Looking Back: Evolution of an Aquaduck

A young girl sits in the dark silence, the only light the aura of the aqua green water a few feet away from her. It's humid; and in a moment a deep, loud voice booms: "And now, ladies and gentlemen, WELCOME TO THE CABARET!" The spotlight pierces the darkness and all focus is now on the line of young women on the pool deck, dressed in black swimsuits and black tights.

They tip their top hats in salute to the audience, the lights creating a silhouette on the decorated wall behind them. The piano music starts, and the spotlight shines on them, one after another, as they dive into the jade-green water, to begin their carefully choreographed swim ballet routine.

As she claps excitedly, all the young girl can think is, "Fantastic. I want to do that ...."

It seems like ages ago that Cloquet High School supported the sport of synchronized swimming for young women. In fact, it was 40 years ago this year that the last show was performed. What we have been missing these four decades is truly amazing.

By all accounts, synchronized swimming had a lot of participants and even more fans.

In 1967, the first year of the "Aquaducks," 40 girls rehearsed routines, designed scenery, and acted as production crew. That year, and many years thereafter, Ms. Monette Steinhaus was the advisor of the group, which offered three performances each season, usually in March or April.

Synchronized swimming is a combination of choreographed dance, theatrical costume, timed lighting, dedicated practice, teamwork and intense swimming. Cloquet Schools offered this activity to female students but, as Kay (Randall) Anderson points out, "You had to try out for Synco, not every girl made the cut."

It was more than just a good swim. Yearbook photos from the "synco years" reflect a time when young women were not offered many opportunities to play on sports teams. It provided an outlet for young, athletic, creative women in an age of fewer activities.

Patrice Stevens said she joined because she "could swim really well, and at the time there were few activities for an athletic girl."

Although at the time girls were offered tennis, rifle team, and bowling, it would be several years until Cloquet would add a volleyball team (1974) and a girls' basketball team (1976).

"It was a great and special athletic choice for girls at the time," Anderson said. "We not only worked on creating spectacular swimming routines, but developed lasting friendships."

It is clear, paging through the CHS yearbook, the White Pine, that as sports for women became more popular and available, interest in synchronized swimming didn't have as many participants.

However, each year from 1967 through 1979, the young women worked hard and brought their best talents and efforts to the Herb Drew Pool. The girls practiced once or twice a week beginning in November, culminating in three performances in March or April.

What happens when athleticism creativity and enthusiastic young women get together was nothing short of entertaining.

And their creativity was limitless.

According to the 1967 White Pine: "After spending weeks to overcome the boundaries laid down by human endurance, the Synchronized Swimming team put on their production - Sports Splashtacular. The hard work in planning routines, learning the moves and making decorations was a small price to pay for the pleasure derived from the actual performance. This year the group accented their show with red sails, bows and human arrows, black and red tights, and a formal candlelight procession to add variety for their audience."

How do you top a human arrow and a candlelight procession? It doesn't seem possible, but these talented young ladies raised the bar year after year.

By 1969 the "Syncro swimmers" theme was "Sounds of the '60s." The performers "selected their music and formed routines to various happenings from the headlines of the day" and, according to the White Pine, "crime, hijacking, population explosion, and air pollution were only a few subjects used."

If the end of the '60s used activist themes, then the 1970s, like its signature yacht-rock music, mellowed out a bit. Shows were dedicated to Disney, Snoopy, and The Tonight Show. The 1974 performance had a light radio vibe, as the theme was "Nature" - featuring choreographed numbers to "Fire and Rain" (James Taylor), "Color My World" (Chicago) and "Mother Nature's Son" (Paul McCartney). The 1976 performance featured a "Salute to Broadway," with the opening number the aforementioned spotlight/top hat routine, and the young girl was hooked ... and still is.

The White Pine yearbooks are a trip down memory lane for some, lasting memories for others, and often cringe-worthy for many. Happy faces of youth, lovely sentiment - yet, we can't help but notice the clothing styles and haircuts of those who came before us.

Looking at the "synco" pages of the White Pine, one gets a sense of the style, from "itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikinis" to the polyester mallet suits of swim class. There is a real sense of the vibe of the time, and that doesn't include only the fashion of the moment. The performances highlighted many cultural references at the day, as captions under the photos are phrases and words we wouldn't use today to describe young women in any setting - photos captioned, "beautiful bodies" and "legs, legs, legs." One 1969 photo shows the whole cast, the caption reading "Synco Sweethearts." Looking closer, the signs they hold are not so sweet: sentiments about war, pollution, and generation gaps. Apparently Synco shows were not just for entertainment, but carried a social message as well.

We get to look back on the "synco years" with delight and nostalgia. This time-consuming activity-sport was the fulfillment of many things from creativity to athletic ability, friendships and social messaging.

Ask a former "Synco girl" what her favorite part of being involved was, and she will say it was the lasting friendships.

Many of these young women are still in the community and grew to be accomplished, creative professionals, mothers, grandmothers, role models. We are thankful for the young women of the "Splashtaculars" who came before us, demonstrating how to be strong, confident, creative teammates.

Did the young girl ever become a Cloquet Auaduck?

No. Polka dot bikinis, artfully costumed swimsuits and construction paper sets gave way to sports bras, racing suits and soccer cleats. Title IX came into play and more opportunities for young women to participate in competitive sports became available.

Watching Olympic synchronized swimming was as close as she got to being an Aquaduck, and the sport still captures her attention, bringing back memories of the days when athleticism, imagination and teamwork was played out in the Herb Drew Pool.