Jayhawks Stay in Top Form Over Winter Break

LAWRENCE, Kan. – With the fall slate concluded, the Kansas swimming and diving squad is taking full advantage of its four-week holiday break to get in mint condition before the start of the second portion of the 2015-16 season with a three-part training camp.
 
After heading home and getting a much-deserved week’s rest over the holiday season, the Jayhawks made the trek back to Lawrence to begin the first segment of their winter training camp. They took the first few days to refocus with two-a-day practices that mirrored their fall training schedule before revving up the intensity and getting in shape for conference championships in February.
 
“The month of December is really helter skelter for us,” head coach Clark Campbell said. “So when we got back it was really important for us to get back into our regular routine. We did that for about a week and then we kind of switched up the training emphasis. We went from more of a capacity emphasis – making the engine bigger – to now we’re going to make the engine faster for the championship season.”
 
Now that the team has had a chance to adjust to the rigors of daily practices, they will head south to Florida for part two of their training camp. As long as they are able to avoid sunburns, stay hydrated and stay clear of fire ants, Campbell is looking forward to changing up the scenery in what otherwise would be a monotonous three-week stint of practices.
 
Kansas will get on a plane Thursday and head down to Miami where it will first endure back-to-back double duals before the Jayhawks make their way to Key Largo, Florida to resume the training regimen. While the trip is focused on getting the team in top form, they have made sure to add a little fun to the trip as well.
 
“When you go on a training trip things naturally change because they can never be the same as home, but that’s okay,” Campbell said. “We’re going to keep the underpinnings and the fundamentals of our program and what we do certain days pretty much the same as we do here (in Lawrence), but it will be in a different environment – we’ll be outside, we’ll be doing long course, we’ll be in a totally different facility. Then we’ll do some stuff as a team outside of just training also.”
 
Aside from practicing in a different facility, the squad will also change up their strength conditioning as well. With no access to a weight room they will do most of their conditioning outside on land, altering the exercises that they would do at Kansas.
 
While in Key Largo, the team will stay in an apartment complex with four teammates in each apartment. One of their challenges is to create a meal plan and then go out to the grocery store and get enough food for themselves for the week. They will then cook for one another each night and share a meal together as a way to bond outside of practice.
 
The Jayhawks will also take an afternoon off of practice and head to a local elementary school where they will read to the students as well as help with physical education.
 
“It is a business trip, but we want to let them (the team) have a good experience and broaden their horizons,” Campbell said. “We have to be smart, but enjoy the time there knowing that it is about the training while letting them have some unique experiences they wouldn’t get in Lawrence.”
 
The Jayhawks will head back to Lawrence, Thursday Jan. 14, to conclude the last few days of training camp before returning to class and their in-season routine.
 
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