JUNE 12TH – 16TH OVERNIGHT COST: $750 COMMUTER COST: $650 JUNE 19TH – 23rd OVERNIGHT COST: $750 COMMUTER COST: $650

JULY 10TH – 14TH OVERNIGHT COST: $750 COMMUTER COST: $650

Registration with Deposit: You may now register with a 50% deposit of camp tuition.  Balance must be paid in full by the dates listed below.  You can pay your balance for camp here:Group Discount: $25 family discount for any sibling after the first child has paid in full. $25 Military Discount.

First week of camp: Balance due by May 1st
Second week of camp: Balance due by May 15th
Third week of camp: Balance due by June 15th

Note: Dates for camps once registered can switch up until 30 days before the start of camp. We understand that plans change and will do our best to work with you to get the dates right for you. Don’t be scared to register early!

Mail-In Registration: If you would like to register for camp by mail please follow the instructions on the forms and documents section under the FAQ tab.

We have the space and time to accommodate athletes of all levels and will group them accordingly.  We cover every stroke discipline and all skills needed to compete at a higher level. All day campers must be at least 9 years of age and all over night campers must be at least 10. All campers are expected to be able to complete one length of the pool legally in all four stroke disciplines. This is not a learn-to-swim program.

Crimson Tide Swim Camp is open to any and all entrants (limited only by number, age, grade level, and/or gender).

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SWIM CAMP INFORMATION

We Welcome Parents: All parents are invited to observe pool practices (from the bleachers) throughout the week and we encourage parents to observe our final Thursday morning session and swim meet. Camp check out will be held adjacent to the pool at the conclusion of the meet, approximately 1:00PM.

Commuter Swimmers: Commuter Campers please check in with the overnight campers on Sunday at 5:00 PM in Burke Hall. Also, plan to attend the Orientation meeting on Sunday from 5:45 PM – 6:30 PM. Please arrive at the pool at 8:00 AM each morning. A counselor will meet you on the bleachers to check in your camper. Check out each evening will be at 7:00 PM after dinner OR at 8:30 PM after the team activity in Burke Hall (Please arrive right at 7:00 PM or 8:30 PM for pickup). Commuter campers are encouraged to stay until 8:30 PM on Sunday night for team building activities.

Swimmers Departing from Birmingham Airport: Swimmers shuttle for airport will depart from the pool 10:00 AM on Friday.

Session 1 – Freestyle: Foundation Drill – Kick To Swim
Paddling a Kayak and swimming freestyle follow the exact same principles. In the case of freestyle we’re teaching the swimmers how to understand that their body shape and tensile quality should be similar to a kayak, and that the leveraging process used in kayaking is almost exactly the same.  So freestyle is about propelling the body forward using the arms as leveraging tools. In camp we work on how to establish the kayak shape, how to mange their balance and then how to apply the leveraging force through their body rotation. We show them all the variations associated with how to establish an anchor or leverage position, but we don’t dictate how they do that. That’s all part of the personal exploration process.

Session 2 – Backstroke: Foundation Drill – Kick To Swim
Where freestyle is like paddling a kayak, backstroke is more like paddling a canoe. There is no rotational leveraging force in backstroke and the action is similar to canoeing in that it becomes more of a side crunching action. We teach them how to manage their canoe shape and how that differs from the freestyle kayak shape. We teach them how to kick effectively and how to connect everything together. There are less leveraging options associated with backstroke, so the foundation is fairly close to the finished product.

Session 3 – Breaststroke: Foundation Drill – Rhythm Scull
Both breaststroke and butterfly involve body harmonics and although there are subtle differences in how the harmonic is applied, the concept is the same. Everything flows out of the rhythm scull drill and we don’t move forward until every camper understands how to do it.  The key element is understanding how to use the chest press below the surface of the water to create the rhythm, and then to use the chest’s rise back (bounce) to the surface as an added power option. There are a lot of hidden sources of energy in breaststroke that very few coaches understand, so we show all of these to the campers and give them a chance to absorb them. Although breaststroke is the hardest of all strokes to command, we take our time when teaching it and find that campers usually make a huge leap forward during camp.

Session 4 – Butterfly: Foundation Drill – Rhythm Scull
Both breaststroke and butterfly involve body harmonics and although there are subtle difference in how the harmonic is applied, the concept is the same. As in breaststroke, the key element is how the chest bounce is used to establish the anchor position.The major difference is how the swimmer establishes that anchor position. From there we weave the timing of the legs and arms into the foundation drill and allow campers to establish their own unique way of managing the anchor position.

