Diary of a Swimmer Abroad
This is just a brief summary of our trip to Torremelinos on 15 February for a 7 day swimming camp using the The Piscina Olímpica Virgen del Carmen.
15 February
Our flight left on time with no delays and we managed to land 20 minutes ahead of schedule. All swimmers were transported to the hotel by minibus and the parents took a taxi so arrived first. All rooms allocated but unfortunately we were given the 8th and 9th floors even though a lower floor had been requested. I complained to the management but was told the hotel was full and we couldn’t be moved. Will try again tomorrow.
After dinner the parents walked to the pool to check location and distance.
16th February
Weather sunny and warm.
After breakfast we escorted swimmers to their first session. Met with the pool manager and surveyed pool facilities, Alan was very impressed.
Spoke to Restaurant Manager about meal options due to afternoon training being after lunch had finished. Assured me there would be bread, salad, pasta, meats and fruit for dessert.
Tried to change location of rooms to a lower floor but due to hotel being full this was not an option. All swimmers were warned not to go onto balconies
17th February
Weather warm but cloudy
Kids a bit grumpy, due to the early morning training. Dale, Tom and Matthew were set a challenge for the following day.
After the afternoon session we all went down to the beach for land training. Very different to training at Rotherham, i.e. warm, sea view, sunny, completed training with ice-creams.
18th February
Very warm and sunny today
Challenges were completed so an early finish on the afternoon session. Played football on the beach for 11/2 hours, this was enjoyed by kids and the adults even though the adults were a bit worse for wear, especially after walking the 83 steps from the beach front.
19th February
Another very sunny and hot day
Training went well again, all kids seem happy and enjoying the facilities. A few tried the hotel pool (me included) but it is very, very cold, try running the bath with just cold water and you’ll get the idea. Everyone played rounder’s on the beach, for 2 hours, Sally should try for the England cricket team with her catches.
There are 2 other swimming teams in the hotel, one is a Dutch team with mainly older swimmers and the other team is from Watford.
20th February
Warm but a bit cloudy and cool breeze
Hard session this morning but it is the last early morning. Too cool to go on the beach today, so we planned journey to Plaza Mayor for 10 pin bowling. Caught train for only 1.80 Euros return with bowling cost of 4.50 Euros. Very nice complex bit like a mini Meadowhall.
Dale’s team won the bowling competition.
21st February
Very Warm and sunny
Later start today so had a bit of a lie-in. At final session Chairman presented Lifeguard Luis Moya with a trophy from the club, to thank them for their assistance over the week. They have been very helpful and speak good English, the Rotherham lifeguards could learn a lot from them. Alan gave a de-brief to the swimmers and awards were presented to Scott, James and Dale. The final evening we all went into town for souvenirs, buns and ice creams.
22nd February
Final day, after breakfast, packing commenced followed by lazing by the pool. After lunchtime went for a final walk into town and kids presented Alan and Sally with a Thank you present.
Summary
The total meterage over the week was 62,150, which equates to 41.5 miles, this is more than double their usual of 25,300.
I surveyed the children on their views of their training camp, negatives were the early training and cold hotel pool. Positives were training facilities and the hotel food.
The coach and parents that have attended have been impressed with everyone’s conduct. The swimmers behaviour has been exemplary and they have been a credit to the club. We would have no hesitation in taking them on any future trips.
Coaches Comments
I would first like to thank Karen Nelson who organised the trip through Sports Abroad. From the word go all the trip went according to plan without any hiccups. It would be beneficial to the club, if Karen could organise a trip to the same location next year. We may be able to take more swimmers next time. I would also like to say a big thank you to Yvonne Waterhouse, Andy Nelson and John Waterhouse who were very supportive to the Coach, organising different outings for the swimmers. The aforementioned all funded the trip themselves to help make our first training abroad a huge success.
I would at this point like to thank my team manager Sally McGrother who put her heart and soul into the trip. Sally encouraged the swimmers throughout all the training. Sally also participated along with the parents in, beach football and rounder’s and will go down in history for her spectacular catching ability in the rounder’s game. I personally thought the trip was excellent.
I told the swimmers on the way to the airport that we would be in the eyes of the public for the next week, so to be on their best behaviour for the entire trip. Through the week all the swimmers conducted themselves in a professional manner. I think I can speak for all the adults on the trip by stating that the behaviour of the swimmers was impeccable.
Right from the word go the training was hard and demanding. We had a two hours am session and a two hours pm session every day. We had a few moans and groans on the first 3 sessions but, after that the swimmers seemed to accept they had to work hard. By the end of the week, the swimmers had completed a gruelling 62,150 metres. If we do attend the same venue again I would prefer swimmers to be located on lower floors, this had been requested initially but due to the hotel being full we were roomed elsewhere. We could also look at alternative training times doing later sessions on alternating days. We also need to look very closely at nutrition, most of the swimmers were selective about food, others, needed guidance.
