CORAL SPRINGS, FL- The Bryn Mawr swim team traveled to Coral Springs, Florida for their 2026 winter training trip that included practices, a mock-meet, and team-building activities.

January 8th, 2026 

We left for the airport super early around 4:15! We were greeted by a very chipper bus driver who was dressed in Bryn Mawr colors for the occasion. Our airport attire was t-shirts that we secretly gifted to one another as one of our team traditions! We definitely received some looks. After an easy trip, we arrived in Florida, unpacked, and got Chipotle for lunch. It was so awesome being able to eat outside. After lunch we made our way to the pool for our first practice of the trip! Two hours later we made our way to the grocery store to stock up on goodies for the week. Then it was back to the hotel to rest and prepare for the rest of our trip. - Maya Madden ‘26

January 9th, 2026

Our day started early with our first morning practice at 8am! We swam hard then followed our practice with a lift led by Allison! After practice we went back to the hotel and enjoyed some time in the sunshine: tanning, reading, and coloring by the pool. 

Then it was time to go back to the pool. We swam a little bit in the long course pool on our own and then switched over to the short course pool to have a mock-meet with Vassar! We did mixed medley relays with their men and women’s teams and then swam a bunch of 100s and 200s races! After this fun time, we got team dinner at Chilis! Enjoying chips and salsa and lots of triple dippers! - Maya Madden ‘26

January 10th, 2026 

Saturday started with another morning practice but today we switched it up! After hustling back to the hotel to change, we packed the cars and headed to Fort Lauderdale for a beach day! We purposely picked this day to be our beach day as it was the warmest and the sunniest! We got to swim in the ocean and spend lots of time hanging out on the beach! Our spot was conveniently located close to a bunch of small food shops, so we enjoyed lunch on the beach as well! We were lucky and this endeavor only ended with a few sunburns! After spending so many hours on the beach we headed back to the hotel and called it an early night so we could prepare for Sunday’s doubles! - Maya Madden ‘26

January 11th, 2026

We started off with a morning practice in the pool, followed by a lift! Allison really worked us out and by the end of the morning we were all dripping sweat! This day was another beautiful sunny day, so after practice we enjoyed more time by the hotel pool! I can’t even imagine how many coloring pages we went through during this trip!

After our little break we went back to the pool for our second practice of the day! It was nice swimming at the Coral Springs Aquatic Club because we were fortunate enough to swim in long course and short course pools! A rare opportunity usually! After our afternoon practice we had another fun night where we drove about 20 minutes to catch the sunset at the Everglades! It was so beautiful and a great way to appreciate the nature around us! We took lots of photos and just spent more time soaking in being with each other! Then it was back to the hotel! - Maya Madden ‘26

January 12th, 2026

The second half of the week began with morning practice in the short course pool. Coach Caroline, who we had to leave in the Pennsylvania cold, facetimed into practice to give out our practice set! It was a little cloudier on this day, so the team spent some time inside our hotel rooms working hard on our books and coloring pages.

The afternoon included practice in the long course pool, and we split into sprint and distance groups. Bryn Mawr swim then turned into Bryn Mawr golf, as the team took a trip to Top Golf! - Jane Farrell ‘26

January 13th, 2026

Tuesday morning was a much-needed recovery practice. We stayed mostly dry (the turf was damp from the rain the night before) and took part in a two hour stretch and mobility led by Coach Allison. The best part of dryland practice is being able to hear everyone’s song requests!

In the afternoon we swam in the long course pool for an hour, and practiced some widths in the diving well. After this extended warmup, we got out of the pool and learned some basic Taekwondo techniques from a Taekwondo master!! He talked to us about what it is like to compete on a world stage. In partners we worked on our kicks, and at the end some of us got the opportunity to play a game versus the master himself! After really working up a sweat, we took a trip to an All You Can Eat Sushi Buffet! – Jane Farrell ‘26 

January 14th, 2026

Wednesday was our last full day in Florida! The weather turned around for us, so we were able to enjoy our last few hours in the sun. We had two practices, a morning swim in the short course pool, and an afternoon swim in the long course pool. Our finishing set was a team relay that raced against Coach Matt! Him and Coach Margaret both took turns swimming parts of each practice with us!

After practice we took time to pack our bags, and finished the night with pizza and smores by a fire pit! We took this opportunity recount all of the funny moments of the trip! – Jane Farrell ‘26

January 15th, 2026

Thursday morning we said goodbye to Florida and flew back to chilly Pennsylvania! – Jane Farrell ‘26