LEWISTON — The backwards dolphin is the real trick, according to YWCA synchronized swimming instructor Nancy Lizotte.

Once her girls have mastered that, she said, they’re well on their way.

“You have to arch your back, backwards, and have that backward motion in the water,” she said. “You turn upside down and then flip up.”

The backwards dolphin is similar to a reverse somersault in a swimming pool, flipping the body backward through the water and resurfacing where you started.

“The somersault is the same except you use the strength of your legs to push back,” she said. “With the back dolphin, you try not to use your legs. You use the strength of your body to move yourself backwards.”

It sounds simple but it can be a difficult skill to manage. Lizotte, 66, knows firsthand. She mastered it herself less than a year ago as a volunteer helper for the Lewiston YWCA’s synchronized swimming team.

Lizotte is a lifelong swimmer but only for relaxation.

“It’s been a hobby to me, an interest and a way of relaxation,” she said. “I wasn’t a competitive racer or swimmer, but I grew up in Maine with easy access to lakes and rivers. We always had fun swimming.”

That was until she was diagnosed with cancer five years ago, and she joined Encore, the YWCA’s breast cancer survivor’s swim group.

“It’s a very good program for upper-body strength and regaining flexibility,” she said. “Swimming really helps to strengthen and improve your endurance and makes you feel less tired. You do feel tired from the treatments, but this helps.”

The group’s leader invited her to take a larger role.

“She said they were looking for extra help right now, and I said I’d be willing to volunteer,” she said, “but I wanted to do it right. I wanted to be sure I had the certification.”

She took the American Red Cross classes and became certified as a swimming instructor and lifeguard while she continued attending Encore sessions.

“You can get practical experience watching good instructors work,” Lizotte said, “but you need the book learning, too.”

She started volunteering as a lifeguard and swim instructor, too, helping with the children’s classes. Eventually, she was invited to help with the YWCA’s youth synchronized swimming team. The team is made up of a handful of local girls, ages 10 to 14.

“I’ve enjoyed watching the synchronized swimming, but I wasn’t familiar with all the motions and moves,” she said. “I didn’t know what they were called, but I enjoyed watching them.”

She set out to learn as much as she could. Most of the maneuvers the team was practicing were done in pairs, so when the team ended up with an odd number of participants, she stepped forward.

“I figured, if I could do a handstand at 66, why not?” she said. “We broke up into teams of two and the kids got excited about putting on a program — and I was a part of that.”

She learned the routine, practiced with the kids and then went on to perform it with them last March.

“Then the instructor who was teaching it, she left,” Lizotte said. “They asked if I would take over the class. I just figured it out from doing what she showed me. She was a great teacher and I was willing to try it.”

They’re working on a new routine, and she expects they’ll perform sometime in May.

It’s not all she does at the pool. She still spends several hours each Thursday as a lifeguard and leads the breast cancer survivors group before the synchronized team shows up for practice.

She’s satisfied with being the coach, but her efforts to start an adult synchronized team haven’t been borne out.

“I’ve mentioned it to some ladies here, especially the ones in the fitness classes,” she said. “They do have masters classes in synchronized swimming for adults, but it hasn’t taken off, yet.”

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