of ease."

Synchronised swimming does not have a strong profile in Australia and is rarely afforded the reputation and esteem that the nation's other aquatic sports receive. The athletes however, work just as hard, if not harder than some of their compatriots in other parts of the pool.

To be an elite synchronised swimmer means bringing together the strongest elements of a number of different sports, and with little to no funding available for athletes - it means balancing training with full time work and study.

"To be the best at our sport, you need to have the flexibility and agility of a gymnast, the speed of a swimmer and the acrobatic skills of a diver," Amberger said.

"I think what a lot of people don't know is how much land strength-training we do as well."

Amberger and other members of the Australian squad completed the third of four national selection trials last week in a day-long event that would test any of Australia's greatest athletes.

Broken into five parts, the day started with land flexibility such as leg and shoulder extensions, splits and back arches. Land strength followed with the athletes doing a series of push ups, chin ups, abdominal exercises and bar work. In the pool for the final two sections of the day, the ladies took part in swimming strength, speed trials and choreographed routines. All four sections are judged with athletes receiving points for their efforts.

In a knock-out style of qualification, the athletes awarded the lowest points at each trial do not progress to the next one. Now with a squad of 12 after last week's trial, the final selection trial for London will be held in January, with nine being chosen to go the Games, with one reserve.

Amberger is targetting not only a spot in the nine who will take part in the team event, but also the sought-after role of being in the duet.

The 24-year-old Queenslander has been in the sport for 13 years and has trained with duet partner Sarah Bombell since 2003. The two joined forces with the aim of competing together at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, but it wasn't until Delhi 2010 that their dream was realised - with the pair winning bronze behind Canada and England.

They now have their sights set on the duet in London 2012.

"Sarah and I have been training together now for nearly nine years and that shows in our performance," Amberger said. "What is really important for us though is that we are just the best of friends. We know each other back to front and that really makes a difference to how well we work together."

Raising the profile of the sport in Australia is something that Amberger and Bombell are both passionate about and they hope that their performance in London will further their efforts for people to recognise the athletic value of the sport.

"People want us to win a medal to prove ourselves," she said.

"Synchro is still a relatively young sport here though and we have a lot of work to do to get anywhere near the like of China and Russia who have athletes in the sport from four years of age and training full time with an institution."

Medal or no medal, Amberger and the other athletes vying for a spot on the London team will be out to impress and with work already underway on perfecting the two team and two duet routines that they will perform, this should be a sure thing.

Alice Wheeler
Australian Olympic Committee