Olympic Training Center 2023!
Olympic Training Center 2023!
What a great experience!
Great team trip!
Great work!
We had fourteen swimmers with ages ranging from 12 to 16 with the help of Margo Jochims and me, the coach.
We left Pittsburgh early Friday morning to arrive at the Olympic Training Center.
We stayed in a dorm setting. The swimmers loved it. Me, not so much.
We had a total of eight Long Course swim practices.
Climbing the Rope above the 50 meter pool.
That's a total of 50,750 meters! The swimmers did a great job. All this at 6,035 feet above sea level.
Chopping wood winners after each practice:
Ethan Weigel
Soren Cooper
Ava Jochims
Marcus Zhan
Bryony Shipe
Whitney Calhoun
Elyse Brenenborg
Ellie Lange
Swimmer of the OTC training goes to Ava Jochims for her hard work and leadership.
The OTC staff was great.
Very helpful.
We also had a leadership class with Nate Chessey.
We went to the OTC weight room. Wow! We had a great dry land session with some fun but hard relays.
The food was awesome. All-you-can-eat buffet style, but healthy and nutritious.
There were vegan options; made-to-order, hot-off-the-grill meats; hot fish entrees; and fresh grilled vegetables.
Not to mention the hot soups
Yum!!
Breakfast was delicious!
It was neat seeing the other athletes at the OTC, at the pool, in the weight room, or while eating.
Very inspirational.
Thank you, parents!!
The swimmers had a great time.
Here are their thoughts.
Whitney Calhoun
The 2023 Racer X Aquatics OTC Training Trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We arrived on Friday, January 20, and left on Tuesday, the 24. We did 8 practices over the course of 5 days. The pool was super pretty and very clean. It was really hard to breathe the first couple of days at practice because we were above sea level, but eventually we got used to it. We also did dryland at the gym and did really fun but also super hard relays incorporated into our workout. On the last practice, we climbed the big rope up to the catwalks and did pull ups on the bars up there. This was super fun to cheer our teammates on!
The dining hall was by far my favorite place to hang out. The food was pretty good and there were many drink options. I would 100% recommend the muffins at breakfast- especially the blueberry ones! The dining hall had various types of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The staff was also very helpful and kind.
The dorms were also pretty nice. From what I heard, everyone’s dorms were super hot, but mine was cold. There were showers, bathrooms, and a laundry room on the same floor as your dorms, so we had to walk down the hallway to get to those rooms. Also, the beds were not as uncomfortable as people have told me. On some nights we had team meetings in the Floor 2 Rec Room. Coach Jim interviewed everybody individually and it was interesting to learn more about our teammates. This was a great team bonding activity.
This trip was fantastic, and I would recommend going if given the chance. It was so much fun! It was a great experience to work hard and swim fast, as well as having the opportunity to get to know our teammates better. Overall, this was amazing trip and I hope I and Racer X are given the chance to come and train here again.
Ella Weigel
The Olympic training center was a very fun, cool, and out of this world experience. I really enjoyed the trip and recommend it if given the opportunity. The food was delicious, the pool was beautiful, and it was an overall amazing and life changing trip. Racer X all together did an amazing job with the difference in sea level. During the short but fun time period we were able to swim, it was very challenging with all the hard sets, and the air. We all had a period of time in the middle of the day where all my friends would hang out in the rec room and play games, it was definitely the highlight of my trip. The best part of OTC was climbing the rope, when Coach Jim interviewed everyone, or dryland fun. The food had a wide variety, but the best food was definitely the muffins or waffles. The pool was super pretty and amazing. The campus itself was big and had a lot of opportunities for beautiful pictures. The rooms were cozy and had a really comfy bed. I really enjoyed the OTC 2023 with the team.
Dylayn Shipe
Being able to go to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs was an amazing experience. Never would I have imagined that I would be training where olympians have trained. All the facilities were great, especially dryland in the gym building. It had many different things to do in it that I have never seen before.
I had so much fun at OPTC being with all my teammates. I got to know many of them better through interviews coach Jim held and just being around them for 5 days. The food in the cafeteria was pretty good, you got to eat as much as you wanted. At the leadership class we went to I learned about being a good leader and got out of my comfort zone presenting the poster me and my group did. All the people there were very nice.
Swimming hard practices long course was a challenge because I have never really trained long course so it was new to me. Also being 6,300 feet above sea level was hard at first because I ran out of breath easily, but I got used to it after a couple practices. Overall this was a great experience and a lot of fun and if I had an option to go again I definitely would!
The OTC training camp was SO much fun! It was like living on a college campus. Hanging out with my friends and playing spoons after a hard practice was definitely one of the highlights. Being able to grow stronger as a team and get to know each other was really important. Watching my friends getting interviewed by Coach Jim was hilarious!
