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Ballet in Water – a Brainiac Shares Her Tale of Grace and Persistence
Every one of our Brainiacs is multifaceted: their exceptional talent in the office and diverse interests outside make them the kind of creative crazies that we love. So when Christina told us that she was a synchronised swimming champ we just needed to learn more about this uber cool Olympic sport.
How did you get started?
I began Synchro (aka. The cool way to say synchronised swimming) when I was 8 years old. It very quickly became my passion. When I was 11, I was admitted to the Republican High School of Physical Culture. It was there where I was able to put my full focus on my sport. The school provided us with a timetable that allowed us to combine our pursuit of excellence in our sport with our academic studies. After 5 years of long hard practice and determination, I was awarded a Master of Sports for Ukraine in Synchronised Swimming. It was a very proud moment for me.
What is it that you love about Synchro?
It combines many different disciplines — choreography, dancing, physical fitness and swimming. All done at the same time…in water 🙂 However, it’s not only about physical strength, it is also about grace, persistence and teamwork. It is a sport that challenges you on a number of different levels.
Do you think taking part in synchronised swimming has influenced other parts of your life?
Yes, absolutely! As I mentioned before it takes a lot of persistence and discipline, especially if you want to be competitive. It also taught me a great deal about being a team player, which has been a huge benefit when it comes to my work life. It also taught me how to think outside of the box and see the world differently.
How do you keep fit and conditioned now that you no longer practice Synchro professionally?
It really depends, frequently I train by myself because I don’t compete professionally any longer. However, I do take part in special projects with my teammates. So in those cases, we’ll train as a team. Last year we were even featured in a few scenes of a Ukrainian movie (it’s expected to premiere later this year). It was such a fantastic experience. I also like to train on land 😉 spending a lot of time in the gym to improve my fitness. I recently even started to attend Zumba fitness just to broaden my dance style knowledge, which could influence new routines in the water.
If you could share one life lesson you’ve learnt from the years you’ve dedicated to your craft what would that be?
Oh, that’s an easy one! Success comes with plenty of falls and bruises. You absolutely can’t stop at the first obstacle or area of difficulty. If you want to reach a specific goal in life, every time you fall you need to pick yourself up, keep trying, work on yourself and master your skill.
We agree with Christina, that is a very important life lesson indeed! Her determination and never-give-up attitude is certainly something she brings to work every day too. We’re really looking forward to that movie coming out so we can see just how epic her team is 🙂
Paula Ferrai
Working Machines
An executive’s guide to AI and Intelligent Automation. Working Machines takes a look at how the renewed vigour for the development of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Automation technology has begun to change how businesses operate.
