Blake Amlicke, a junior at Pope John Paul II Preparatory School in Hendersonville, has been invited to participate in the USA Swimming’s 2023 National Select Camp. The camp features up-and-coming swimmers throughout the country and will provide an exclusive training and educational opportunity for all athletes in attendance. Invited athletes will gather at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Oct. 12-15 (boys) and Oct. 26-29 (girls).
“We are so excited for Blake Amlicke to represent Pope Prep and his club team at the National Select Camp,” said Pope Prep assistant swim coach Erin Springstead. “This honor shows how hard he has been working to achieve his goal of representing the United States at international competitions.”
A native of Clarksville, Tennessee, Amlicke swims for the Nashville Aquatic Club as well as for Pope Prep. During his freshman season at Pope, Amlicke was recognized as an All-American for his backstroke and butterfly state performances. Unfortunately, he was unable to swim for Pope during his sophomore season due to injury.
During the three-day camp, 52 boys and 52 girls will experience the day-to-day routine of a national team athlete. The athletes will learn about post-race recovery, drug and supplement rules, psychological training skills, nutrition, and race strategy.
Athletes were selected for the camps based on the following criteria:
• The top three athletes in each event, based on Long Course Meters (LCM) competition ranking from Sept. 1, 2022 to Aug. 31, 2023.
• The six female and six male athletes with the highest individual IMX Power Point scores between Sept. 1, 2022 and Aug. 31, 2023.
• The top two open water athletes in the 7.5k as well as the top 14-year-old athlete and 15-year-old athlete in the 5k from the 2023 USA Swimming Open Water Junior Nationals.
