Synchronized swimmer in a class of her own

By Brett Okamoto

Thursday, June 4, 2009 | 3:05 p.m.

Justin M. Bowen

Katie Spada, 16, a sophomore at Palo Verde High School, is a member of the USA Synchronized Swimming Junior National Team that compete on Aug. 12 in the Pan American Games in Huntersville, N.C. Spada practices the 8-person routine by herself until she can join her team later this year.

Synchronized Swimmer-Katie Spada

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When synchronized swimmer Katie Spada wants to review one of her performances, she knows better than to turn to videos captured by her father, Tony. If she really wants to study herself, she better seek the help of someone with a steadier hand.

"One of the things I get teased about at home is that I like to videotape her meets," Tony said. "But I get so involved with it that I start clapping and stomping my foot and pretty soon the video camera is shaking all over the place."

She really can't blame her dad for getting swept up in a performance — it's had the same effect on her.

Spada was just 7-years-old and living in Michigan when she saw synchronized swimming for the first time during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Mesmerized by the performance, she begged her parents to find her a team to join when they moved to Las Vegas in 2003. She was so persistent that when the family did track down an ad in the newspaper one day, her mother took her to check out the group that same night.

"I loved the fact that they could basically dance while swimming," said Spada, who participated in speed swimming before switching to synchro. "I loved watching it and I wanted to be a part of it. I was very adamant, I kept begging to go."

Today, Spada is one of the youngest members of this year's U.S. Junior National team and the only member living in the state of Nevada. The team will compete in the Pan American Games this summer in Huntersville, N.C. She's also a sophomore at Palo Verde High School where she maintains a 4.35 grade point average in honors courses.

Spada has aspirations of studying sports medicine at Stanford University and making the 2012 Olympic team.

"Katie is one of the easiest girls to work with I have ever come across," said her coach Stephanie Bissonneette, who moved to Las Vegas in 1998 to perform in the 'O' show at the Bellagio. "She is so disciplined, she's on top of things, she's here every day doing her thing. What a smart girl and a beautiful swimmer."

Spada is so driven that her father said he has to remind her to take a break at times. With the amount of homework her courses assign added to the demands of training as a hopeful Olympic athlete, Spada admits there isn't much time for anything else. While most high school students look at going to school as their responsibility for the day, Spada thinks of it more as a break.

"The amount of time you put into it, there's just not much time left for anything but swimming and homework right now," she said. "I don't get to see my friends on the weekends. I have 7 a.m. practices and just do homework the rest of the weekend. It's actually nice to go to school and get away from it for a little while."

That's not to say the 16-year-old doesn't ever get to have a little fun. It just takes on a new meaning. Later this month, she'll take off on a trip that will keep her away from home for nearly the rest of the summer, training at the likes of San Antonio and Colorado Springs, Colo.

Instead of seeing her local friends over the weekend, she keeps relationships up with other swimmers around the country. Instead of going to the movie theater, she river rafts with her national team.

"We do get breaks, the national team will go out on the weekends during this trip in Texas," Spada said. "You get to see the world, you get to do fun things. All the sacrifices you make are definitely worth it."

Spada is certainly on the right track to eventually fulfill her goal of representing her country in the Olympics. As one of the younger members of the junior national. team, she's making a name for herself which should help her keep her spot over the next two years. She's also already looking forward to the 2010 FINA Junior World Championships in Indianapolis.

When asked if he believes his daughter is a 'normal' high school girl, it's interesting to see Tony's reaction. As a former baseball player at Michigan State, he understands the need to keep himself and his family grounded in their aspirations for Katie.

But he also realizes there is something special about his daughter.

"I don't really know what a normal high school student is," Tony said. "But do I think she's a normal teenage girl? No, I don't think she's a normal teenage girl. I think her dedication takes her beyond that. I'm just happy that she's learning that with hard work does come rewards."