Sports

Lindi Schroeder Selected for Potential Olympic Synchronized Swimming Duet Team

Lindi Schroeder left Andover after her Lower year to train for the Olympics with the National Team in California.

Lindi Schroeder, formerly Class of 2020, will compete in the qualifying stages for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a synchronized swimmer. A member of Andover Girls Swimming and Girls Water Polo for two years, Schroeder moved to California to pursue a more intense synchronized swimming schedule after her Lower year.

Schroeder looks to claim one of the seven available spots for the Olympics this upcoming April, alongside Duet Partner Anita Alvarez.

Schroeder said, “This most recent trial was just to select the duet to go the Olympic qualifiers. So Anita and I are selected for the U.S. duet, but we still have to go to a qualification tournament this April to qualify for the Olympics. There are seven spots left which we will try to qualify for.”

In addition to being selected for the duet team with Alvarez, Schroeder also competes with the rest of the U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Team.

“[Anita and I] train with the team from 7:00 [a.m.] to 3:00 [p.m.] every day, and there is duet training mixed in at different times throughout the day, depending on the day,” said Schroeder.

According to Andover Girls Swimming Head Coach Paul Murphy ’84 and Co-Captain Jackie Rossi ’20, Schroeder consistently demonstrated dedication to her training and a strong work ethic on the Andover swim team.

Coach Murphy said, “She was so awesome. She came to [Andover] as a synchronized swimmer, not as a competitive swimmer, but she made varsity swimming her first year and she was just an incredible athlete. She worked really hard and picked up some of the details that she needed to pick up that she didn’t get as synchro swimmer, but she needed as a competitive swimmer.”

Rossi said, “I remember Lindi as always being incredibly determined…She would go to practice with us and then right after practice, instead of changing into her normal clothes, she would change into another swimsuit. She would drive to her home pool and would go do another three hours of synchronized swimming there. Even with how much she was practicing every day, she put all of her energy into swim practice, when it wasn’t even her main sport.”

Along with her determination, Rossi feels that Schroeder also has a strong ability to adapt to different situations.

“[Schroeder is] super open-minded. She never swam [competitively] before. I told her to join the swim team, and she was super open-minded about it, and then she made Varsity,” said Rossi.

According to Schroeder, her mental toughness is one of her strongest athletic attributes.

“Andrea, [the U.S. National Team] coach has recently said this, that one of my strengths as an athlete is my mental ability to handle everything calmy and have a collected attitude about everything even in situations of tension or unexpected things. So that is one of my strengths as an athlete and I think that was also developed at [Andover] because it can be hard at times. Being able to go through all of that has helped prepare me for this as well,” said Schroeder.

Rossi believes that in addition to her mental strength, many of the other strengths that have helped Schroder reach the national stage were bred by Andover.

“I think she just set a really good example for all of us. She was always super focused during practice. She wouldn’t mess around that much. When she was in the pool, nothing could distract her, so we all followed after her. When we were doing main sets, we would all follow after her in the sense that she was always super focused on getting the workout done and doing it well,” said Rossi.

Schroeder credits Andover with giving her perspective and allowing her to meet a variety of different people.

“There is a lot that I learned at Andover about working with different people, and also getting a global outlook on everything that allows me to appreciate everything so much more than just the places I go and the people that I meet. Being more than just an athletic process, it becomes much more than that because of the outlook I gained at Andover,” said Schroeder.

Schroeder is excited to represent the United States and her other training teammates at the next stage of her competition.

Schroeder said, “I try not to think about the nerves at all honestly. It’s an opportunity that’s so amazing and unique and incredible and Anita and I are so excited and honored to be selected as the two people that are representing the US in this event and the team I’m apart of. Of the ten girls I’m training with right now, it’s an honor to represent them and all of their hard work.”