Every olympics we grow even more astonished that synchronized swimming continues to take place, competitively, with no apparent irony whatsoever. And they make no apologies for this strangeness. While there are no men in the pool, it desperately tries to be the most flamboyantly gay thing on earth outside of Broadway, drag shows, or Bowie's Manhattan apartment. They wear eye shadow in the pool. Most of the U.S. Women's Synchronized Swimming Team, which placed fifth in the medal round Saturday morning, is from the Bay Area. Walnut Creek's Kim Probst is their captain.

Kim's part of a Walnut Creek girls' synchronized swimming mafia, and they call themselves "The Aquanuts" (that site may or may not get past your workplace web filter). At 28 years old, Kim is the eldest member of the U.S. team. That makes her three times older than anyone on the Chinese team!

/dodges tomatoes thrown by audience