Most people don't even remember their childhood goals, much less achieve them.

Then there's synchonized swimmer Brooke Abel.

"When I was about 12 years old, I would always say that I was going to the 2008 Olympics," Abel said. "I just always thought that it would happen because I wanted it so bad."

Eight years and countless amateur competitions later, the 20-year-old Fallbrook resident is the youngest member of the eight-person U.S. Olympic synchronized swimming team headed to Beijing.

"Brooke has always been so motivated," said Julie Abel, Brooke's mother. "When she started out, she had an obvious talent for the sport. But she is so easy to coach and so humble that she has found success at just about every level."

At age 11, in only her second year of competition at the club level, Abel won the individual event at a regional synchronized swimming competition. The following year, she earned a trip to a national competition and took top honors for the individual event there, too.

By last December, Abel was performing in front of Olympic judges at the U.S. synchronized swimming trials. Her performance in Columbus, Ohio earned her a spot on the Olympic team.

"It was very exciting, but still nerve-wracking at the same time," Abel said.

After being chosen, Abel moved to Walnut Creek to train with the Olympic team. Her transition was eased by the presence of longtime friend and Olympic teammate Meghan Kinney. The two share an apartment together near the training facility.

"We've competed together since we were 12," Abel said, "so it's really exciting to be on the Olympic team with her."

Abel met Kinney when she began competing for a synchronized swimming club in Riverside. At the time, Abel's family lived 80 miles away in Northridge, but her mother happily drove her between the two cities for practice.

"I've always tried to be supportive of my children and their interests," Julie Abel said. "Brooke is so easy because she's very thankful and grateful for the support."

Abel credits her strong relationship with her family and teammates for that. Her training schedule is essentially a full-time job. She spends about eight hours a day, five days a week in the pool with her team. She must be in peak physical condition to perform the precise and intricate movements necessary in synchronized swimming.

"You have to be able to hold your breath underwater for a really long time," Abel said. "Also, you can never touch the bottom or sides of the pool, so we basically tread water all day."

Synchronized swimming requires competitors to engage in a series of movements, called elements, in unison while performing a routine set to music. In Beijing, Abel will be competing in two events: the technical program and the free program.

In the technical program, swimmers perform a series of mandatory elements in which all must be perfectly synchronized. In the free program, swimmers work together to lift a teammate out of the water in an attempt to reach maximum height for a higher score.

Although Abel has always had a knack for the sport physically, she says the expressive side of the event appeals to her most.

"I've always been an artistic person," Abel said. "Although we have a choreographer, they're pretty fair about letting the girls give some input into the routines. I just love that synchronized swimming has that side, and that the sport is so different."

Abel and her teammates will arrive in Beijing on Aug. 3. They will attend the opening ceremonies Aug. 8, then fly to South Korea to prepare before returning to China for the synchronized swimming events, Aug. 22-23.

Expectations are high, as the U.S. has a strong chance to compete for a medal. Russia has dominated synchronized swimming for the last decade, but the Americans upset the host Russians in a competition two years ago.

Abel said that victory gave the U.S. team extra confidence.

"That was pretty monumental, because it was the first time Russia had been beaten in years," Abel said. "That gave us hope that we could possibly beat them."

Her family, which will be in Beijing, will give her hope as well.

"We are so thrilled about the whole thing," Julie Abel said. "It's going to be the trip of a lifetime, and anything could happen."