There could not have been a better way to start the season.
Seven Shuswap Swimming Team athletes recently kicked it off by meeting 2004 Canadian Olympic swim team member Erin Gammel at the Thompson Okanagan Region Select Swim Camp.
Based on last year’s competitive performances, Paige Coutlee, Emma Pyle, Ethan Quilty, Olin Mosher, Bree Cooper, Thomas Flahr and Jake Kitchen were chosen to attend the camp that was held Oct. 1 at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre in Kamloops.
Here, the teammates, accompanied by head coach Mike Effray, had the opportunity not only to meet but hear from Gammel who spoke of the importance of goal setting.
A highlight of the camp, Gammel shared with fellow swimmers her experiences as an athlete as well as the level of commitment it required to become Canadian Champion and an Olympian.
A total of 60 swimmers from the Shuswap, Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna, Westbank, Summerland and Penticton attended the camp which included both swimming and dry-land activities with a focus on foundations for success.