By Emma Gresser, Swimming World College Intern
American Athletic swimming teams were scattered to various sandy-beached locations for their training trips. In between practice and recovering on the beach, AAC teams found time to give back.
CINCINNATI– The Bearcats took over Naples, Florida from December 12-22. The trip consisted of a demanding training schedule, but the weather held out for a few trips to the beach. One beach day included a three miles of running then three miles of swimming. The team was up for the challenge and raced as pedestrians on the beach were entertained by the hard work. Other highlights included a visit to Grace Place. This nonprofit organization is a safe place where kids in grade school can come after school for educational and fun activities.
“I believe the community service we did as a team helps us understand and appreciate the opportunities we are given as Division 1 athletes and in turn brings our team closer together,” sophomore Jackie Keire shared. “When a teammate falls, we are there to support them and help them get back on their feet, much like giving back to the community. This teaches us to apply what we learn as athletes to the real world.”
The team split up into groups and worked on holiday crafts, read stories, and interacted with the kids.
To conclude the training camp, Cincinnati took on Georgia Tech at the YMCA Norris pool. Both teams trained at the venue during the week and ended with a duel in the pool. The Yellow Jackets pulled off a win over the Bearcats on both the men’s and women’s sides.
CONNECTICUT– The Huskies spent two weeks in the Puerto Rico sun. One highlight of the camp is the Copa Coqui swim meet in San Juan at the Encantada Facilities Sports Center. This meet includes both colleges and local swim clubs. It brings local entertainment to the athletes. UConn pulled off the top combined score of 696 points. To celebrate the win, UConn has a tradition of a trip with a half day snorkel charter on a sailing catamaran.
“This always seems to give us a final and permanent team bond that is hard to break along with memories that last forever,” junior Michael Lennon said.
EAST CAROLINA– The Pirates traveled down to Jupiter Beach in South Florida. During their eight days of training the team split up into their training groups. After challenging practices, the team rewarded themselves with some beach time. Other swimmers joined forces to put together a team video.
Both the men and women’s team concluded their trip with a relay meet against John Hopkins on January 3, 2015 in Jupiter, Florida.
TULANE– The Green Wave traveled to South Florida for their eight-day training trip. With a busy training schedule of their own, the ladies were able to get in a beach run with the University of Miami on Saturday morning.
The team did work in the pool and the community. They were able to reach out to the Camillus House. “It was such a rewarding experience to be able to spend the afternoon volunteering at the Camillus House,” commented senior Amy Needham.
“We were so grateful for the opportunity to come together as a team and give back to the Miami community.”
Sophomore Joy Jason agreed.
“We were able to help serve lunch, providing meals to over 300 guests. The most rewarding part of the service was interacting with the community that we were serving, many of whom wished us luck on our upcoming meet against Rutgers and the University of Miami,” Jason said. “All of us on the team were so lucky to be able to use time we were blessed with in Miami to share some of our gifts with those around us.”
The Green Wave wrapped up their week of training at the Whitten University Center Pool with a tri-meet. Tulane fell to both Rutgers and host Miami after a tough week of training.
Great work !!
Very informative. Great job. Keep up the good work
Enjoy reading about all the swim teams, and how they give back to communitys. Good article.