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Ak-O-Mak's Competitive Swimming Program is more successful than any other summer swim camp. Here's a quick synopsis of our swim program.
- Founded in 1928 as the World's first swimming camp for girls. Brother camp, Chikopi (for boys), founded in 1920 as the first ever swim camp.
- Internationally known for teaching the fundamentals of swimming at all levels of ability from the World's best coaches
- More than 350 All-Americans and 40 Olympians have trained with us
- Swim three times daily with emphasis on stroke enhancement, race-planning & strategy and mental preparation
- 50-metre and 25-yard pools
- Open Water and Pool Swimming. Fartlek & endurance training
- Recreational swimmers not involved with the swim team improve their swimming skills and develop water confidence
- 7, 3.5 and 2 week swim sessions.
SWIM UP TO THREE TIMES DAILY
Campers wake each morning for the Early Bird Swim . The swim is mandatory for campers enrolled in the competitive swim program. However, the campers do have the option of participating in either running or canoeing a few days per week, as arranged with the resident coach. The Early Bird Swim can consist of a 1-mile swim to a local cottage-friend of the camp or a two-mile round trip to the cottage and back. The 1-Mile swimmers will run the 1km run back to Ak-O-Mak.
After the Early Bird Swim & Breakfast, each cabin has three activities assigned to them by our program director. One of these three classes is always swimming. It is in this smaller, more personalized, 40-minute session where our coaches can work on the mechanics of each swimmer's stroke. The coaches will make suggestions to the camper's technique on everything from starts and turns to the nitty-gritty aspects of the strokes.
In the afternoon swim workout, each camper has her chance to put those skills to test. Our visiting coaches share some of their most well-liked and creative workouts. The girls love it! While the pace of the workout is a bit more up-tempo, and the mileage is a bit more than the morning program, the campers get a great opportunity to learn from the best.
Various times throughout the day, there is Elective Time, where campers can choose to receive additional help from any of the visiting or resident coaches.
The Matt Mann Cup is awarded to the camper who swims the most miles over the course of the summer. Any time the girls take an out-of-camp trip, swimming to the location is an option - and a great way to enjoy a long, open-water swim.
Each summer, the campers can opt to swim (with the resident coach's approval) the famous Magnetawan 9-mile swim. It is one of the many time-honoured traditions of Ak-O-Mak's successful swim program.
THE SWIM DEVELOPMENT CAMP
Each session at Ak-O-Mak contains a steady and sufficient amount of competitive swimming. Over the course of 7 or 3.5 weeks, our swimming campers will have the opportuntity to swim up to three times daily.
In the end of August, when most swimming seasons have completed, Ak-O-Mak hosts campers whose coaches have not allowed them to leave during the summer season. In 1967, Buck & RoseMary Dawson started the Canadian Amateur Swimming Association camp, which ran for two weeks.
Due to the fact that most International and American schools are back in session during these last two weeks of August, the enrollment of this camp is traditionally, though not at all limited to, Canadian swimmers.
It's important to note, that because this session falls between the end of the outdoor/long-course season and the start of the short-course season, that our emphasis is not on swimming an overabundant amount of mileage. Rather, the focus - just as is the case during the 7-week camp, is on fundamentals of strokes, technique - and building endurance through open water and pool swimming.
At Ak-O-Mak, we burn up the calories without burning out the swimmer!
INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME HONOREES:
- George Breen
- Skippy Browning
- Bob Clotworthy
- Cecil Colwin
- Marilyn Corson
- John Davies
- Buck Dawson
- Dick Degener
- Jeff Farrell
- Howard Firby
- Dick Hanley
- Harry Holiday
- Matt Mann
- Dick Papenguth
- Roy Saari
- Walt Schlueter
- Elaine Tanner
VISITING CAMP COACHES WHO BECAME ISHOF HONOREES:
- Alex Bauman
- Ray Bussard
- Forbes Carlile
- Dr. James "Doc" Councilman
- Harry Gallagher
- George Gate
- Sandy Goss
- Valerie Gyene
- George Haines
- Gary Hall
- Micki King
- Laurie Lawrence
- Aileen Riggin
- Deryk Snelling
- Don Talbot
- June Taylor
- Mark Tewksbury
- Carolyn Waldo
- Johnny Weissmuller
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