- Eggbeater is the technique that synchronized swimmers use
to keep their body upright above the water.
Your legs are moving in like a counter clockwise position
like an eggbeater that you would use for a cake.
Hi, my name is Rachel Presser
and I'm a professional synchronized swimmer.
I'm gonna take you through all the wellness practices
I use to be the best in the water.
I'm a 2021 Olympian, and I'm currently performing
on Royal Caribbean's cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas.
My top three wellness practices are running,
fueling my body, and visualizing my day.
My morning routine has definitely adjusted
since I was on national team.
So now I'm waking up around 10:00 AM.
I finished last night around 2:00 AM.
So at least I know I've had
a good solid eight hours of sleep.
Our cabins are pitch black.
So as soon as your head hits the pillow
you are knocked out but also makes it really hard
waking up without natural sunlight.
When you wake up you have no idea what time it is
or even what day it is.
The only way you can tell is
by checking the phone on your cabin to see the hour
and make sure that you haven't slept in.
So every morning I wash my face with this Sukin brand
or this facial cleanser.
Chlorine, it dries out your skin a lot.
So I just wanna make sure
that my skin is hydrated for the day.
Now I'm awake.
For breakfast I'll usually pick at some of the snacks
that I have in my cabin, either some fruit or some soy milk.
As soon as I wake up I'm not really that hungry.
Only in about two hours lunch will be ready
and I'll wanna have a vegan meal then.
I became a vegan five years ago,
partly because a lot of the girls on the team back home
were vegan so when you'd eat out at a restaurant
you'd always have to go to a place that was vegan friendly.
I liked having less choices to pick from
'cause I'm terrible at making decisions.
I started researching veganism a bit more.
I really liked the environmental movement behind it.
I really agreed with everything that they stood for
towards animal cruelty.
Now that Wonder of the Seas is cruising
around European ports and all of crew have free flow
to get off in all the ports,
I'm finding it so much easier to maintain my vegan diet.
I'm able to go to a pharmacy
and collect the supplements that I need
or go to a supermarket
and collect all the fresh fruit that I need
to make for my morning snacks.
[water splashing]
I've been doing synchronized swimming for 13 years.
When I finished competing at the Tokyo Olympic games
I was ready to continue with my national career
but I wanted to have a little pause
and travel the world a bit.
And I actually got an Instagram message from an agency.
They reached out to me to see if I'd like to work
on a cruise ship where I got to travel
and perform every day.
In a sport where you have limited competitions per year
to show off all your hard work and training,
I thought it was the perfect opportunity
to explore the world
and perform my shows every night.
On the cruise ship we average about six
to seven shows a week.
Each show is one hour long.
So this is the first all female cast
for a Royal Caribbean production.
We have high liners, which walk on tight ropes.
We have slack liners which bounce over the water
and do insane flips.
We have 17 meter high divers.
We have divers, synchronized swimmers, dancers,
and an aerialist, all 20 female warriors.
And it is something so beautiful,
so uplifting to be a part of.
We also have warm up time, which lasts about 30 minutes
where we get to stretch our bodies in the pool.
Work on our elements,
work on our timing with the music before the show begins.
That's our time in the water before shows.
During the week we also have open pool time
where synchro get to play
and even dance classes where we get to collaborate
with some of the dancers on board.
On top of that we have to do about one hour of gym
five days a week just to keep our bodies maintained
and show ready.
So rehearsals usually happening around one
and we'll be doing aerial conditioning.
So that involves a lyra, which is a big hoop,
some rope climbing and some hand loops.
This is my favorite part of the day
because we get to do stuff in the air.
And usually I'm in the water.
This is my first time doing any sort of aerial conditioning
let alone on a cruise ship on a moving boat.
My favorite part is how similar
but how different it is to synchronized swimming.
We still have the same line.
You still have the same core
and you can show off your flexibility,
but everything's just like little bit more painful.
When I'm in the lyra I'm realizing how many joints
of my body can actually hurt just by squeezing them.
So on the hair loops I am working on my center
and my line to make sure that I am completely vertical,
that I can also replicate in the water.
My flexibility, I'm making sure that I have the control
and squeezing my muscles completely
so I get that nice flat line.
After aerial conditioning we have open pool
which is the synchro's time to have some fun and play.
In our open pool we're also going over any re-blocks
that could potentially happen within the show.
So if a diver isn't there or if one synchronized swimmer
is out how can we change the choreography that maintains
the integrity of the show
but is also safe for us as performers.
After we've finished working on these re-blocks
we get to have time to ourselves.
So that can be working on technique,
working on fun little sequences,
combos or routines that we make up
and share on social media.
For me, in my open pool time
I often use it to work on technique
and as well for my height and sculling
because in the show we're wearing costumes
that are quite heavy and they drag you down a lot.
So I'm trying to work on my height to make sure
that when the audience can see me
I'm still at the same level
if I was performing without my costume.
Synchronized swimming, we use sculls to keep us above
and below the surface of the water.
And that is a manipulation of the water.
