our storyEstablished in 1985 by Patti Barton, the Pirouettes of Texas (PTX) is the oldest and most recognized synchronized swimming club in North Texas. Hailing from across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, participants range from beginners to national-level competitors.
In our 33-year history, PTX has won nine South Zone Championships, captured 15 national titles and produced finalists at Age Group Nationals, the AAU and US Junior Olympic Nationals, US 13-15, Junior and Senior Nationals, the US Masters Championships and the US Open. Seven athletes who started out with PTX swam for US National teams — with three later moving on to compete for Team USA at the Olympic Games (2000, 2004, and 2012). Now led by Head Coach Soohee Shim, the team works to promote the sport of synchronized swimming through identifying and developing the next generation of talented athletes, and instill its members with confidence, discipline, sportsmanship and poise. |
PTX Coaching staff
All of our coaches are certified by USA Synchro and hold current CPR/First Aid and SafeSport credentials.
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Soohee Shim
Soohee is a lifelong synchronized swimmer who has been involved with the sport at a high level for several decades. Her synchro resume includes captaining the 1988 Korean Synchro National Team (which demonstrated at the Seoul Olympic Games) and serving as head coach of the Korean Synchro National Team I, which earned first place in duet and second place in solo at the 1997 World Junior Championships and ninth place in team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. More recently, she was assistant head coach for the Walnut Creek Aquanuts, where she pulled double duty as assistant coach for U.S. National Team II. Soohee was also the head coach of the Sacramento Synchronized Swimming team for two years, developing the team to place fifth at the U.S. Open. She was named South Zone Coach of the Year in 2020, after taking the team to another South Zone High Point award. Soohee lives with her husband and two kids in west Plano, where she participates in Dallas-area activities like yoga, tennis, hiking and eating out at Texas BBQ restaurants. Medley Butterfield
Medley is in her 12th year of coaching with PTX. Born and raised in Texas, Medley started synchro with the Pirouettes when she was nine and retired as a nationally competitive swimmer 13 years later. Some of her career highlights include: placing fourth in the team competition at U.S. Senior Open in 2001, winning the South Zone high point trophy multiple times in a row, losing it, and getting it back again; going to Senior Nationals several times with duet partner Jessica Jenkins and team; and winning first and second place at Masters Nationals in 2008 and 2009, respectively. In addition, Medley performed professionally as a synchronized swimmer in Sea World San Antonio’s Viva show when she was 21. When not coaching, Medley works as a personal trainer and runs private swim lessons at clients' homes, teaching little ones how to swim and enjoying the outdoors. She graduated in May 2012 with a B.S. in Kinesiology-Exercise Science and is contemplating returning to school to further her education. Beth Evans
Beth was born in Michigan and lived in several Midwestern states before moving to Dallas in 1983. Her daughter, Claire, joined PTX in 2000 and was a member for 10 years. During that time, Beth held a variety of volunteer jobs including several positions on the board, club representative, team mom, official, and meet manager before becoming the coach of the 12 & Under team. When not at the pool, Beth enjoys watching HGTV, the Food Network and most sporting activities, going to the movies, traveling and spending time with family. Olga Piontkovskaya
Olga started her sports career speed swimming,then later transitioned to be a synchronized swimming athlete. She was a member of the National Synchronized Swimming Team of Uzbekistan for over 10 years and was a team captain of Uzbekistan National Team and junior for the National Team of (then) USSR in 1989-1991. After graduating from college, she began to work as a Coach. Olga gained a great amount of experience working overseas in Central and Southeast Asia countries such as Uzbekistan, Thailand and Malaysia. Most of her time in Uzbekistan and Malaysia was spent working with multiple age groups of athletes. While coaching, she still competed in different National and International championships. In 2011, the Selangor team, where she was Head Coach, won gold in solo, duet, group and combo at the Sukma Games, which is the National Olympic Games in Malaysia. In 2013 Olga and her family moved to Iowa where she started working as a swim instructor. 2018 brought her to Dallas and subsequently, the Pirouettes. She currently holds her CCP2 certification and is working on CCP3. When she’s not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three kids, they love to travel together visiting various cities and national parks, watching movies and enjoying the company of their friends from all over. Her hobbies include baking and cooking delicious food for her family. Lorraine Hack
