Olympic champions Gary Hall Jr. and Tyler Clary will headline a Freestyle and Backstroke swim camp at the College of Staten Island’s Sports and Recreation Center on April 25–26, as CSI Athletics once again partners with Fitter & Faster Swim Camps to bring elite instruction to swimmers from Staten Island and surrounding communities. Open to participants ages 9–11 and 12 and older, the camp reflects the College’s continued commitment to expanding high-level athletic opportunities through its aquatics program.
Fitter & Faster Swim Camps was started in 2009 to be a world-class learning experience for participants, led by more than 200 elite-level swimmers including 50+ Olympians and Paralympians who have won more than 100 Olympic and Paralympic medals. CSI Assistant Director of Athletics for Aquatics Michael Ackalitis, who also serves as the Head Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach, helped build the bridge with Fitter & Faster to bring the program to CSI’s natatorium.
“The partnership with Fitter & Faster has been great for us,” said Ackalitis. “Having access to Olympians helps us cast a wide net of potential students from all over the city, state, and bordering states. Funds raised from the event help support our CSI Swimming and Diving team, and our athletes gain valuable knowledge watching the instructors teach and learning of their experiences.”
Fitter & Faster conducted recent clinics with Olympians at CSI in January 2024 and featured four-time U.S. Olympic medal-winner Nick Thoman, who visited with CSI’s NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving teams before providing instruction on proper start-turn-finish techniques in the pool. The clinic drew swimmers from Staten Island, Brooklyn, Long Island, and New Jersey to CSI’s pool, and the event was so successful, that more clinics were scheduled in April and July of 2024 with Australian Olympic silver medalist Josh Watson.
This time around, CSI’s pool instruction will be led by two accomplished Olympians for the first time. Hall, Jr. is a three-time Olympian, winning a total of ten medals at the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Games, including five gold medals and two former world records in freestyle events. Clary competed in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, winning three medals, including the gold and former world record in the 200-meter Backstroke.
“To have two well-known Olympians teaching the clinics is invaluable,” explained Ackalitis. “Their knowledge of the strokes is unprecedented and for my staff and student-athletes to watch how they approach each session, teaching each student with attention to the smallest little detail, and hearing from their experiences on the world’s biggest stage, is something that cannot be replaced.”
To get more information on Fitter & Faster Swim Camps, visit their Website. Registration is now open for the April camps at CSI. Entrants are advised to register soon as spots are very limited. See below for registration details:
Swimmers Ages 9 to 11: Find Details and Register Here
Swimmers Ages 12 & Over: Find Details and Register Here
