WITH two days to go for the third staging of the Jamaica International Synchronised Swimming Championships, organisers Synchro Stars has cleared the decks for action.

“The final preparation and documentation is coming together nicely,” said the event’s meet manager Diahann Campbell.

The championships will take place at the YMCA on the first two days (Thursday and Friday), with the final day set for Bournemouth Bath Swim Complex on Michael Manley Boulevard.

“The sport has stepped up its image and standard worldwide and Ssynchro Stars (Ja) hopes to give all Jamaican athletes a taste of the new world standard in meet management/set up and scoring as well,” Campbell pointed out.

Swimmers will perform routines accompanied by music and decked in elaborate costumes, make-ups, and head-pieces. They will also do figures, which are individual performances without music and wearing the standard black swimsuit and white swimcap.

Novice, intermediate, age group and master swimmers will compete solo, duet, trio and team and be scored on technical merit and artistic impression.

Not only athletes, but also Jamaica Synchronised Swimming judges are getting ready for the championships.

The judges have participated in sessions preparing them for the new judging format, the three-score system, which has never been used in the English-speaking Caribbean. It was used for the first time at this year’s Central American and Caribbean Swimming Confederation (CCCAN) Championships in Puerto Rico last July, according to Campbell.

Costa Rica will send a team of six athletes, giving the competition its international flavour with action and standard expected to be high.

Despite not having a title sponsor, the event’s meet manager is not deterred as a number of sponsors have ensured that the show will go on, including the Jamaica Tourist Board, Sports Development Foundation, Island Car Rental, Gatorade, Best Dressed Chicken, Docutech, Jamaica Energy Partners, Ensure, Pedisure and LS Gas Station.

From the championships and with the changes being made to synchronised swimming, Jamaica hopes to send a team to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland or Youth Olympic Games in 2014.

In synchronised swimming, members of a team perform co-ordinated or identical movements in time to music.