"Do you have five minutes?" the Santa Clara Aquamaids coach asked Kenyon Smith.
Only when ordered to talk to a reporter did the 5-foot-3 kid stop his race to warmups. He knew what the questions would be. As the only male competitor at the national championship, he's heard them before.
He's also heard the teasing. People tell him synchronized swimming is just for girls, and because he competes with girls, he's not a strong athlete.
"I tell them all to try it, then they stop bothering me," he said.
He first tried it seven years ago, following his sister, Layla, to practice. Since he joined the Aquamaids in 2003, his younger sisters, Summer, 8, and Ani, 6, have followed his lead.
Kenyon Smith, 15, the only male in the competition, works out with his 12-time champion Santa Clara Aquamaids teammates at the U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Championships at the King County Aquatic Center.
Smith said he likes everything about the sport: the intense workouts, the team camaraderie, the intricate routines.
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