Leinster Regional Stage 2 Athletes Shone at First Camp of the Season.

It was the turn of the Stage 2 athletes to be welcomed to the National Aquatic Centre on Sunday 29th September, A mix of boys and girls aged between 16 and 17 arrived full of excitement at kicking off the new season.

Similar to the previous stages, it was a mix of pool based and land based training, finishing with a session discussing the importance of mental well being.

The swimmers worked hard on land, though the chatter and smiles betrayed the level of work being done. They were shown that it is important to exercise the body, not only in the pool, but outside the pool and though the work was tiring, the mutual support shown in the room, made the work a lot more bearable.

They were put through their paces in the pool, not only learning new skills they could bring to their every day training, but also the new experience of swimming alongside other athletes, from different clubs and backgrounds. The pool work was no less tiring than the land based training, but the commeraderie the swimmers showed to each other pushed them through the most exhausting of sets, and they pushed through the tiredness with a little help from their new found friends.

The final session of the day, and a nice way to end their first camp, was the importance of minding their own mental well being.  The information shared with them, they could bring home and apply not only to their swimming journeies, but also to their day to day lives.  The breakout group sessions, also showed them the importance of teamwork and support especially in the times when they think that they are on this journey alone.

It was a pleasure for all involved to share in the experience of this camp, with the athletes. We would like to thank the coaches, volunteers and relevant professionals for their expertise and support, as well as thanking the athletes themselves for the work they have done in making this camp a success.  We look forward to seeing them return for the next camp with as much excitement and enthusiasm as this one.