Tenerife Training Camp, 2011

Our third year in a row heading for the sun at the end of October. For 2011 we said adios to the Mediterranean, and Hola to the Canary Islands. The volcanic island of Tenerife was the target destination and Los Cristianos the pool of choice.

As ever the female chaperone rotated to someone new, and this year Ellie got the opportunity. Pete once again provided the foreign language skills (nodding, waving arms around, and desperately looking for an English speaker - he actually seems fluent in every language there is), while Head Coach Andy and Assistant Coach Dave once again handled the pool side.

Photo Gallery 2011	On Tour in Tenerife
As Queen Elizabeth is quoted as saying about Dartes training camps on the banner above us at Leeds Bradford: "It's a first class experience"   Oh it really is, and every year just gets better and better.   The first opportunity for a team photo is never wasted, especially when Joe is wearing comedy glasses.
While Pete went off for a much needed coffee, the team decided to get him a discount by posing for promotional photos.   "Shift that lot from under our banner and you can have the coffee for free!"   You just knew that's what they were thinking.
Eventually we arrived at the hotel. Every evening involved a team meeting of some kind.   Here's the boss with the early arrivals on one such evening.
And then the rest of them arrived. The stage was the setting for many fun hotel activities (darts, aerobics, ...) but none of them drew as much attention as our team meetings.
The boiling hot walk from the hotel to the pool.   We were told it was only a 12min walk. It started off like that on the first day or two, but bit by bit, it stretched out to nearer 20mins.   Land training without them realising.
Who would believe it, the Brits pick a hot holidaytraining camp destination and then complain about the scorching sun.   "Gimme a hand, we can turn this in to a sun shade."   "Good idea, I'll grab this corner, you get the other end."
"That's better, my neck doesn't feel like it's on fire anymore."   "Hmpf, not so great over here, I'm sure there are flames coming off my shins!"
"Ahh there we go - perfect!"   Maybe next year we'll take poles for the corners, or maybe the chaperones can just take turns holding the sunny end.
Of course, there was already a sun shade at the end of the pool, but as it wasn't Dartes branded we didn't feel comfortable standing beneath it.   Never mind, we'll cover it in tattoos next time.
A double Guess who?   Okay, we posed this question a month or so ago, but here it is again.   To whom do these 2 lovely pairs of feet belong? Answers on a postcard quickly please because we're about to reveal the answer!
But here's the real reason we brought the banner down to the pool.   The official Team Photo for Tenerife 2011 (see large version).
We always like the locals to know who we are when we're away on camp. Believe it or not, the week we were there and the following week this website had nearly 40 unique visitors from Tenerife (excluding our hotel).   That's more than the previous 2 years combined.   Clearly they were all looking for the correct address to send complaints about the noise.
So who did you guess belonged to the feet?   Here they are, the proud owners: Mark and Os.
Those heading off to camp for the first time have their mind full of sun, sun, and more sun. They think it's going to be hot, hot, hot!   And for the most part it is.   However, when that sun goes down, so does the temperature. Last year we thoroughly enjoyed the early evening chills in Mallorca, this year we went for the other extreme to enjoy the Tenerife sun rise.
The mountain in the background wasn't the one blocking out the sun, there was another oversized hill over to the right. You knew the sun was rising behind it but it stayed dark and the pool was cold.   The pool of course wasn't cold - it's heated to the same temperature as Adwick.   But open air pools feel cold if the air temperature isn't higher than the pool water and without the baking sun, it felt cooooooooold.
Slowly but surely the sun rose higher and higher and the sky started to take on its customary blueness.   Coaches and chaperones made a quick dash for hats and suncream - thanks to the big hill things really did change that quickly.
Don't get excited, that's not the sun that's just one of the flood lights. That's the hill hiding the sun though.   Not as tall as the other two, but someone plonked it right in the path of the rising sun.
If nothing else, swimming under flood lights is a bit different.   Hard to see the faces coming towards you, you end up identifying swimmers based on technique. Or in Oliver's case, on the weird noises.
And then the sun was up. Shins and foreheads started to bake, and shirts began their daily routine of sticking to skin.   In the pool, those who were cold weren't going to get any warmer now. It's a matter of toughing things out until it's time to hit the showers.   Ahh the joys of warm weather training camps.
I can see clearly now the sun is up!   The chaperones wake up by the side of the pool as things get a bit brighter.
Blazing sunshine!   Quick everyone jump out and soak up the rays! Surprising how quickly simles appear when the sun finally lifts itself over the hill. Ah the life of a swimmer, such glamorous locations for training.