Zoo Camp

Announcing:

Swimmers' Zoo Camp

Monday, July 3, to Friday, July 7, 2000

Hosted and organized by the Pittsburgh Zoo and Three Rivers Aquatics

Swimmers from Western Pennsylvania are invited to reserve a spot for a new experience slated for the summer of 2000. This week-long day camp combines two popular summer-time activities: competitive swimming and zoo camp.

Splendid Neighbors

Pittsburghers are fortunate with access to two wonderful facilities right next to one another. The Pittsburgh Zoo is within a short walking distance to the Highland Park's, 10-lane, 50-meter pool. Each day the athletes and coaches start on the grounds of the park near to the pool and then spend the afternoons in the educational buildings of the zoo facility.

Zoo Camps at the Pittsburgh Zoo

Zoo Camps are wonderful, educational experiences, and have been so for many years. With professional staff, trained volunteers, and an educational building designed for camps, expect lots of hands-on activities and learning in a fun, controlled setting. Zoo Camps are stimulating times for children of all ages, but be warned, this is a special week at Zoo Camp. The afternoons at Zoo Camp are being geared to the older-age groups. Expect serious discussions, problem solving, learning and grown-up activities, suited for high-schoolers and competitive swimmers. The facilities include five different classrooms. See yourself mingling, learning and making friends among this diverse group of people who call themselves swimmers.

Hardly Alone It is not like you are not going to know anyone. Pass the word. Get a couple of your teammates involved. Carpool! The 9:00 am start time allows for commuters to get to the pool a decent hour, without much traffic. Office workers in town and Oakland might be able to drop-off and pick-up campers as part of the drive time that week.

Scheduled for the week of July 4th The camp's date fits into most summer schedules. Those with out-of-town camps in June can return home for this day-camp in July. Early July is a often a time for hard, challenging training in a long-course pool, even weeks away from tapers and championship. Area swimmers without access to long-course pools for their swim practices are going to love the benefits and the switch in the environments. Even seasonal high school swimmers can use the camp for summer training and conditioning.

Year 2000 Excitement for Swimmers and Sharks In June 2000, the Pittsburgh Zoo is expected to have the grand opening a new exhibit -- a massive, aquarium. The new shark tank will have just opened, just in time for our swimmers' zoo camp.

Swimmers in the morning practices that find themselves walking on the bottom of the pool might find themselves in the afternoon sessions at the zoo feeding the sharks. Learn about the new $15.9M Aquarium at the Pittsburgh Zoo Site

Reserve Your Space Now, without making a payment! Being a first-time offering, do submit your name and contact information as soon as possible. Put yourself on the notice list to get additional information as soon as it is available. Help to gage projected registration levels, and keep your space reserved, even at an early date.

Zoo Camps are very popular. Weeks and months in advance, zoo camps often fill to capacity with the maximum numbers of children registered. Don't delay. This special zoo-camp for swimmers has an enrollment ceiling. In the year 2000, the Swimmers' Zoo Camp will be offered for only one week. If you don't get into the Swimmers' Zoo

Camp, other half-day and full-day camps might still be available.

To find out additional information about regular zoo camps, contact the Pittsburgh Zoo directly. This site is only geared to the promotion of the special, one-week swimmers' zoo camp.

Early and Often: The Swimmers' Zoo Camp has a limited number of participants, so sign-up early. The Swimmers' Zoo Camp has a limited engagement that needs to hit certain enrollment number with participants by certain dates throughout the year, so please express your interest .

Daily Schedule:

Registration: 8:30 - 9:00 am

On the first day of camp, please arrive thirty minutes early.

Day Begins: 9:00 - 10 am

Stretching, team meeting, dry-land exercises.

Swimming Practice: 10 - noon

Warm-up, drills, conditioning sets, stroke perfection, starts-turns-finishes, water-exercises.

Lunch, Recovery: noon - 1:00 pm

Warm-down, shower, change, eat and stroll down the hill to the back-entry of the Pittsburgh Zoo.

Zoo Class/Camp: 1:00 - 4:00 pm

The educational classrooms within the zoo campus are going to be filled with swimmers in the afternoons. Air-conditioned, modern, instructional and interactive programs with a solid lesson plan for a great experience.

Dismissal: 4:05 and beyond

The formal instructional day concludes at 4:00. The participants can exit the zoo at that time, or choose to take further advantage of the facilities until the zoo closes.

Cost:

The charge for the one-week camp, Monday to Friday, including 4th of July, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, is pending. The expected price range is $115.00 to $100.00 per person. A final price is expected to be set by October, 1999.

Get on the List of Potential Campers:

Those interested in getting additional information and being put on a notice list for registration, please email, wetzoocamp@sportsurf.net, or call 412-481-2497, extension #7. Please leave a voice message in the zoo-camp department, #7.

AMS Registration Cards As of this moment, the swim-zoo day-camp is NOT a sanctioned event of the AMS. However, a proposal to the AMS to recognize the camp and help with its promotions is expected to be delivered from the camp organizers at TRA and the Pittsburgh Zoo to the executive board of the AMS in the weeks ahead. Perhaps this camp experience be an official AMS activity, perhaps not. All the participants at the camp are required to be athlete or coach members of USA Swimming, or an athlete member of US Masters Swimming. Those who are not current members of these organizations will need to pay a different rate for registration into those governing bodies. The swimmers need to provide proof of registration before entry into the camp.

Guest Coaches Welcome Swim instructors, aquatics directors, and coaches from area high school, Y, country club, USA clubs, colleges and summer teams are welcome to attend one or multiple days of the camp. Coaches can choose to observe or else engage in the camp experience with assigned/shared coaching-duties. Please email wetzoocamp@sportsurf.net, or call 412-481-2497, extension #7. For food, uniform, admission and supervision reasons, coaches are asked to register for the camp in advance, just as the swimmers must advance register. An on-line coach registration form will be provided.

Renewal for Following Years Participants who are successfully engaged with the camp community are given notice and advanced permission to reserve a spot at next year's camp, as well as other activities to be organized for the future.

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