The double practices were really hard, but it is important for the upcoming meets. By the last practice, I was extremely tired and my muscles were sore. Although I was sore, my teammates were always there to encourage me. Every one there did really well and kept each other going! Racing the faster kids was hard, but a blast. At the first practice, we warmed up and got our bodies used to the difference in the air since it is 6,000 feet above sea level. I did notice it a little bit on the sprints, but it was nothing like I imagined. On the last day we got to climb up a rope that hung from the catwalk above the water which was so much fun!
The dryland practice in the Sports Center was unbelievable. We did a ton of relay races against each other, some up a hill and some up giant stairs. The equipment is nothing like I have ever seen!
The food at the OTC camp was SO good. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip! I was expecting it to be okay and just like school food, but I was wrong. The veggies and fruit were so fresh and delicious. Salad bar was great. The protein choices were different every day and very healthy. I also liked that if you did not want the prepared food, you could order grilled food like hamburgers, chicken, or even grilled cheese. For breakfast, they always had scrambled eggs and pancakes, french toast, or even waffles.
If I have the chance, I would totally go back! Hopefully, we can go there again soon! Thanks, Jim, for being able to get us there!
-Ava Jochims
OTC Training Trip Summary
Going to the Olympic training center was a really great opportunity for me as a swimmer and a person. It gets you out of your comfort zone and helps you gain habits to become a better swimmer. I had an amazing time and hope to be able to come back again.
This trip helped me get to know my teammates better and socialize more than just a few words to each other. The food is good. My favorite was probably the french toast or the grilled cheese. There is a gift shop here and they have a lot of cool shirts, sweatshirts, water bottles, keychains, and more. The practices were hard but hard work pays off. My favorite practice was probably workout number 6. We didn’t have a lot of dryland due to scheduling conflicts but the day we did have dryland it was hard but a lot of fun. We had a lesson where we were instructed on servant leadership and we did an activity where we would describe what a quote means in a group then present it to the rest of the team. I presented mine in my group and it was a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone.
Overall this trip was a very fun, exciting training trip. If RXA is invited again I would suggest going. When I first got here I was very nervous but by the end I am sad to be leaving.
Bryony Shipe
Dom Davis
OTC Training Trip
The four day trip to the OTC was an amazing experience. The atmosphere was very positive. My top three favorite things about this trip include the “Becoming a Leader” class, the dryland, and getting to listen to the interviews. I thought the food was very enjoyable. I also thought this trip was a great way to get to know my teammates. I am very thankful for the opportunity to train here and to Coach Jim because he made this possible.
OTC Summary
The trip to the OTC was a really fun experience. I had a lot of fun doing stuff with my friends after team meetings, practices, and meals. Some of my favorite things to do with my friends were playing card games like spoons, and playing a game that we have on our phones. I also liked just hanging out and talking.
The food was delicious, and I loved it. The spaghetti with marinara was so good. The food did get cold fast but that was ok. The ice cream and ice cream sandwiches were delicious as ice cream should be. I also tried cherry lemonade for the first time and I loved it.
This was one of the best experiences I could ever ask for. I had so much fun climbing the rope, and the interviews were hilarious. The pool was so good I felt so fast. I hope I get to do this again. This brought me and my teammates closer together, and it made me a better swimmer.
Aynsley Shipe
My trip to the Olympic Training Center as a swimmer was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and was like no other. I was able to learn and swim in the same pool as some of the world's best swimmers. The facilities were top-notch, and the atmosphere was incredibly motivating and the ideal place to train for any aspiring swimmer and it gives anyone the unique opportunity to witness firsthand the facilities and training regimens that allow Olympic athletes to reach their peak performance. The Olympic-sized 50 meter pool allows a wide range of swimmers to practice their sport and hone their techniques. The center also provides many different training programs for all of the athletes. Also, the Olympic Training Center also provided me with a great opportunity to learn and bond with other athletes and teammates and gain invaluable experience. Even though the training was very difficult and the air was thin, my trip to the Olympic Training Center was an unforgettable experience that has helped me become a better swimmer.
Soren Cooper
Ellie Lange
The OTC is a great place with lots of fun things to do and it provides a great opportunity for everyone. Three of my favorite things were the food, the practices and dryland, and spending time with the team. The food was fantastic and had lots of variety. I loved the salmon and the waffles. The drinks were also really good. This was great fuel for the practices and I would have not been able to do them without it.
The practices and dryland were also a great experience for me. Climbing the rope was a highlight of the whole trip and I liked doing sprints off the blocks. Dryland was really fun even though it was hard. I liked the relays and it was fun to compete against my teammates. I feel like I came out of this trip better than I started.