So when we're upside down and this is our head
and this is our toes, this is what we're doing underwater.
Eggbeater is the technique that synchronized swimmers
use to keep their body upright above the water.
Your legs are moving in like a counterclockwise position
like an eggbeater that you would use for a cake.
Your knees have to stay close to the surface
and your ankles have to be moving
in counterclockwise directions,
but your body has to maintain a nice straight line
and not be moving side to side.
As soon as you put an arm up that's extra weight.
So you have to be moving your legs little bit faster.
Synchronized swimmers can use eggbeater to travel
along the pool, moving left, right, forward, back.
Any which way you want us to swim.
In competitive synchronized swimming
a routine is usually between three to four minutes long.
And in that routine a synchronized swimmer can hold
their breath for up to one and a half to two minutes
of that routine.
So half the routine.
As a synchronized swimmer, you're always working.
Your legs are always moving, your arms always moving,
your body doesn't stop.
In the shows it's a little bit the same
but we have a few breaks to come up and get your breath.
But even still during those breaks
you're doing a costume change or you're underwater on scuba
making sure that the divers aren't coming down to hit you.
So even though it's a longer show
we're still holding our breath the same amount of time.
To increase my breathing capacity I use hypoxic training.
Hypoxic training is when you practice holding your breath
and working with less oxygen in your system.
In synchronized swimming you often train this
in a 50 meter pool.
You could be doing 25 meters holding your breath
and then a long sprint after with a short rest,
a short recovery time.
I am able to do 50 meters under the water holding my breath
and then being able to swim a 200 meter sprint.
In the aqua theater onboard Wonder of the Seas
it's a 17 meter pool.
So I'm having to do multiple laps
to replicate that 50 meter under.
After our synchro open pool
it finishes around three or maybe four.
I then go to change and get ready to have dinner
and get ready for our second warmup for the show.
For dinner I'm usually making a really big salad
with a lot of beans.
If there's any tofu in the mess I'll make sure I include
a really big portion of that.
And then either some rice or some bread
just to make sure I have enough energy to last
through the shows.
As physically demanding as synchronized swimming is,
it's also very mentally demanding.
You're mapping out the routine.
You're thinking about counts.
You're thinking about how close you are
to the other swimmer,
how much further you need to swim to them.
How further away you need to be to make sure
that you're not hitting them.
You are thinking about your legs and where they are
and making sure that they're at the right angle.
You are thinking about your positions
and then as well working your muscles
and pushing through your hypoxic training
and that you're holding your breath,
trying to do something when your body is screaming come up,
take some air when you really really want to.
So it's a very disciplined and very controlled sport.
Because synchronized can be so mentally demanding
the best way for myself to decompress is to draw.
So I've brought my sketchbook onboard
and I've started drawing actually some of the girls
in the cast and that's my little hobby
that I'm doing throughout the contract.
So for me being able to have that creative flow
in the pool but also with my hands drawing
it's another form of freedom and just a way to disconnect.
In a cast of 20 girls that all come from
a almost aesthetic sport and very athletically demanding
where you're constantly comparing yourself,
looking in a mirror,
or comparing yourself with your other teammates
it's very easy to go into a negative mindset
about your body.
But the cast that I'm currently with is very
very supportive about what we do and how we fuel our bodies
and how we recover our bodies.
So after dinner the first thing I do to warm up
is do a lap around the jogging track.
Running if I'm feeling really good
or walking if I'm feeling like I have a little less energy.
We're very lucky that onboard Wonder of the Seas
we have a jogging track that goes around the whole ship.
I really enjoy running because of the freedom it brings me.
I feel like I'm able to have a clear head.
I really like the sound of my footsteps falling.
And when I'm on a cruise ship
even though it's literally a loop
and I see the same thing every time
just being able to see the ocean moving beside me
it's just so freeing on the body and the mind.
As a synchronized swimmer my cardio is very very important.
So running is a great way to help build that up
and make sure that I'm maintaining the cardio requirements
for the show.
Then I go for a big stretch,
shoulders, full body, torso, splits, flexibility,
make sure I'm feeling nice and warmed up
and ready to jump back in the pool again.
The first thing I usually start stretching is my hamstrings
in a downward dog position.
That also ends up cracking my back and my shoulders
and just gives me a big release before I can start
any other flow.
I'll start stretching my shoulders,
doing shoulder rotations, making sure that they're nice
and strong and ready for the support scull.
And then I will start stretching my splits
to make sure that I have the flexibility
and range of motion in my hips.
Sometimes I get a bit of tightness in my right shoulder.
This comes from the support scull motion
that we've been using for 13 years of my life
in synchronized swimming.
So for this, I do a lot of pectoral stretches,
resistance band work just to stretch
and make sure that it's ready to support the water
for when I do the shows.
So flexibility in synchro is a little intense.
We often do a lot of over splits,
which is where one leg is elevated
or the back leg can also be elevated.
When you're in the water
you don't have gravity to help you.
It's all your own muscles.
So you wanna make sure that you are overstretching
so that way you are getting that nice straight line
and it's still not bent.
