Treading water with the U.S. Olympic synchronized swim team

LADIES IN THE WATER The U.S. Olympic synchronized swim team models this season's hottest suits (Photo: Jill Greenberg; styling by Brian Primeaux)

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In the pantheon of Athletic Endeavors the America Public Doesn't Take Seriously, synchronized swimming has long occupied a spot somewhere between thumb wrestling and lawn darts. It won't be long before we see Will Ferrell stuffing his doughy hindquarters into a Speedo to play a pasty suburban dad on a quest to break the sport's gender barrier. (Olympic synchronized swimming, along with softball and rhythmic gymnastics, forbids male competitors.)

But so-called water ballet is no joke for the women of the U.S. Olympic team, seven members of which are shown here in some of the season's hottest swimsuits. What from the waist up looks like a simple walk in the pool is actually a grueling endurance test far more physically challenging than "manlier" sports (we're looking at you, golf).

Remember: Their feet aren't actually touching the ground. "It's like sprinting and holding your breath at the same time," says Christina Jones, a seven-year veteran of the national team. "People who mock it have never tried it."

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This article is from the May/June issue of Radar Magazine. For a risk-free issue, click here.