Vicki Valosik

Vicki Valosik is a writer, a masters synchronized swimmer, and an editorial director and writing instructor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Her book Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water was published by Liveright Publishing, an imprint at W.W. Norton, in June 2024. Vicki took up synchronized swimming after profiling a retired opera singer-turned-synchro swimmer who invited her to a team practice. That first day at the pool, she knew she had found her people—strong women of all ages and professions who love the water but would rather dance in it than swim laps. She had also found her sport—one that requires strength, stamina, grace, and precise teamwork—and one with a fascinating history to boot! Vicki's writing has appeared in national publications, such as The Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, Slate, American Scholar, US News & World Report, Huffington Post, Washington Post Magazine, and Philadelphia Inquirer. Vicki presented her book research as a keynote speaker at the 2017 International Sports and Leisure History Colloquium at Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) and as a panelist at the 2019 Congress of the International Society for the History of Physical Education and Sport in Madrid. She holds an M.A. in Nonfiction Writing from Johns Hopkins University and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of South Alabama.