Imagine standing at 6,000 feet above sea level in the heart of Colorado Springs, surrounded by the buzz of Olympic dreams and the sharp smell of chlorine. This isn’t your average training camp — this is the U.S. Olympic Training Center. CHS sophomore, Adrienne Schadler, spent the weekend of Jan. 18, 2025, learning and exploring at the national swimming select camp. She got invited to the camp months before, after she had qualified for the 800M freestyle.
Schadler flew to Colorado Thursday night and had her whole weekend planned out. Games, practice and meals were all on the itinerary. The high altitude made the first practice a bit of an adjustment.
“The only thing I felt was the change in my underwaters,” Schadler said. “I couldn’t do as many dolphin kicks just because the breathing was different and the air was very thin.”
Schadler and the other 52 swimmers had morning and afternoon practices on Friday and Saturday. The sets varied from sprint and distance to medley and stroke-focused ones. Outside of the pool, they did technique-based dryland and explored the weight room.
“The facility for training was really awesome, and the weight room was amazing,” Schadler said. “They had turf and individual setups for everything. It’s two stories and huge.”
The Olympic Training Center was originally the Ent Air Force base, but it changed to the main base for Olympic athletes to train in 1976.
Between training sessions, Schadler played board games and enjoyed the delicious food that was provided. Her favorite meal was salmon with sesame oil.
As the camp session came to a close, Schadler was reminded of the privilege and gratitude she had for attending the camp.
“I’m so happy I was able to go and learn so much,” Schadler said. “The atmosphere was something I had never experienced before.”
With her sights now set on the Olympic trial cut for the 400M freestyle, Schadler will continue to train at Club Wolverine over the next few months. Trial cuts are times that get you an opportunity to join the United States Olympic team. Top swimmers like Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel train for years to achieve these times. Schadler being a high schooler and so close is phenomenal. Beyond that, she plans to attend Summer Junior Nationals in California and other top-tier meets around the country.
Along with meets, Schadler has her eye out for colleges. Tennessee, Indiana and Virginia are all on her radar. Since recruiting for athletes looking into Division 1 schools doesn’t start until after her sophomore year, Schadler has time to weigh her options.
“My main goal is just getting my times down,” Schadler says.
Schadler is back to the club season grind, continuing to train and work hard. Her time in Colorado Springs was just the beginning of a promising path toward her swimming career and college future.
