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| DAAA has conducted Winning Spirit Camps (a USA Swimming program) at every DAAA National Games since 1993. About 25-30 dwarf children and their "average-height" siblings have participated in the camps each year. Teen-aged and young adult swimmers from the DAAA program serve as coaches and role models. |
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The purpose of the Winning Spirit Camp is to introduce children to competitive swimming. These camps include stroke instruction and videotapes, information about topics such as nutrition and training methods, and usually a presentation by one of DAAA's medalists from Paralympic Games or World Championship competition.
A few Winning Spirit Camps have also been conducted at the regional level. If you are interested in organizing a camp for dwarf swimmers in your region, please contact the DAAA Swimming Technical Director for help. The Swimming Technical Director will help you find USA Swimming coaches in your area of the country who can provide instruction, and can put you in touch with USA Swimming headquarters to obtain camp materials.
Training Camps
Occasionally there is an opportunity for DAAA swimmers to participate in elite-level training camps. The purpose of these camps is generally to prepare swimmers for international competition.
A training camp was held for the 2000 USA Paralympic Swimming Team in July 2000. Erin Popovich and Brandi Van Anne participated. We Media Sports commissioned sport science testing for one athlete from each disability group at that camp. Erin Popovich was the DAAA participant. Gail Dummer directed the sports science testing.
The United States Disabled Athletes Fund sponsored an elite training camp at the Roosevelt Sports Training Center in Warm Springs, Georgia, in May 2000. Campers included Erin Popovich and Brandi Van Anne. Gail Dummer was the camp director and Don Watkinds was head coach.
DAAA obtained grants from the United States Olympic Committee to conduct three multi-disability camps at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. DAAA participants included:
DAAA
participants at 1994 USOTC Camp
Clockwise starting at upper left: Mary Knudsen, Scott
Danberg,
Don Watkinds, Colleen Dailey, Gail Dummer, Camille Waddell,
Pam Danberg, Sarah Ely, Amy Morris, Jill Nelson, Jody Houston
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1994. Swimmers - Colleen Dailey, Scott Danberg, Sarah Ely, Jody Houston, Amy Morris, Jill Nelson, and Camille Waddell. Coaches - Don Watkinds and Pam Danberg. Safety - Mary Knudsen. Camp Director - Gail Dummer. |
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1995. Swimmers - Colleen Dailey, Rebecca Hoekstra, Jody Houston, Amy Morris, Andrea Morris, Katie Myers, and Camille Waddell. Coaches - Don Watkinds and Michele McKenzie. Camp Director - Gail Dummer. |
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1997. Swimmer - Sonja Becker. Coaches - Don Watkinds and Sarah Ely. Camp Director - Gail Dummer. |
It is likely that future training camps will be limited to swimmers who qualify for the USA Paralympic Team or other major international competitions. Notices about future camps will be disseminated from DAAA headquarters.
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