Passion for Synchronized Swimming Petra Obermark's Journey
Petra Obermark, a dedicated synchronized swimming coach, prepares her team at TSB Flensburg with high standards and enthusiasm. As a judge at the Olympics, she brings her keen eye for detail and experience. With a history of championships and a commitment to training, Petra inspires her swimmers to strive for excellence, possibly paving the way for future Olympic aspirations.
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00:00For over 40 years, Petra Obermark's passion has been synchronized swimming.
00:05The campus bad in Flensburg is loud. Amidst the rushing water, a woman's voice
00:11pierces through repeatedly. Keep your legs straight. Pull your knees
00:16in. Two strokes above water. Six underwater. It's Petra Obermark's voice,
00:22coaching the synchronized swimmers of TZB Flensburg.
00:27Sometimes I think the parents must be wondering why I'm shouting so much down
00:32there, says Petra Obermark. I speak loudly because they have water in their ears
00:37and the noise from the overflow pool is so loud you have to raise your voice. But
00:44it's fine. They know it's only during training. The synchronized swimmers have
00:48become German champions in several junior classes, but there's no sign of
00:52complacency during training. No slacking off. No resting on their laurels. This is
00:59also thanks to Petra Obermark and her high standards. Did you see the national
01:03youth team yesterday? Did you see how close they stood? Like this, she says,
01:08holding her flat hands close together. The same standards she sets for her
01:14swimmers, she sets for herself. As a judge at the Olympic Games in Paris, she needs
01:20that keen eye for detail, not just during training. When they come so far
01:25out of the water, it's a 7.5 in terms of height, says Petra Obermark, pointing to
01:31a sketch set by the association, showing how far the swimmers must push their
01:35bodies up out of the water for certain figures. The biggest thing is simply the
01:41Olympics. So many people come together. It's the sporting highlight for everyone,
01:46including me. You're there. You experience so much. There are so many impressions.
01:51I'm already quite excited because even though I've been through a lot, been to
01:57world championships in Guangzhou and many countries, it's still different at
02:01the Olympics now. It's just special. Initially, she didn't even realize she
02:07was nominated. When the congratulations came, I kept thinking, why are they
02:11congratulating me? They must have written my birthday wrong. I hadn't
02:17checked the World Swimming Federation's publication, but colleagues from other
02:20countries saw it and congratulated me, and I was in the office, just doing my
02:25regular work. Only 10 judges are nominated for Paris, and they had a lot
02:31to do beforehand to prepare. They need to have the entire rulebook in their heads.
02:36The new scoring system has only been in place for two years. We had to relearn
02:41everything. Last year was a transition year, meaning we also had to adapt all
02:46our routines to the new system. Even as an active synchronized swimmer,
02:51Petra Obermark was successful, winning multiple German championships and even
02:57becoming a world champion once. For over 20 years, she has been training her
03:03Freddie Nixon voluntarily, leading them to 17 consecutive championship titles. In
03:082018, she was awarded the sport plaque of the state of Schleswig-Holstein for her
03:13dedication. And as early as 2004, she answered in an interview what the most
03:20challenging aspect of synchronized swimming is. The most challenging part is
03:24actually having eight different girls with different strengths and weaknesses.