The Hamilton College swimming and diving camps have always had a strong turnout. This year, new Head Coach T.J. Davis, with assistance from Bill Eickelberj, has taken over camp responsibilities from recently appointed athletic director Dave Thompson.
One reason the swim camp has maintained respectable numbers is that for the past 15 years an Olympian has come to the camp to speak, train and provide helpful insights into becoming better swimmers. Davis said, "It is such a treat to hear an Olympian describe what kind of experiences they have gone through as a result of their tremendous distinction."
The Hamilton 2003 Swim Camp is no exception. A University of Georgia graduate and a gold medalist in the 2000 Summer Olympics, Courtney Shealy came to the camp to help with stroke drills and body positioning in the water. Shealy was a gold medalist on the world record-breaking 400-meter free relay at the 2000 Olympic Games held in Sydney, Australia. She earned a second gold medal by swimming in the preliminary round on the 400-meter medley relay.
She was named NCAA co-swimmer of the year with teammate Kristy Kowal after winning 50-meter and 100-meter free and 100-meter backstroke at the NCAA Championships. In 2001, Shealy was a silver medalist on the 400-meter free relay and the 400m medley relay at World Championships. As well as being an accomplished swimmer, Shealy is also an exceptional volleyball player. She was the first female Division I athlete to compete in two sports on the same day, doing this three times.
During her time at Hamilton, Shealy gave a public lecture. She said, "I like to talk with the kids and share my experiences; to let them know all you need is a lane to succeed."
Coach Davis enjoys bringing in world-class swimmers to help with the drill-oriented camp. He also does intensive video reviewing in order to "show the kids that their heroes are real people, very down to earth, just normal people with extraordinary talents."
Next week, Olympian Amanda Adkins will be coming to Hamilton to work with the swim camp. The following week, Kim Black, who earned a gold medal in the 800-meter free relay at the 2000 Olympics, will be on campus.
