Figures draw confirmed ahead of National Age Group Championships return

The draw for the figures competition at the Swim England Artistic Swimming National Youth and Age Group Championships 2023 has been made.

More than 150 athletes from 25 clubs will be taking part in the event at Gloucester’s GL1 Leisure Centre on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 March.

The National Youth & Age Group Championships are the top level of domestic competition for young artistic swimmers aged between nine and 16.

The figures competition is the opening event of the Championships, and the draw is as follows:

12 & Under category

Group 2 has been selected in addition to the compulsory figures. Each swimmer will be expected to perform:

• Straight Ballet Leg; Barracuda; Water Drop; Swordfish

Youth category

Section A has been selected which comprises:

• Flamingo Bent Knee, Twist Spin; Cyclone, Open 180; Barracuda Airborne split spin up 180; Swordfish straight leg Ariana rotation

The following events will be competed for at the weekend’s National Youth and Age Group Championships:

1. All athletes will begin the competition by completing four Figures which increase in difficulty for each age group. The total of the figures scores for each age group are added to the respective routine scores.
2. The top 12 highest scoring athletes in each figure age group go forward to compete in the Solo Competition, where the athletes perform on their own to their chosen music.
3. The Duet competition is open to the top 12 placed pairs, whilst the Mixed Duet competition is open to all athletes.
4. The Teams competition is a routine which features between four and eight athletes and is open to all entered teams.

Routines are marked by three panels of judges who assess execution, artistic impression and difficulty.

The final rankings are based on the total routine scores added to the total average of the figure scores from their respective duet or team.

During Saturday, there will be three performances from Great Britain’s Artistic Swimmers, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Technical Duet pairing of Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe.

Reports throughout the weekend will be published on the artistic swimming hub of the Swim England website and updates will also be posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #SEartistic

There will also be a live scoreboard and a free digital programme will also be available to download.