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Community Corner

Los Gatos Patch Whiz Kid of the Week—Leilah Talukder

Seventh-grade synchro-swimming sensation makes a splash from Los Gatos to Lima, Peru.

  • Leilah Talukder, 12
  • School:
  • Accomplishment: Leilah won two gold medals (for team performance and duet event) in synchronized swimming at the 2010 UNA Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. 
  • Key to Awesomeness: As a synchronized swimmer for the past six years (first as an Angelfish and now as a member of the Santa Clara Aquamaids), Leilah spends almost as much time in the pool as she does on land. While that statement may be an exaggeration, this poised seventh-grader does dedicate six days a week to practicing synchronized routines of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music. 

Leilah credits her sister, Sabera, a freshman and 2010 gold medalist, as her role model. “If Sabera didn’t try ‘synchro,’ I probably never would have gotten into the sport, so I thank her a lot for influencing me.”

Synchronized swimming takes grace, artistry and precise timing, as well as exceptional breath control when upside down under water. Once the swimmers dive into the pool, their feet aren’t allowed to touch bottom during routines.

So how do athletes propel themselves and their fellow teammates out of the water? With sheer muscle power and two key skills: the eggbeater kick and sculls.

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According to Leilah, “Sculling is when you’re upside down and your in-and-out hand movements act as a motor that allows you to hold your legs above the water.”

Leilah’s favorite “float” (formation on the surface of the water) is called “Down the Drain,” an old-school move where she and her seven teammates lie on their backs while connected in a snowflake pattern. “People grab each other’s ankles, and then we arch down into the center” giving the illusion of water trickling down a drain.

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So what motivates this 12-year-old to take the plunge on days she’d rather stay on land? “It's really rewarding being with my team and supporting each other. We have a strong bond,” says Leilah, especially when it comes to her duet partner, Karen Li of San Jose. “When we're dueting, I can just feel the way Karen moves her leg or which way she’s going [and vice-versa]—we don’t even need to look at each other.”

Esther Williams would be proud.

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