CALGARY – After a very successful first half of the season, the T-Birds are back in the pool this weekend for the first of three intercollegiate meets in the second semester, culminating in March's U SPORTS Championships.
 
First up is the University Cup Mountain, hosted by the Calgary Dinos. The Dinos will be looking to get one over on the Thunderbirds after finishing in second place on both the men's and women's sides at the University Cup Pacific as well as the Canada West Championships in November.
 
"Immediately following Christmas our team was back to hard training," said UBC head coach Derrick Schoof. "Our training camp during the break was both fun and productive. Since then, we are still training hard so the athletes need to lead balanced lives and take advantage of the weekends for some much-needed recovery. Refueling, active recovery, and sleep are all very important for swimmers who train as much as they do. 
 
"I'm keeping our expectations in check for this weekend, as we certainly don't want to be peaking now, so we're really just looking for excellent efforts and execution. Racing in Calgary is very tough – so it will really help us be better for U SPORTS Championships once we've had a chance to taper."
 
The T-Birds have showcased their fantastic depth so far this campaign, with over two dozen different athletes earning a podium finish in at least one of the University Cup Pacific and Canada West Championships.


 
"The team is working hard in the pool, in the gym, and in the classroom," remarked Schoof. "With that comes tough moments, and great learning opportunities…being a student-athlete at UBC requires determination, discipline, and organization. Our team is excelling in all areas and I'm very proud of their spirit and resilience."
 
Following the University Cup Mountain is the West Coast Collegiate in Victoria on the weekend of February 21 and 22. After that it's just a few short weeks until UBC will fight to defend their national championship banners in Markham, Ontario on March 13 and 14.
 
"Our approach is to keep things light," said Schoof on the mindset heading into this weekend. "Just take one race at a time, focus on race tactics and execution, and give it our best effort. 
 
"It's important not to dwell on our outcome too much, but really focus on the process and learn as much as we can this weekend. It will certainly show us areas for improvement that we can learn from and practice on for the next three weeks before heading to Victoria for our next competition."