Because I'm so flexible sometimes it does feel
like a challenge to really feel that stretch.
So I'm always moving and wiggling,
like tilting my head to the side, moving my arms around.
So even when I'm sitting in the split
and my leg's up I could be tilting my arm to the side
and feeling a stretch more in my side than I am in my legs.
But I am working really hard on my alignment
and squeezing my muscles to make sure that
when I do those positions in the water
it feels the exact same as I would when I use gravity
to help me on land.
Once I've finished my warm up on land
I'm getting back in the water for about 30 minutes
where I'm going over the synchro that I'm doing in the show,
as well as just a quick warmup to make sure
that my breathing
and my cardio is ready for the requirements of the show.
Once I finish my warmup, we go backstage.
I have a quick shower to rinse off all the chlorine
and I pat my face dry,
ready to apply my blue face of makeup.
Welcome to the aqua backstage dressing room.
Here we have everyone's individual table
and then all our swimming costumes ready to go.
The makeup is almost otherworldly to match the beauty
and intensity of the show.
Intense is a cast of 20 female aqua warriors.
And as much as we wanna show how beautiful
and unique all our sports are combined
we wanna show the strength of women.
And I feel like the makeup really really reflects that.
Once I've finished my makeup, I start braiding my hair.
And for me this is almost second nature.
And I use this time to think about the show ahead
and any changes that we may have to put in
either if it's a re-block if someone's out
or if the conditions just a little bit off
what will be changing
and going through the structure of the show.
I'm just backstage presetting my costumes
and my quick changes.
I have my gold costume up here from the final scene.
And then down here I've got my silver costume
for scene five.
That one's a really hectic quick change.
I have one minute where I'm completely out of breath
putting on pants and arm sleeves
ready to get back in the water.
I head out to the jogging track
and I see the back of the ship
and all the waves moving back.
At this point it can be sunset.
And it's just such a beautiful image to get in your mind
to really calm yourself
before the chaos of this intense show.
So I'm performing on a cruise ship
which means that we're performing at sea.
We've been really lucky that so far in Europe
we've had some pretty still nice even waters
that you don't even feel it.
But sometimes the weather can get bad
and water is coming out of the pool
and it's rocking like this.
The audience who are sitting may not be able to feel it
but us as performers can.
Especially as a synchronized swimmer
when you're in the water
it's almost like you're performing in the sea.
When you go to look up at the surface of the water
you'll be ready to come out
and then you'll see extra water come out
and you'll have to work extra harder
to get out of the water.
As well when we're diving in and out of the water
and climbing out backstage
you'll go to reach up and then the water will come down
and you won't be able to grab the wall to get out.
During the shows when we're up against the wall,
it actually cuts some of our leg height.
So we have to go even higher
to get our legs out of the water.
In one part of the show the aerialist goes into the water
and picks up the synchro.
And at this point in the routine
I am thinking about breathing if I'm completely honest.
This is a part where I really need to catch my breath
and get ready for the scenes ahead.
But I'm also listening to the audience
and just the gasps of wonder
and how cool and amazing this show is.
To make sure that we don't hit each other
we're maintaining eye contact with the aerialist above us
and making sure that we're both letting go at the same time.
We're keeping a tight core to make sure
that we do a simple pin drop
and not doing anything extra that could injure
or harm each other.
When we see guests onboard they often ask
are you in the show?
And it's like yes,
that was me that was being picked up out of the pool.
And they tell you how amazing it is.
And it makes you feel really grateful
and privileged to be a part of something so amazing.
We have shows at 9:00 PM and 11:00 PM.
Our last show finishes around 12.
At that point everyone's crawling out of the pool
and into the showers to wash off their blue makeup
which only comes off with coconut oil.
To make sure the chlorine doesn't damage my hair
I am shampooing it twice
and putting in a really deep and thick conditioner.
I have curly hair and it goes frizzy really easy
especially in this European heat.
So I wanna make sure that I'm taking good care of it
and that it's still nice
and healthy so that I can be doing my six shows a week.
After we're finished eating at the mess
and everyone's feeling a little bit more full,
some girls if they're feeling tired
will go straight to bed.
And then other of us we still have the rush of the show.
So we might even go up to deck six to play some ping pong
and decompress and just socialize about the day
and just let our minds go and not think about the show.
At this point in the night it's probably around 2:00 AM
and everyone's ready to go to bed
and start the day for tomorrow.
I'll have a glass of water before bed
because after doing two shows I know I'm very dehydrated.
At the moment I'm just very excited to be performing shows
almost every week to new crowds, new audiences,
in different countries every night.
I'm happy to be doing more performance style of synchro
rather than training eight hours a day.
I'm able to actually show off my skills, show off my talent,
and it feels so so nice and so rewarding.
For me my ideal sleeping conditions are a cold room
and completely pitch black.
Luckily in our cabins we have air con
and there is no natural sunlight
so as soon as my head hits the pillow
I am out for the night.
This is me signing off for the night.
And I just have one more thing left to say
and that's ciao ciao for now. [gentle music]