The idea for Sync or Swim came to filmmaker Cheryl Furjanic while she was watching the 2000 Summer Olympics. Though always a fan of sports and the Olympic Games, Furjanic realized that synchronized swimming was like no sport she had ever seen; a fascinating and mesmerizing blend of aquatic strength and grace made to look effortless. She quickly filed synchronized swimming in the "things to make a movie about one day" category. Three years later, in January of 2003, production began at the Olympic Duet Trials in Federal Way, Washington. For over two years the Sync or Swim crew tracked the progress of the team through every phase of Olympic trials and training process up to, and including, the Olympic Games.