Session 5 & 6
Long Axis Turns & Underwater Dolphin Kicking: Every camper will learn that turns are “weapons” in racing. The key is knowing how to use turns to defeat your opponents. We break the turn down into its separate parts and teach each section individually before putting it together. Main thing they will learn is that a turn involves connective tissue and doesn’t really involve the muscles. Those who know how to “pop” off the wall will always defeat those who don’t.

Underwater kicking is an element that makes or breaks performances.  There are amazing underwater kickers who are blessed with spinal flexibility, and there are swimmers who are fast underwater.  There are however no weak underwater kickers.  Everyone can learn how to do this, so we break it down into movements, and then teach it to them in a way that helps them understand how to articulate the spine in a way that creates the foundation of the movement.

Short Axis Turns: We isolate this turn and break it down into parts in the middle of the pool before they learn how to turn on a wall. We teach them how to be effective at turning the body without using your hands. To that end, we spend a lot of time teaching them how to turn without their hands at the surface of the water, and underwater without touching a wall.  When they can execute a spin in under .8 seconds without using their hands, short axis turns become a way to make a difference in races.

Session 7 – Race Preparation: Race preparation is divided into 3 areas.

• Fuel Prep – What to eat
• Physical Prep – How to warm up

We cover all these areas and provide tips that make a difference when getting ready for race day.  We also make it relative to age group swimmers and the environments they race in.  This session is one of the most important since it not only deals with racing, it deals with the athletes self-image and how to work on improving that.  We invite parents into this session so they can hear the lecture.  I make it a point to weave life skills into this section of the camp, and in many ways reinforce messages that all parents hope they get from outside experts.

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MARGO GEER – HEAD COACH

A long-time member of the USA National Team, Margo Geer was named The University of Alabama’s head coach following the 2020-21 season.

“We were fortunate to have an exceptional candidate right here and Tuscaloosa for this position and are thrilled that Margo will be our next head coach,” UA Director of Athletics Greg Byrne said. “She has one of the most impressive lists of accolades, both at the collegiate level and internationally. I’ve known Margo for many years and she is well-respected, talented and extremely hardworking. We are certainly supportive of her continuing to train for the 2021 United States Olympic Team trials and look forward to having her fully on board when her competitive career is complete.”

A 27-time All-American, three-time NCAA Champion, Pac-12 Woman of the Year and NCAA Woman of the Year finalist while at Arizona, Geer will compete at her fourth USA Olympic Swimming Trials this summer.

“I am extremely excited to be the head coach of this great program,” Geer said. “Alabama is a very special place, and I have quickly come to love this team, the University, and the community since arriving on campus. There is so much talent and potential on this team, and the staff and I are fully committed to continuing to move the Crimson Tide forward on its journey to the top.”

As a member of Team USA, Geer medaled at the 2015 World Championships, the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, the 2019 World Championships and the 2019 Pan American Games. At the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, she took home individual medals in the 100-meter freestyle (gold) and 50-meter freestyle (silver) as well as three relay golds.

Competing for the Mission Viejo Nadadores during her pro career, she also competed in the International Swim League (ISL). Geer competed for the LA Current under general manager Lenny Krayzelburg in the league’s inaugural season, while swimming for the DC Tridents under general manager Sandeno Kaitlin this season.

Competing at Arizona from 2010-14, she won a trio of NCAA sprint championships including two in the 100 freestyle and one in the 50 freestyle while also leading the Wildcats 400 freestyle relay to an American record in 2013.

A three-year team captain at Arizona, Geer served as a volunteer coach for Bill Dorenkott and the Ohio State women in 2016-17. Geer helped lead the Buckeyes to a fifth-place finish at the Big 10 Championships, and just its second top-20 national finish in five years, led by two-time All-American Liz Li, who finished third in the 50 freestyle at the NCAA Championships.

While at Arizona, she was active in community outreach and earned the Pac-12 Tom Hansen Medal and was a semifinalist for the Wooden Citizenship Cup in 2014, honors that recognize student-athletes who excel in athletics, academics, community service and leadership.

In the classroom, Geer was named the 2014 Pac-12 Women’s Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year was a three-time Pac-12 all-academic honoree. She graduated Cum Laude in 2015 with a degree in business management, earning Arizona’s Golden Eagle Award along the way.

An Ohio, native, Geer went to Fairbanks High School in Milford Center, Ohio.

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