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Swimmers have to go abroad to find the ideal training camp
A party of swimmers from the City of Peterborough Swimming Club (COPS) and Deepings Swimming Club left the UK this week to find training facilities to meet their needs.
A party of swimmers from the City of Peterborough Swimming Club (COPS) and Deepings Swimming Club left the UK this week to find training facilities to meet their needs.Originally the half-term training camp was planned to be at Crystal Palace in London but that fell through when refurbishment work taking place there was extended until Easter.
COPS officials spent many hours trying to find a UK-based facility that would provide a swimming environment with residential accommodation suitable for their needs.
When that failed they looked further afield and eventually they found it – in Puyenbroeck in the East Flanders region of Belgium.
The sports facility at Puyenbroeck is provided by the local district council as part of their mission to involve as many local people in sport as a route to fitness and wellbeing.
More importantly for COPS it also has a 50-metre swimming pool – a rare commodity in the UK.
Whle waiting to depart from Peterborough railway station, COPS head coach Ben Negus said: "We were extremely disappointed to be let down by Crystal Palace at the last minute.
"These camps are about much more than being away from mum and dad for a week.
"It provides the opportunity to build up our strength and conditioning training leading up to the major championships.
"There is also the experience of travelling to an international venue as a squad, rooming with squad members and socialising together as well as the swim training.
"We would have liked to have had this camp in the UK but the mix of swimming facility and associated accommodation is rarely found here."
You can follow the swimmers blog on the club's website by logging on to www.copsclub.co.uk and selecting the Belgium Update tab on the homepage.
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Weather for Peterborough
Sunday 12 February 2012
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