TCU Takes a Trip

TCU’s swimming and diving teams are gearing up for a big weekend in the hometown of head coach Richard Sybesma in Andrews, Texas. The trip is highlighted by a dual meet against UT-Permian Basin in a brand new facility, followed by stops at two Texas State Parks, Balmorhea and Fort Davis.

The weekend kicks off with a dual meet with UTPB Thursday in Andrews ISD’s new state-of-the-art natatorium at 4 p.m. Following the meet, TCU will head to Balmorhea and Fort Davis for a day of training and a chance to bond as a team.

“We did something like this two years ago and I really feel like we came back to campus as a stronger squad,” Sybesma said. “We get to swim in a brand new facility against a quality opponent and we also get to grow together as a team before we hit our conference schedule.”

At Balmorhea State Park, the Horned Frogs will train in the 77,000 square-foot, spring-fed pool that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1936 and 1941. The partly concrete-lined, lake-like pool is over twice as long as an Olympic-sized pool and because it is part of the state park, it is scattered with turtles and fish.

TCU will round out the trip in the mountains of Fort Davis State Park, enduring team-building tasks such as climbing and camping in the state park.

Sybesma believes that team unity is an important foundation to build before enduring a long season with more than 50 student-athletes and staff. The Frogs completed a ropes course during the offseason and will mesh together to take on the TCU swimming alumni for a session of challenges at the University Rec Center on Oct. 25.