By Erin Bishop  January 2 2010

There has been little rest for members of the Ashburton swim team during the festive season.

With a hectic schedule of regional and national swim meets taking place in the coming weeks, the team was back in training mode on Monday, but that’s nothing compared to what awaits them this week.

 The Ashburton swim team is heading into an intensive eight day camp in Methven, starting today, and will have a week to recover after that before heading into the Canterbury Championships, the Eastern Districts Championships and four big national events.

 The national schedule starts with the junior nationals for those 12 and under, for which about four Ashburton swimmers have already qualified.

 Then it’s the national age groups, which about eight Mid Cantabrians have qualified for, and the division two nationals, where about a dozen swimmers will fly the Mid Canterbury flag.

 The biggest one though is the open nationals, and Commonwealth Games trials, in April, where two of Ashburton’s biggest hopes will be butterfly specialist Elizabeth Brown, and freestyle specialist Alice Sommerville, who will come back from America, where she is currently on a swimming scholarship.

 Ashburton swim team coach Carl Gordon said it would be an intense few days, with swimmers likely to rack up around 100km in the pool.

 In previous years, the annual camp has seen them swim up to 120 and 130km over the few days.

 “This year we might not do so as much of a distance, but we’ll still do a good 100km and we’ll focus a bit more on intensity and speed,” Gordon said.

 The seniors, about 24 swimmers aged 12 to 17, were to start this afternoon, and start their twice a day, two-and-a-half hour sessions tomorrow.

 They’ll run through until next Sunday.

 Around 15 juniors, aged nine to 12, will also be taking part, but they will run from Monday to Friday and they’ll do one-and-a-half hour sessions.

 The camp will include more than just swimming too, with strength training also planned.

 The team was lucky to have the support of the Methven Resort Hotel, which let them use their outdoor pool, Gordon said.

 Camp-goers were also staying in Methven.

 Most of the club’s members will be taking part in the camp, including some others from clubs like Temuka, and Wharenui in Christchurch.

Pictured: Ashburton swim team member Phoebe Ganda, 13, keeps up her training at the Ashburton Community Pool. - Photo Sarah Chamberlain 291209-SC-140