SOFIA VALDIVIA - FLORIDA

BIO

Sofia Valdivia has been swimming since a very young age.  She was born in Miami, so becoming a swimmer was bound to happen. Her dad was a Spanish National champion, college swimmer and current open water swimmer and her mom swam, and she and Sofia currently swim together on a masters team.  At the age of eight, Sofia began swimming with a local club with her two brothers.  Little did we know, she would be with Miami Swimming for the next 15 years!

Being on a typical swim team gave her the opportunity to compete with typical kids and prove that she could keep up.  She worked hard and still has the same coach to this day, Marly Zea!  Swimming and her coach have been a constant in her life, giving her confidence, discipline and fitness.  

Having competed for many years, Sofia had an opportunity to try synchronized swimming on Saturdays.  Adding this new sport was not much of a leap for her since it combines everything she loves: music, dance and swimming.  What started out small, grew into something bigger than we could have imagined.  Her little group, coached by Isis Sanchez, and conceived by Jorge Van Balen, was invited to join the Miramar Mermaids Synchro Club.  We owe this to Grasy Noriega, the owner of the team.  From then on, it has been a whirlwind of local, state and national competitions.  

The first goal for the newly formed AWD team (athletes with disabilities) was to go to the National Artistic Swimming Junior Olympics in Colorado Springs, CO in 2021.  Artistic swimming added the AWD category in 2021. Sofia and her teammates were the first AWD team in the US to be a part of a national competition.  It was a great experience for them!

After that, there were more competitions at the state level and two more National Junior Olympic competitions, one in Gainesville, FL and the other in Hampton, Virginia.  The team also participated in an International Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Charlotte, NC in August 2022.  There were swimmers form all over the world, Spain being one of them.  Sofia was determined to get to know them because she is a proud Spanish citizen, along with being a US citizen.  

The team attended a USADSS training camp in Orlando, FL in February 2022.  It was a great opportunity to meet swimmers from all over the country and to train to be on the USADSS National Team.  After Orlando, it was officially announced that they would represent the US in artistic swimming at the World Down Syndrome Swimming and Artistic Swimming Championships in Albufeira, Portugal in October 2022.  Participating in this competition was the pinnacle of success for her team and it was a fantastic experience.  They received the silver medal for their group routine and had solo and duet routines, showing the world their skills and athleticism.   

Sofia’s dedication to swimming and artistic swimming has enriched her life, given her special friendships and has inspired so many who are in her life.  She has met amazing people along the way, and is a healthy, strong athlete because of her sports.  We are grateful for what the swimming world has given to her and to us as a family.  We are beyond proud of Sofia.