400 children sign up for IU Swim Camp

At the edge of the pool at Counsilman-Billingsley Center in the Student Recreational and Sports Center, a row of children bent their bodies carefully.\n“Ready?” asked IU Swim Camp coach Pam Swander, who stood at the corner of the pool. At the word “go,” the children jumped into the water, ready to show off their swimming techniques.\nThis year’s Swim Camp started June 1 and runs until June 27. Four camps are held each week of June – children can either stay overnight or attend during the day. Each day includes two water workouts, a dry-land work-out, performance testing, educational lectures and an evening of fun activities.\nSo far, more than 400 swimmers ranging in age from eight to 18 have registered, said Ray Looze, head coach of the IU men’s and women’s swimming teams and a coach at the Swim Camp. About 120 children are signed up for the first camp. \n“The IU Swim Camp offers a unique experience that no other camp in the nation can match,” he said.\nLooze has been a swimming coach since 1992 and has been leading the Hoosiers since 2002. He said that since he arrived in Bloomington, he has made it his mission to return Indiana swimming to the elite level it maintained throughout the 1960s and ’70s. Under Looze’s leadership, both the men’s and women’s swim teams have won Big Ten titles for the first time in decades.\n“Indiana University has a long tradition of swimming,” he said. “It has seven national titles and 158 Olympic medals.”\nAt the beginning of the five-day camp, counselors grouped swimmers into appropriate age and swimming-ability levels. \n“I think my daughter is the youngest one in this group,” said one father whose daughter started swimming last year and is now also a member of the Bloomington Swim Club. “She is only 7.” \nIn the 50-by-25 meter pool, not only did Swim Camp coaches concentrate on swimming techniques, but a group of staff members also took a video of each swimmer. At the end of the camp, each swimmer will receive a detailed profile description, including a stroke analysis, strength tests and a DVD video of him or her underwater.\nSome parents attended the water sessions to monitor their children, but Looze said professional lifeguard certification, including CPR, is required for the camp’s 25 coaches.\n“We take safety very seriously,” Looze said. “Each coach will take care of no more than 10 kids.”\nThe camp provides professional swim training, but meals are also provided for the campers at McNutt Dining Hall and Foster Quad. Although coaches and swimmers made the half-hour walk to Foster Quad from the SRSC, campers said they enjoyed learning to swim and some plan to attend IU when they’re older.\nBloomington resident Amber Speicher, 11, expressed her enthusiasm for the camp as she carried a pink swimming bag.\n“I love this program,” she said.