Saturday 17th May saw the last of the 24/25 Northumberland and Durham face to face swimming camps at the Sunderland Aquatic centre. It was the same format as the previous camp with two pool sessions and a strength and conditioning land session. Team Manager Ian Dale has reported back on the day.
After a swift registration the swimmers got themselves pool ready while lead Coach Katy briefed the coaching team for the day ahead.
The morning session was all about butterfly timing, control and body positioning in the water. Athletes used various drills and techniques and snorkels to achieve the ideal positioning. The last part of the morning session was about RPE (rate of perceived effort) a nice pyramid swim, controlled by RPE.
A dinner break teamed up with filling in their athlete development packs was next up. Small break out groups discussing what they were hoping to achieve and set some goals for the season/year. After this they got stuck into a stretching and a strength and conditioning session. Lead Coach Katy, kindly gifted each swimmer an elastic Theraband, with this she ran through various stretches and described what muscle groups it was for and how easily they are to incorporate into everyday routine. The land session finished with a short reaction game of ‘grab the bottle’, this was taken very seriously and was great fun.
Back into the pool for the final session, a breaststroke set, touch turns and a few IM swims, focusing on body positioning and kick strength. Again, using various techniques and the snorkel to achieve the desired effect. The athletes worked really hard and really focused on all comments and tips/coaching feedback they were receiving. Now time to head back to their home programme and continue the hard work and practice.
That wrapped up the Northumberland and Durham swimming talent camp for the 24/25 season, another great event that was enjoyed by all.
Big thanks to all the team who helped with the smooth running of the camp:
Head coach: Katy Batley (Alnwick Dolphins)
Skills Coaches: Michelle Laverick (Middlesbrough), Craig Wilson (BOSSS), Adrian Holmes – Morris (City of Durham), Callum Hall (Richmond Dales), Paul Thurlow (Derwentside and Gateshead).
Team Manager: Ian Dale (North Tyneside)
Assistant Team Manager: Jane Dilworth (Richmond Dales).
