Diving into the 2024 Paris Olympics with Daniella Ramirez

Daniella Ramirez wasn't convinced that competing in the 2024 Olympics was even possible.

A third-generation artistic swimmer, Ramirez, who made the U.S. national team in 2018, has been training in the sport for as long as she can remember.

Artistic swimming, officially renamed from synchronized swimming after the 2016 Rio Olympics and also referred to as water ballet in the past, combines swimming, dancing and gymnastics. There are two events: the duet and team competitions.

While duets from the U.S. have consistently made it to the Olympics since the sport's debut at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, the team had not qualified since 2008. In June 2021, the team lost to Greece by just 0.2 point, missing out on the chance to go to the Tokyo Olympics.

Discouraged after working so hard and coming so close, Ramirez began to acknowledge it might be time to quit and focus solely on the next stage of her life: college.

Fortunately, head coach Andrea Fuentes had been thinking ahead and moved the team's practices from a facility in Santa Clara, California, to Los Angeles. Since 2021, the team has been training at Park Pool, a 50-meter outdoor pool located at UCLA's Sunset Canyon Recreation Center.

"It was clear to me that the team members felt isolated at our previous training location and getting a college education is so much a part of the culture in the U.S.," said Fuentes, a former Olympian who competed for Spain. "Moving our team training headquarters to UCLA allowed us to be where the Olympics would be in 2028, and to open up an opportunity for our team members to attend college while still training."

Erinn McMahan, executive director of UCLA Recreation, says the campus has a long history as a place where professional and elite athletes practice and compete. UCLA has produced 410 Olympians, hosted events for the 1984 Games and will be the site of the Olympic village for athletes in four years.

"UCLA feels a part of the Olympic and Paralympic tradition and is looking forward to 2028," McMahan said. "It has been a win-win to have the U.S. artistic swimming team train here - and having a UCLA student on the team makes it even better."

That's allowed Ramirez to train and attend college simultaneously. The self-proclaimed "guinea pig" has completed two full years at UCLA as she pursues a bachelor's degree in art. She took the last year off to train exclusively, but when taking classes, she trains from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., then goes to classes and studios after 3 p.m.

Training for artistic swimming comprises gymnastics, freediving exercises, CrossFit, cheerleading acrobatics and regular lap swimming. In addition to combining individually demanding sports, Ramirez says, artistic swimming tests an athlete's pain tolerance.

"The longer you hold your breath, the more you can do, and the more points you can garner," she said, adding that artistic swimmers must sometimes hold their breath for up to 30 or 40 seconds. "The harder you work, the more it hurts under there."

Because team members need to swim so close together, they tend to hit each other accidentally, which can result in scratches, shoulder injuries or concussions.

"This is not Esther Williams," she said, referring to the late competitive swimmer turned actress, who starred in 1940s and 50s Hollywood films that featured synchronized swimming and diving. "I don't think people realize just how hard it is."

Though there isn't time for much else while she is training and attending classes, she has enjoyed relaxing on the grass near Janss Steps and other parts of campus.

"I really liked to hang out near Epicuria. Right by B-Cafe (Bruin Cafe), there's this little plaza and a big piano," she said. "I loved sitting there and waiting to see who would play. They're like, 'Oh, is anybody watching?' It's so cute!"

Her dedication to training and studying hasn't gone unnoticed. Fuentes says Ramirez is central to the team in more ways than one.

"Big dreams have big prices to pay. In this sport, you have the flyers, the pushers and the base. Dani is the base; she is extremely coordinated and knows a lot about our sport," Fuentes said. "She is central in the team but also because she's the first one who said, 'Okay, I'm gonna be the one who doesn't leave the team to go to college: I'm gonna do both.' I'm very grateful for her."

And Ramirez has kept her word by staying focused on herself and the team - and on inspiring the next generation of swimmers. She hopes the hard work and long hours will help the team bring home the gold from Paris.

"We like to say we are in a bubble, so we really focus on ourselves and working together," she said. "The results will come."