Mary Black Pioneered Synchronized Swimming in Scotland

Why this is here: Mary Black and her husband Bill developed the Judges’ Evaluation criteria document, which became the Synchronized Swimming Operating Manual used at all international competitions to score routines.

Mary Black, age 95, established Scotland’s first synchronized swimming team in Clydebank nearly 90 years ago. She began swimming in a time when pools were also used for bathing, and early “display swimming” involved simple, timed strokes in formation. Black’s team initially swam to music played on a piano-accordion, later upgrading to a tape recorder connected to the pool’s sound system.

Black drew inspiration from the growing popularity of synchronized swimming in the United States and Canada, particularly the work of Katherine Curtis and Esther Williams. She attended coaching courses in London and brought new techniques back to Clydebank, forming the “Marlins” team. The Marlins performed at events including the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and a water polo competition in Malta.

Black later served as a judge at four Olympic Games, from 1984 to 1996, and helped develop the scoring criteria used in international competitions. She also held leadership positions within Scottish and international swimming organizations. While now inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Black acknowledges there is always further development within the sport.