I liked spending time with the team. The interviews were fun and there was a great attitude during hard practices. Playing games with my friends in between practice was a lot of fun and I feel like I got to know some people a lot better. I am very grateful for this opportunity and hope that someday I can come back here.
The trip to the Olympic Training Center was an incredible experience that inspired me and motivated me to be the best swimmer and person I can be. It was really cool to get to train in the same pool that Olympians and Paralympians use. The training we did was very physically demanding, especially because of the high altitude, but I feel I am leaving in much better shape than when I came and I have gained confidence about my swimming going into the rest of the season. This trip also created a sense of team unity. It was fun to get to know my teammates better and cheer for each other when we did dryland races and climbed the rope. My favorite part of the trip was the delicious food and beautiful facilities. Overall I am so thankful I had the opportunity to go on the trip to the Olympic Training Center and really enjoyed my time here.
Alexa Bronkaj
Having the opportunity to stay and train at the Olympic Training Center was definitely one of the most memorable experiences in my life. I found it to be a very great time to both be able to train at such an awesome facility and spend quality time with the team. This trip definitely brought me closer to some of the members of the team that I didn't know as well before. Although the double practices were extremely intense, I believe that they made me a stronger swimmer and will prepare me well for the rest of the season going forward. Swimming with the higher altitude definitely increased the difficulty of the work outs and made it harder to get air but as we continued to train, I got used to it. The team as a whole had
great energy during these workouts and were always there for one another if anyone was ever struggling. Something I really enjoyed was bonding with my friends after each practice while we played cards and other fun games. The second to last day we got to have an hour of dryland in one of the coolest weight rooms/gyms I've ever seen, and this was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me. We had two relay teams and did super fun challenging obstacle courses. Finally, on our last day we got the opportunity to climb up a rope hanging from a catwalk. We all cheered one another on as they climbed up and attempted to do pull ups off the catwalk. Overall the OTC was a great experience and I’m very thankful that our team got to go, and it will definitely be a trip to remember.
- Ellis Bekman
Ethan Weigel
OTC Training Trip Summary
As a whole, I felt as if the four day training trip to the OTC in Colorado Springs was an amazing experience and was most definitely worth-while. I feel as if the challenging practices mixed in with the team-bonding activities provided a positive atmosphere for learning new things about teammates and growth for the team as a whole. In addition, the increased altitude above sea level made all of the workouts additionally stimulating and only contributed to the overall experience in a beneficial way. The dining hall also had a variety of options to choose from for every meal; it ensured that everybody had something to eat that they liked whenever we were there. My two favorite parts of the trip were the lifting/dryland session on Monday and the challenge set from Sunday morning. The dryland session was especially enjoyable because it was in a relay format where we were pushed to our limits against one another to compete for the win. I thought that the 20x100’s were one of my favorite parts of the trip because it was one of my better performances throughout the trip and took place during one of the harder sets from the practices. Finally, I also enjoyed the amount of free time we had to nap/hang out with teammates, the room accommodations, and the interviews of every swimmer.
I was fortunate enough to travel to OTC as the Racer X parent rep, along with Coach Jim and 14
athletes ranging from age 12-17. Not a surprise, I had preconceived expectations. I expected that
the athletes would be tired. I expected that each one of them would learn something about
himself or herself. And I expected they would learn a little about each other. My expectations
were just a shadow of what I actually witnessed.
Tired…Well, let’s be honest. It is Coach Jim and it is LC. Being tired is not the same as
being taxed physically and mentally. In the abstract, they may know that this is all in
preparation for a championship season. But in the grind, they weren’t discouraged. They
arrived at each practice ready to perform. So yes, there were some tears; but those were
quickly forgotten in the landslide of smiles, giggles, and numerous personal
accomplishments.
Insight into themselves…I watched them leave their safe space and grab an opportunity
to grow. In the pool. Out of the pool. As a leader. As a volunteer. Away from home.
Make no mistake, each one of them had a challenge during this trip which they tackled
with such grace despite the exhaustion. They may not realize it but it was such a building
block in their confidence to try, to adapt, to be self-sufficient…
Insight into each other…They were constantly surrounded by one another through all the
travel, at every practice, at every meal, and at every team meeting/activity. They
witnessed one another at their most exhausted, most hungry, and probably most
uncollected. They listened to stories of what one another’s lives look like beyond
swimming during Coach Jim’s interviews. The supported each other during team
activities. They are leaving here a cohesive team.
Thank you to Coach Jim for investing the time and effort into these amazing athletes! And thank
you athletes for knowing what expectations were and exceeding them!
Best,
Mrs. J