Lorraine grew up in Olympia, Washington where at the age of 10 she began her swimming career with Olympia Synchro. She swam with Olympia for 3 years before transitioning to Seattle Synchro for the remainder of her youth swimming career. She was fortunate enough to have been selected to be on the 13-15 National Team in 2010 to compete at the Pan American Games in Peru and on the Junior National Team in 2012 where she traveled to Hungary for the Junior World Championships. After graduating high school, she was recruited to swim for The Ohio State University as a class of 2017 Buckeye. During this time, she was a part of 2 National Championships and was a 3-time All-American athlete. Lorraine graduated with an undergraduate degree in Early and Middle Childhood Studies with a minor in Human Development and Family Science in 2017, then stayed an additional year to obtain a graduate degree and teaching license for Early Childhood Education. After college, she moved to Dallas. She currently teaches for Dallas ISD as a 4th grade reading and writing teacher, lives in the downtown area with her roommate and former Buckeye teammate, and has started her second year coaching with the Pirouettes. Monica Park
Monica started her synchronized swimming career with the Cerritos Synchronettes in California back in 2003. She was forced to leave her sport when her team separated her freshman year. She continued to live in California until she was 21 then moved to Las Vegas, Houston and finally settling in Dallas for her husband’s culinary career. She never forgot her love for the sport so when her daughter (who loved being in the water) was old enough, Monica started her on a swim team to learn proper swim technique, then transitioned her to synchronized swimming a year later. In 2017 Monica joined the Pirouettes to coach the Starfish and Mermaid teams. She’s a CCP2 coach, working on her judges training and coaches our beginners and assisting other coaches when needed. Katina Aceves
As a toddler Katina’s love for swimming lead to her learning to swim before she could walk, even though it meant being in a freezing outdoor pool in Mexico City. Katina began her synchronized swimming career at the age of six in Florida with the Coral Spring Aquacades. She remained on the Coral Spring Aquacades for four years until her family moved to Texas, where she continued her synchronized swimming career with the Pirouettes of Texas Katina swam through her high school years with her teammates as well as her younger sister, Valeria competing and qualifying in meets such as Junior Olympics, Junior & Senior Zones, US Open, and Senior Nations. One of her favorite routines is the duet with her younger sister, Valeria. Katina attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas but continued to be active with PTX whenever she was back in town. Katina studied business at the Sam Walton College of Business with a focus in Supply Chain Management. After graduating from the University of Arkansas in 2018, Katina moved back to the Dallas area and began working in the wine industry and coaching. Sara Lilly (Lowe)
As a youth athlete, Sara was a four-time member of the USA Synchro National Team and three-time member of the USA Synchro Junior National Team. She was also a member of the 2003 Pan American Team, winning a gold medal, and the 2004 Olympic Team, capturing a bronze medal. She began her collegiate athletic career at Stanford in the fall of 2004. Sara was inducted into the United States Synchronized Swimming Hall of Fame as a student-athlete September 2013 and into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame September 2018. Sara moved into coaching the Stanford Synchronized Swim Team as assistant coach in 2009 and as head coach 2013. Lilly was named USA Synchro Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2017. She has been heavily involved as a coach at different levels of USA Synchro as head coach of the USA Synchro 12 and Under National Team and 13-15 National Team. She worked as assistant coach for the USA Synchro Junior National Team 2017 through 2018. She moved back to Texas in the summer of 2018 after marrying a fellow Texas native, when PTX was lucky enough to convince her to consult. She and her husband have just had their first daughter and continues to work in our sport as she builds a new collegiate team at Texas Women's University. Megan Deatherage
Megan was a member of the Pirouettes of Texas Synchronized Swimming Club coaching staff from 1994 to August of 2013 after competing as a member for six years. She was the head coach for 10 years and was responsible for the Senior Elite, Junior Elite and age group programs. In 2003, she was the first ever assistant coach named the South Zone Coach of the Year. In August of 2013 she became the second head coach in the University of the Incarnate Word’s synchronized swimming program’s history. Deatherage was the head coach at UIW from August 2013 through June 2016. While at UIW the cardinal’s moved from being ranked 5th in the country to being ranked 3rd at the 2016 US Collegiate Championships. Deatherage graduated from Texas Woman’s University in 2005 with a B.S. in Kinesiology with a minor in Nutrition. She completed her Master’s Degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies with an emphasis on program management from the University of North Texas in 2009. Deatherage is a Level 3 Coach for United States Synchronized Swimming (USSS) Coaching Certification. She has experience as a Level V Zone judge for USSS. She had served as the officials chair and education chair for the Southwestern Synchronized Swimming Association and South Texas Association and has been a member of the National Rules Committee for USSS. In addition to her work with PTX as a consultant, Deatherage is a mother to two amazing children, Payton 15 and Brady 9, and is an 8th grade English teacher for Frisco ISD. |