2021 Artistic Swimming Hilton Invitational Recap
There was no time for dull moments last week! From hands-on in the kitchen, very special world renowned guests, the inaugural Land Games, spectacular routines and endless fun, our OAS 2021 Artistic Swimming Hilton Invitational was a jam-packed week. Below are just a few of our favourite memories from this past week!
Monday: Nutrition session with Brittany Raftis
Fueling your body as an athlete is one of the most important elements to peak performance. All of our athletes had the opportunity to learn what foods will prime their bodies for practice and competition. Brittany taught the athletes how to make chocolate peanut butter bites as a great energy-packed snack option.
Tuesday/Wednesday: Activation sessions with Stacey Umeh
Nearly 200 OAS athletes joined us over the two nights for a dynamic activation movement sessions! Stacey really brought her energy and bright attitude to the table to keep our athletes engaged throughout the entirety of the session.
Fun fact: Stacey is in Perth, Australia so she was 12 hours ahead of us each day!
Thursday/Friday: OAS Land Games
The tail end of the week was dedicated to the debut of our OAS Land Games! This event was created as a fun activity for our athletes to participate in regardless of COVID-19 restrictions. We had 35 Land Games teams, for a total of 174 athletes, compete in the event over two days.
Stacey joined us each morning to get the athlete’s bodies warm and ready to move with her powerful energy. To allow everyone in our community to take part, we were live on Facebook from Thursday onwards. The athletes demonstrated that all their hard work in land training this season has paid off. Each of our Land Games winners will receive a virtual training session with senior national team members, Jacqueline and Claudia!
Our Land Games winners:
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- 12U winner: Mississauga
- 13+ winner: Chaco
Saturday/Sunday
Routine Events:
We had 136 routines compete over the weekend and broadcast them live for all of you! The athletes got a special surprise from senior national team members and guest hosts Jacqueline and Claudia. They joined us to host almost all the events, offer feedback on the routines and share some memories from their favourite competitions and Olympic journey.
Although we missed seeing you all in person, we received so much support on our Zoom call as well as on Facebook live from cheering family and friends!
Artistic Impression with Bill May:
All of our athletes were so excited to see the one and only, Bill May, who joined us for a workshop about widening your range of expression as an athlete. He led us through fun challenges and group work to get everyone outside of their comfort zones. Senior national team members, Jacqueline and Claudia, joined the fun part way through Saturday’s session to surprise the 12U athletes. We even had a few judges tune in for his sessions!
We are hoping to have Bill back in person next year for more!
Hilton Awards:
Senior national team members, Jacqueline and Claudia, stayed to announce all the winners of the OAS Land Games and Hilton routine events. Although we couldn’t have a normal awards, certificates were flashed on the screen and medals will be sent out to deserving athletes.
