Panther swimmers and divers got the opportunity to get back in the pool before school starts next month, attending swimming and diving camps over the past two weeks at the Powell Aquatic Center (PAC).

The swimmers have had more time to get in the pool, where nearly two dozen boys and girls from the PHS programs got to work focusing on mechanics.

“Experts in biomechanics tell us the best time to improve your swim stroke is early in the training season before bad patterns have become ingrained,” PHS girls’ Swim Coach Bob Smartt said.

The girls’ season kicks off in just over two weeks’ time.

Many of the athletes have been competing throughout the year in the USA Swimming circuit, but this gave athletes who have been competing in other sports to jump back in the pool.

The different drills and learning techniques allow for the athletes to focus on stroke mechanics, while still building a strong conditioning foundation before the season starts.

“The fall competitive season is only about 10 weeks long, so it is very helpful to begin refocusing on the neural pathways needed to do well in the sport,” Smartt said.

The PHS swim camp was held July 18-21 and July 25-28, featuring a three hour long swimming session for the camp goers.

DIVING CAMP

Diving back in the deep end, around eight Panther divers got on the board this week with a special coach in attendance for the camp.

Kevin Sage is a diving coach from Colorado who has had experience coaching diving for over 25 years and has had 50 junior and senior national qualifiers — including one Olympic Trials qualifier.

“Bringing in someone with his national experience is important, when I think the kids hear him say something that we say, it helps reinforce that idea,” PHS boys’ Head Coach Stephanie Warren said. “Hearing it from another person that has coached at those levels is important.”

Sage has been a coach at all levels, including club, high school and the collegiate level.

He also recently served as a judge for the Big Ten Conference Championships, something he has done 24 times. Sage has also had the opportunity to judge at the NCAA Championships multiple times.

“It is good to have the opportunity to get on the board and refresh,” PHS girls’ Diving Coach Heather Christensen said. “It is also good to get those new skills going into the season, and a fresh way of describing and explaining things is always helpful.”

The two coaches appreciated the opportunity to learn from Sage while coaching alongside him this week, bringing in new ideas and drills to help Panther divers in the future.

The divers got the opportunity to hop on the board five days this week, training from 7 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and then another session on Friday morning.

Swimming and diving season is rapidly approaching, and the Panthers will have a short amount of time to prepare as the first practice starts for the girls on Aug. 15.