Calvin Campers turned Calvin Swimmers

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Attending a camp at one of our locations can be a great way to get a feel for what it would be like to become a collegiate student-athlete. For the last 38 years Total Performance Swim Camps has had many former campers decide to attend Kenyon or Calvin for their collegiate student-athlete careers.

Current Calvin Knight swimmer and former Calvin camper, Anna, remembers an inspiring moment from when she was a camper during a challenging set, “the counselor who was timing my 50s was incredibly excited for me and cheering me on.  It made me feel excited for swimming all over again.”  

Another current Calvin Knight swimmer, Abbey, shares that while she was primarily motivated to attend Calvin because of a legacy of Calvin graduates in her family, she remembers many favorite moments as a Total Performance Calvin camper two years in a row when she was in elementary and middle school, “I loved all of the times outside of the pool bonding with friends…It was such a positive experience and now I’m on the [college] team with a girl I went to camp with, which is super fun!”  She also remembers how she was challenged, “I came from a competitive club, but having all of the [camp] training really pushed me.”

For Head Coach and Calvin Camp Director, Dan Gelderloos, it has been very rewarding having some of his former campers choose to come back and swim for him in college.  “There is definitely a little stronger bond with my athletes who first came to our camp. We have known each other longer, and they also come in a step ahead of other freshmen in knowing my ‘coach speak,’ my demeanor, and our practice patterns. They learn quite a bit about swimming with a Calvin flavor that carries over to their college career.”