Swimming Canada has started the new year by bringing national team athletes together for six virtual stroke camps. Three of the camps have come to a conclusion, and three more are set to begin this Sunday.

The backstroke, butterfly and 200m-and-down freestyle camps wrapped up on Jan 10, and successfully brought together numerous athletes and coaches to expose them to stroke-specific presentations, educational content, guest speakers and team building activities.

“Coach Ben Keast and his team delivered a very comprehensive presentation that highlighted sport science, training sets, seasonal planning and interactive Q & A sessions with athletes for the backstroke camp,” said National Development Team Coach and Team Leader for the backstroke camp, Ken McKinnon. “The two calls were well received by the attending swimmers and coaches as indicated by the participation in the discussion groups during the calls.”

The two online Sunday sessions allowed national athletes to come together as a team again after a long period of cancelled in-person events. These virtual camps are reimagining the normal camp delivery process due to the health and movement restrictions and different provincial protocols in place during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“One of the main aims for the butterfly national event camp was to engage with members of our broader national team,” said National Distance and Open Water Coach and Team Leader for the butterfly camp, Mark Perry. “This was achieved not only through the activities scheduled for the week, but also through the collective identity of the group sharing this positive virtual experience.”

The breaststroke, individual medley and 400m-and-up freestyle camps are set to begin this week and will take place online Sunday Jan 17 and 24. These camps will follow a similar format to the other three providing athletes and coaches an opportunity to come together to receive specific stroke content and team building activities. The camps also provide a weekly template of practices to be completed by each swimmer and their coach in their own home programs to the best of their ability with available facility space and following all national and provincial guidelines.

These camps are run by selected head, assistant, and mentor coaches and appointed Swimming Canada team leaders and support staff.