IPSWICH Swimming Club is counting down to an international training camp which will take 27 of its members to Cyprus.The swimmers will face a strict regime throughout their seven-day schedule, and will be based at the first-class venue originally used as the training camp in advance of the Athens Olympic Games.

IPSWICH Swimming Club is counting down to an international training camp which will take 27 of its members to Cyprus.

The swimmers will face a strict regime throughout their seven-day schedule, and will be based at the first-class venue originally used as the training camp in advance of the Athens Olympic Games.

Following in the footsteps of other county clubs who have already devised similar programmes, Ipswich has been planning this

particular camp since last summer.

Parents, coaches and swimmers have been heavily consulted throughout - to ensure the ultimate in training experiences for the entire party.

The group - who travel to Cyprus during the February half-term holiday - will be staying in Paphos at a five-star hotel, and training at the Coral Bay 50m outdoor pool.

Their schedule will include a total of ten two-hour swimming sessions, with training starting promptly at 7am daily.

Afternoon training will take place on all but two days of the stay.

Those taking part in the trip will not only benefit from the highly-regarded sporting facility, but will share in the experience of Ipswich coach Dave Champion and Commonwealth champion Karen Pickering.

The pair have travelled extensively during Karen's competitive career, and bring a wealth of skill and knowledge to the Cyprus

programme.

Karen - who has since officially retired from her career in swimming - has previously used the Cyprus pool ahead of her part in the Athens Olympics.

Commenting on the trip, Dave Champion said: “I have spent a great deal of time away with the national team and both Karen Pickering and Zoe Cray on different training camps in various parts of the world.

“From that experience, it seemed to me that although many swimmers do not get a chance to swim on the national team, we could still let them experience some of the great things about swimming in respected

facilities abroad.

“I would hope that this trip will give them experiences that they will remember forever.

“The adventure itself should re-ignite their excitement and enjoyment of swimming.”

He added: “We looked at Cyprus because of the great pool and the fact that both Karen and I had been there prior to the Athens Olympics.

“It is a friendly place where we can get some training done and bond a group of young people together through their favourite sport.”

The Evening Star will be reporting on Ipswich Swimming Club's training camp throughout the trip.