A former Olympic swim coach sees positive prospects for Bermuda?s future in the pool.

Nick Baker?s assessment comes amid a five-day clinic which he and fellow American coach, Lois Daigneault, are holding with about 50 of the Island?s junior swimmers at BASA Pool.

?There is truly a great deal of (swimming) potential and knowledge on this Island. With those two things together I think there?s a bright future for Bermudian swimming and the fact that the clubs got together to bring us here suggests they want to go in that direction,? observed Baker, noting the clinic was ?sold out? well beforehand and that talks are underway to make this an annual event.

The two coaches from Peak Performance Swim Camp in Orlando, Florida, explained that what they were teaching children here is a ?condensed version? of the operation they have in the USA.

?We?re basically covering all four strokes ? butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. We?ve been doing drills in all four strokes as well as drills in starts, turns and finishes,? said Baker, pointing out that?s the technical aspect of the sport.

Regarding physical training, participants are put through a combination of dry-land and water exercises, including running, calisthenics, stretching and power-type workouts.

Mental preparation is also vital and the coach said one of the six hours which the kids spend at the camp daily is devoted to this.

?We prepare a log book that every swimmer gets when they come to camp. Inside are all sorts of mental things in terms of how to be a better swimmer, how to think, the right mindset before competition,? explained Baker whose camp winds up tomorrow.