ND/JND Training Camp 2025
A large contingent of the National Development and Junior National Development groups escaped the Calgary cold and spent the week in Phoenix for a fun and challenging training camp.
This training camp provided an opportunity for our UCSC swimmers to elevate their performance in an environment that fostered growth both in and out of the pool. The swimmers were pushed to new limits in many ways: the number of training sessions was increased from a typical week of training, the dryland was done at a very high level consistently over the week, and the volume of training was significantly more than what they’re accustomed to. Despite this, the swimmers handled themselves and the workload tremendously well. They not only tackled the physical challenges but also learned valuable lessons in fueling and hydrating properly, and how to effectively manage their time. From grocery shopping and preparing meals and snacks, they became more self-sufficient. They even (to the best of our knowledge) stayed on top of their academic requirements while away! The swimmers also adapted well to the challenges of an outdoor pool environment. The mornings were very chilly, and the afternoons quite hot and sunny. As the week went on, they got better at applying their sunscreen ahead of time, sipped on water consistently (more time in the sun and training more means more sweating!), and mastered the art of swimming backstroke in a straight line when the sun was high in the sky!
The coaches were really impressed with the week of training and feel that the camp achieved its goals of providing an uplift to the daily training environment, refining new skills and techniques, fostering self-sufficiency while training at a high level, and emphasizing the importance of consistency.
When we weren’t training, the swimmers made the most of their downtime. Recovery and schoolwork were prioritized, but there was still time for cards and games, basketball, shopping adventures, and trying some local restaurants. We had a pizza and games night with the whole crew and celebrated three birthdays over the course of the week.
We capped off the week with some racing in the Phoenix Winter Invitational which was a fun change for the swimmers who had never raced in a short course yard format before. On Sunday afternoon, we made the trip to the famous “Hole in the Rock” lookout before heading to the airport. All in all, it was a phenomenal experience for everyone.
The key for the swimmers is to now keep this momentum going forward. Each swimmer developed positive habits, achieved things they didn’t think they could, and more. It’s time to get back to regularly scheduled programming and continue to implement the newfound skills, mental toughness, determination and drive to continue progressing.