Each winter, in the second week of December, with the Eastern Michigan University Invitational under their belts, the Kalamazoo College swimming and diving team departs for Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island in Florida. They stay in the BridgeWalk Resort (on the island) and train at the G.T. Bray Aquatic Center in Bradenton (on the mainland). The trip typically begins right after the first weekend in December and concludes around the 20th of December so that swimmers can be home with their families for the holidays.

The G.T. Bray Aquatic Center, Bradenton, FL

The beach at our Resort, Bradenton Beach, FL

The purpose of the training trip is to provide an environment and an opportunity to continue the necessary training efforts for success at the end of our season. With this as our primary objective, swimmers work out two times a day swimming 10,000 to 14,000 meters in a 50 meter pool. Swimmers do work extremely hard and earn the privilege of some fun in the sun and a break from the rigors of Kalamazoo College. As we train together through the soreness of over use, muscle stiffness from exertion, and the fatigue our coach prescribes by relentlessly pushing us to train harder and better than ever before, we build positive habits and relationships that sustain us throughout the season. Experiencing hard training in order to attain worthy goals brings out the best in us as individuals and as teammates. I believe the experience is a good one.