The Washington State swim team took a break from the cold Pullman weather and traveled south to Delray Beach, Fla., to train for 10 days during winter break.
The team started every day with calisthenics on the beach, followed by a pair of two hour training sessions in the pool, with a break in between. The athletes also spent two hours a day in the weight room building strength and embarked on open water ocean swims to increase endurance.
"The training in Florida helps us prepare for the rest of the season because it is when the training is the hardest," senior Kendra Griffin said. "My favorite thing about training in Florida is the open water ocean swims. It gives us a break from the pool and allows us to train in a different environment."
One main aspect of the WSU swim team training in Florida is the continued effort to build team chemistry and unity.
"My favorite thing about the trip to Florida was being able to spend time with my team," senior Hailey Johnson said. "As a senior, this is my last year on the team so it was really great to be able to go through one last training trip with my team in Florida."
With the Florida training trip in the rearview mirror, the team sets its sites on Pac-12 foes Oregon State and Utah, before the Pac-12 Swimming Championships, Feb. 22-25, in Federal Way, Wash.
"Our Florida training trip was about ten days of intense practices that really took us to the next level of training and conditioning," senior Elise Locke said. "I feel like our team is ready, physically and mentally, to power through these next of weeks leading into conference."
The trip marked the fourth-consecutive year the WSU swim team trained in Florida during winter break.
The Cougars will travel to Corvallis, Ore. to open 2017 against the Oregon State Beavers, Friday, Jan. 20, at 11 a.m.
The team started every day with calisthenics on the beach, followed by a pair of two hour training sessions in the pool, with a break in between. The athletes also spent two hours a day in the weight room building strength and embarked on open water ocean swims to increase endurance.
"The training in Florida helps us prepare for the rest of the season because it is when the training is the hardest," senior Kendra Griffin said. "My favorite thing about training in Florida is the open water ocean swims. It gives us a break from the pool and allows us to train in a different environment."
One main aspect of the WSU swim team training in Florida is the continued effort to build team chemistry and unity.
"My favorite thing about the trip to Florida was being able to spend time with my team," senior Hailey Johnson said. "As a senior, this is my last year on the team so it was really great to be able to go through one last training trip with my team in Florida."
With the Florida training trip in the rearview mirror, the team sets its sites on Pac-12 foes Oregon State and Utah, before the Pac-12 Swimming Championships, Feb. 22-25, in Federal Way, Wash.
"Our Florida training trip was about ten days of intense practices that really took us to the next level of training and conditioning," senior Elise Locke said. "I feel like our team is ready, physically and mentally, to power through these next of weeks leading into conference."
The trip marked the fourth-consecutive year the WSU swim team trained in Florida during winter break.
The Cougars will travel to Corvallis, Ore. to open 2017 against the Oregon State Beavers, Friday, Jan. 20, at 11 a.m.