CHLORINATED CHORINES : TEENS TRAIN TO BE SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMERS.

Byline: JENIFER HANRAHAN

The 31 members of the Los Angeles Synchro team want to get a few commonly asked questions about synchronized swimming out of the way.

Yes, they can hear the music underwater, thanks to a waterproof sound system. No, they don't smile while submerged.

And ``We never, ever touch the bottom,'' said Sarah McCarthy, an 18-year-old member of the team.

One more important element: Synchronized swimming is most definitely a ``real sport,'' an Olympic medal sport.

``It's like the equivalent of running 400 meters without breathing,'' said team member Analia Barroso, 18, of West Los Angeles.

The competitive squad is made up of girls ages 10 to 19 enrolled through the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. Today through Sunday, nine of the team's top swimmers will compete in the Synchronized Swimming National Age Group Championships in Federal Way, Wash., where they will face more than 50 teams from around the country.

In their final practice at Los Angeles' Swim Stadium before the championships, eight girls glided up and down the pool in unison to a medley of Mexican folk music.

They spun, contorted and boosted their bodies out of the water as their patterns constantly shifted - a sharp diagonal line melted into sinewy curves that in a few phrases of music became a circle.

Then, lying on their backs, alternately grasping one another's ankles and wrists, their bodies formed the spokes of a spinning wheel.

The kaleidoscope pattern is a crowd-pleaser, which strikes the girls as funny because it's so easy in comparison to many other maneuvers. The formation gave them a few seconds to breath before they plunged underwater again.

Next, they emerged doing a ``platform lift'' - one swimmer stands on the upper thighs and chest of her teammate, who lies rigid on her back underwater. Six girls then hoist the human platform upward until the swimmer on top appears to be, quite literally, walking on water.

A risky move, to be sure. Every so often the girl at the zenith loses her balance and does a nosedive.

``The judges are looking for difficulty, and risk is impressive,'' coach Jeanette Bacigalupo said. ``We're looking to catch the eye of the judge, to do something a little different.''

In competition, judges award points in two categories: technical merit, which includes execution, synchronization and difficulty; and artistic impression - the choreography, presentation and musical interpretation.

Four days a week, the girls don goggles, swim caps and nose clips - which explains why their smiles look off-kilter - for practices. Included is an hour of stretching and lap swimming for conditioning, then figures - the compulsory component of competition during which swimmers execute a prescribed move that emphasizes control and proper body positions - and their routines. Competitive categories include solo, duet, trio and team routines, in which up to eight girls perform together.

At every practice, Bacigalupo sits poolside, shouting instructions with an eye for detail that a spectator less versed in the sport might view as unnecessarily picky.

``Don't arch your back.''

``Get closer. You're out of line. Hold your pattern.''

``Be sharp. Keep your stomach tight. Tilt your hips.''

``They need to look strong, all the way to the end, even though they're exhausted,'' she explained. ``The athlete can't see what they're doing. They need other people to be their eyes, to tell them what needs to be improved. Parents are always saying, `Oh, you criticize them too much.' But I give positive feedback, too.''

Bacigalupo, 30, a native of Peru, was Chile's national champion in the 100-meter freestyle in the early '80s. Burned-out from five-hour days of swimming up and down lane lines, Bacigalupo wanted to try something a little more creative. She took up synchro.

``It looked like a much more feminine sport,'' she said. ``When I saw some girls doing it, I thought, `That's easy to do.' Then I tried it and I realized it took a lot of strength and skill.''

When she found out she was ineligible for the Chilean national synchronized swimming team because she wasn't born there, Bacigalupo set her sights on coaching. She spent seven years in Canada observing British Columbia's top team. After a stint coaching elite synchronized swimmers in Chile, she came to California and earned a master's degree in physical education from San Diego State University before taking over Los Angeles Synchro four years ago.

The team evolved from a summer recreation program the city has offered for more than 50 years. Every summer, several hundred girls participate in eight-week synchro programs that culminate in a city-wide competition in August.

Bacigalupo recruited interested and talented girls from the summer program to start year-round training.

``It requires a lot of flexibility and endurance,'' she said. ``It's also a sport that allows you to interpret music and express yourself through your body. It's requires a lot of discipline, which can help you throughout your life.''

Synchronizations: The Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation will offer synchronized swimming programs for girls ages 7 to 17 starting next month. Cost is $5, plus a $2 entry fee for each competition. To register, call [phone].

Tryouts for Los Angeles Synchro will be held July 30 and Aug. 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the city pool at 9100 Lincoln Blvd. in Westchester. Call coach Jeanette Bacigalupo at [phone] for information.

MEMO: Staff writer Jenifer Hanrahan's water-sports column appears monthly in the Daily News.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) The L.A. Synchro Swim Team practices a formation at L.A.'s Swim Stadium.

(2) Concentration is a must when performing a precision routine, and the swimmers claim they never touch bottom and need a great amount of endurance.

Joe Binoya / Special to the Daily News