At training camps where we intend to cover large distances, it’s very important for swimmers to eat the correct foods and get enough rest. Some swimmers would not rest after the morning session and were also going to bed too late. I heard a number of swimmers saying “I find it hard to go back to sleep”. All swimmers must learn to condition their bodies to sleep eat and rest between training times, if they want to do well in training and competitions.
Also I think some swimmers did not attend the camp because of the Yorkshire age groups, hopefully the dates may alter next year to enable swimmers to do both.
We finished our pool session with a presentation to say thank you to the pool staff that were very helpful throughout our visit (photos attached)
Alan Kirton (Head Coach)
Here is Aaron Waterhouse’s summary of the trip
I’ve swam for Rotherham Metro swimming club since I was seven years old, and I now train six or seven times a week (eleven hours in total), including some gym work once a week. I swim in A squad, for some of the oldest or most talented swimmers from around Rotherham, and swim competitively regularly.
During the holidays myself and ten other A squad members, one of which was my brother, who has swum for ten years, and my coach and a team manager, flew from the East Midlands Airport, near Nottingham, to Torremolinos, in the Costa Del Sol region of Spain, on a seven night training camp in conjunction with Sports Abroad. Each day from Monday to Saturday, we swam for four hours in a 50 metre Olympic Swimming Pool; for two hours in the morning, and two hours in the afternoon. Overall we swam a total of sixty-two thousand, one-hundred and fifty metres, which equates to just over forty one miles (or one thousand, two-hundred and forty three lengths).
At 5 o’clock in the morning, the alarm would wake me from a deep, dreamless sleep and fill my heart with an overwhelming sense of dread. I would slowly dress myself, and then drag myself down the corridor, struggling to stay awake as the elevator, with a rhythmic humming drone and a series of irritating, unwelcome ‘ping’ noises at regular intervals, steadily made its descent to the reception where my eager coach would be waiting.
In a silent procession, we would trudge through the darkness, passing row upon row of tranquil, white-washed buildings, our anxiety increasing with each hauling step.
When we reached the swimming pool, after what had seemed like an eternity, we would be greeted by what to us was a pleasant surprise. We had the chance to sit down and rest our protesting bodies; the swimming pool was not open. But this meant that after two minutes or so, we would once again have to tear ourselves from relaxation and climb to our feet.
By the time I had gotten changed, I would be so tired that I would struggle to coordinate myself. We would walk onto the empty poolside and prepare ourselves for what our coach had described as ‘the day you wished you were dead’.
Jumping into the cool water was refreshing and I would experience a sudden adrenaline rush, but once I had started to swim, it would drain away in an excruciating spiral. Each two hour morning session would be never-ending, not the least because of our strict coach and dampened spirits.
By half past seven, the sun would peer through the windows of the pool, and I would remind myself that normally when this happened, I would be in bed - asleep. But at the same time I reminded myself that soon, the session would be over, and I could relax; until the afternoon. On other occasions, only the prospect of this relaxation period would get me through the session, and without it, I was sure that my coach had been right – I would wish that I was dead.
In the changing rooms afterwards, everyone stared into space, contemplating how they would cope with the days that followed.
The walk back to the hotel, as the town began to stir into life, however, cheered everyone up, and we all looked forward to enjoying Spain. But, eventually, even the walk back to the hotel became a part of the daily struggle, as the hot morning sun beat down on our flaccid shoulders.
In between sessions, we would play football and rounders on the beach, or throw a Frisbee; the penalty for missing a catch would be ten press-ups. We saw ice-cream parlours filled with every different flavour of the cool, sweet indulgence, and bakeries with their shelves lined with assortments of different sweets, from thick custard filled chocolate éclairs to moist, aniseed sprinkled cookies and smooth, creamy cheesecakes on beds of crumbling biscuit. But we all knew too well that we wouldn’t be allowed to smear our lips with such treats, instead inhaling the tempting, enticing smells of each one as we passed.
Sometimes I would sleep in the afternoon, only to wake for the afternoon session feeling even more exhausted than I had felt in the first place. The afternoon session drained every last element of energy from my body, as though I was sponge that had been wringed dry.
As we neared the end of the week, I would gradually pull through each session much more comfortably; because soon, the weekend would come, and with it, the final two sessions.
And when, finally, we reached the end of the final session on Saturday, my relief was immeasurable. It was as though we had all awoken from a physical and mental state of suspended animation. We all knew that tonight we could stay up late, and when the alarm rang in the morning, we could smile, and let its repetitive whine put us to sleep again like a lullaby.
Normally, by the end of a holiday, I feel saddened that it is over. But at the end of this one, although we would arrive home at midnight, and I would have to face school the next day with another early morning, my hint of regret was overcome with a sense of absolute achievement, pride, and most of all, solace.
p.s. Aaron did state that he would definitely go on another trip despite the above as he did enjoy it.
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