"Q + As" with
Caitlin Hodge who recently returned from a training camp hosted by Swimming Canada

by Andrea Hamilton
December 2009

What camp did you attend, where was it, who was it for, who hosted it, and what was it called?

I attended the Female Long Distance camp for Canada's top 17 & under female long distance swimmers - and it was held in Toronto.

How long was the camp?

The camp was one week long - starting and ending on a Saturday - in total we had 10 practices.

What was the age break down and gender analysis?

We were six girls in all - from Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec - we were nicely distributed in age with 2 14 year olds, 2 15 year olds and 2 16 year olds. The coaches were from different places, our main coach John Rogers is the new Distance Varsity Coach at U of T, that recently moved from Australia to Canada to participate in the new U of T Performance Centre. Then we had Steve Price who is the Head Coach of the Edmonton Keyano Swim Club - he was also accompanying his swimmer. Dean Boles of Swim Ontario and Ken McKinnon of Swim Canada were also present during the week. It was exciting to meet them and be coached by them.

Tell us what a typical day was like?

Our days were pretty routine, we would get up in the morning and go swimming, go to Tim Horton's for breakfast come back to the hotel, sleep, get up, get some lunch, watch TV or do a bit of homework, go back to the pool and swim, then dinner, back to the hotel then bed and we repeated the same scenario every day. The last night though we went out and had a nice dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

How many meters did you log over the camp?

Every practice session we logged about 6.5 to 7 km, so with our 10 practices a total of 65 to 70 km.

What were the best parts and what parts did you least enjoy?

I enjoyed training with the best long distance swimmers in Canada. As a long distance swimmer I am often the last one to leave the pool, as the long distance events are often at the end. So, it was fun being with girls who understand how that feels. I also enjoyed meeting new people and learning new things from different coaches. What I least enjoyed was eating out all the time. I was really looking forward to a home cooked meal!

Were there other camps going on in Canada for other disciplines, distances or strokes?

Yes there were a total of 9 other camps being run across Canada during the fall: these were sprint, middle distance, backstroke, breast stroke and fly. Some were co-ed, others like mine, were only for either female or male.

Did you do various strokes or only freestyle?

No, not really, as we concentrated on freestyle. It was the staple of all the sets.

How did you manage being away from school for a week?

I am very lucky to be attending the Interact program at Vaughan Road Academy which specializes in having students who have heavy outside commitments. My teachers basically have the whole year curriculum laid out for all of us. None of the grade 10 students have the same commitments. For example in my class there are skiers, actors, a ballerina and of course swimmers. So I made sure that I had done a lot of work before going off to the camp and then did some catching up when I came back. At Vaughan Road you can postpone your tests and write them when you are back in class. My teachers are very supportive of me. I would have been very stressed had it not been for them and their support and encouragement.

How has the camp changed your behavior?

I find that the camp made me realize how fast my competition really is out there, and it also gave me the confidence to think that I can compete on equal footing with them.

Would you recommend this to other swimmers?

Absolutely. This was a great experience for me. I am very thankful for having been chosen and I hope to make another training camp. I would recommend the experience to any swimmer. It's recognition for all the hard work and a great motivator.

How did the camp prepare you to race faster?

This camp spent a lot of time on technique. So I think that it has made me a better swimmer, and hopefully a faster one too!

How were the training sessions similar or different from your regular training session in NYACs National Training Group?

I found that even though it was a distance camp, there was a lot of fast swimming that I wasn't expecting. I am used to doing a lot of mileage, but at a lower heart rate. This camp was actually less swimming, but you had to go really fast. The sets were different than what I was used to. I really learnt how to be in a new environment and to adapt to different styles and different people. I had a lot of fun.