Description and Purpose:

The 2018 National Open Water Camp will be held August 23-26 in Pleasant Prairie, WI. USA Swimming seeks to identify the best distance swimmers, offering them a unique motivational and educational experience. The National Open Water Camp is viewed as an integral step for athletes to move from the pool to Open Water, then to the international scene. 

Selection:

Selection will take place immediately following the 2018 National Open Water Championships.

Selection will be done in the order below:

12 male and 12 female athletes selected (or 12 athletes from each gender).

• The top two available male and the top two available female finishers will be selected off of the results of the 2018 Junior 5K National Open Water Championships;
• The top two available male and the top two available female finishers will be selected off of the results of the 2018 Junior 7.5K National Open Water Championships;
• Then, six male and six female athletes who are under 23 at the time of performance will be selected off of the top 2017 times in the SWIMS database based on USA Swimming Power Points in the 1500 meter freestyle;
• Lastly, two male and two female athletes who are under 18 at the time of performance will be selected off of the top 2017 times in the SWIMS database based on USA Swimming Power Points in the 1500 meter freestyle.

Other Criteria:

• Only Long Courses times are considered;
• Qualification timeframe (for pool selection): January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017
• Athletes must be currently registered with USA Swimming;
• Athletes must be US citizens & have not represented any other FINA Federation at international competition;
• Athletes who have previously attended a National Open Water Select Camp or National Team/National Junior Team Open Water Camp are not eligible for camp;
• Athletes who have represented USA Swimming internationally in an Open Water competition are not eligible for camp;
• An athlete who turns down the opportunity to attend camp would be eligible the following year if he/she still meets the criteria. An athlete who accepts the invitation and does not attend is not eligible the following year unless an alternate was able to attend in his/her place.

Location:

The camp will be held at the RecPlex/Lake Andrea in Pleasant Prairie, WI.

Dates:

The 2018 camp dates are August 23-26, 2018. This year's camp will focus on the skills & strategies with a training focus. Athletes will learn strategies, OW technique, nutrition and recovery for open water, and much, much more from elite Open Water coaches.

Staff:

USA Swimming will select the staff for each camp. At least one male and one female assistant must be on the staff. In addition, one National Open Water Team athlete will attend the camp and at least one member of the USA Swimming National Headquarters staff will attend to assist with educational sessions. The staff will be announced when the team is set, however, appointment is contingent upon passing all required background screens.

Head Coach: John Payne, TAC Titans
Assistant Coaches: Joey Ferreri, Bearcat Aquatics; Meredith Green, Brad Akins YMCA Barracudas; John Flanagan, Kamehameha Swim Club
Head Manager: Aaron Mahaney, Unattached
Assistant Managers: Jon Bescher, New Wave Swim Team; Katie Crider, New Trier Aquatics
Camp Director: Morgan Weinberg, USA Swimming

Camp Schedule:

The 2018 Camp will include pool workouts, open water lake sessions, in addition to educational sessions. Athletes and coaches are required to stay the entire time and must stay onsite in the accommodations provided by the host. Tentative itinerary coming soon.

For more information please email Morgan Weinberg at mweinberg@usaswimming.org.