Synchronized swimming has been an Olympic event since 1984, but rarely gets the recognition and respect given to other water sports such as diving.

But "synchro," as it's called by its practitioners, has a high profile in Forest Hills, where the community's team has been performing since 1970.

The Forest Hills Synchronized Swimming Team gave its annual show Sunday, with the theme "Oh What a Night," at the Forest Hills Community Pool on Braddock Road. Fifty-five local girls, ages 5-17, participated.

Head coach Annmarie Rodrigues, 22, said that while synchronized swimming isn't a widely known sport, it's much more demanding -- and rewarding -- than many people realize.

"It can be very challenging," said Ms. Rodrigues, who is working toward her master's in education at Duquesne University. "And it's a great confidence builder for young women."

Taking elements from ballet, gymnastics, diving and figure skating, synchronized swimming requires athletes to hold their breath and tread water for extended periods.

Participants also must master difficult skills such as suspending themselves upside down in the pool while executing elaborate dance moves in time to music.

Girls can join the Forest Hills team starting at about age 6, and remain eligible to participate through the year after high school. Boys and young men are allowed to join the team, but there are currently no male swimmers, said Ms. Rodrigues. All team members must be from Forest Hills and members of the community pool.

Practices begin in June and are held at the pool three times a week -- Monday and Thursday nights and Saturday mornings. Ms. Rodrigues pointed out that a young girl need not be a particularly strong swimmer to join.

The group also gained 10 new swimmers this year, she noted, indicating that interest, always strong, may be growing.

Ms. Rodrigues said that from her first synchronized swimming show at Forest Hills in 1996, she's been hooked. She has been head coach for three years and has two assistants, Caroline Gormley and Nicole Jozniak, also of Forest Hills.

Ms. Rodrigues makes all of the costumes for the group as well. They are traditionally decorated with sequins and sparkles, all the better to show up in the water. This year's costumes were decorated with moons and stars to go along with the "Night" theme.

Synchronized swimming has its own vocabulary, said Ms. Rodrigues, who talked about "sculling" -- arm movements that keep the swimmer in a single position -- and moves like the "pinwheel" and "porpoise."

But aside from the strength, coordination and agility the sport develops, she said, among the most important is the lesson it taught her -- self-confidence.

"When I started in 1996, I was very shy," said Ms. Rodrigues. "But by the end of the program, I had grown in confidence so much, and that's what I want for all the girls."

Kristen Arbutina, 16, has been a member of the team since 2002. She attends Oakland Catholic High School and lives in Forest Hills with her parents, Sam and Marianne. Her sister Emily, 13, is also a team member.

Kristen said the hardest part of the sport was the transition from shallower water to the 12-foot depth at about age 14. At that age, girls start spending more time underwater, don nose clips and are expected to learn much more complex movements and routines.

"It was like stepping into a new realm, learning a new language," she said. "This was something I thought I knew, but suspending myself upside down was a new challenge."

After 14, the girls also are encouraged to develop small group and solo performances. Kristen said she had formed a trio that performed a routine to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," complete with moves from the famous video.

She gained confidence through mastering the new skills, but added that there were other rewards to synchronized swimming, like the relationships it built.

"As older girls, we feel like we're being role models to the younger swimmers," she said. "We want to set a good example, as athletes and people."

It's also an activity, she said, that brought the girls, and Forest Hills, together.

"We practice two months," she said, "all to showcase something really unique for our community."

For more information about the team, call 412-351-7330.

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