RVP File Photo

swimming south - The NCSA swim club is currently participating in a 15-day travel camp in La Jolla, Calif.

view all photos (-count-)

Local swim team heading south for winter camp

A groups of swimmers will get a chance to work on their tan and their skills over the Christmas break.

Nineteen swimmers from the Nose Creek Swim Association (NCSA) will travel to La Jolla, Calif., just outside of San Diego, for a 15-day camp.

“We’ve never taken the swimmers there for a camp until now,” said NCSA coach Alexx Diep. “Everyone’s very excited to go.”

The travel camp is becoming a biennial occurrence for NCSA. In 2012, the team travelled to Chile for a similar experience and they make sure they aim for a warm, sunny destination. All of the swimmers are between the ages of 14 and 17 with a majority of them being 15.

“In Canada, swimming is an indoor sport and with our long winters, the swimmers and coaches spend a lot of time under a roof taking in the chlorine fumes,” Diep said.

“We always choose a warm place so we can change the surroundings and keep our athletes motivated. In California, we’ll be swimming outdoors under the sun. It’s definitely unlike what we do in Airdrie.

“The swimmers love these camps because they get to travel and experience a different culture.”

Diep said the camp is a comprehensive one, combining elements from performance-oriented, technical and orientation camps, and unique. It teaches the swimmers not only how to handle the physical demands of the sport, like managing their food and fluid intake and monitoring their sleep, but also the cognitive demands that will help them grow as a competitive swimmer.

Diep added that the pressure of the camp will be invaluable at high-profile provincial and national competitions.

“They’ll come home tired and exhausted, but they’ll feel rewarded because only the older swimmers and hard workers are invited on this trip,” he said.

“This is a privilege they don’t take for granted so they’ll be proud to tell their stories.”

There is also a chance that the NCSA team will train with a local team.

Diep said swimming with different teams add to the experience for the Canadian swimmers.