Airdrie paraswimmer Alex Sharpe is more than thrilled after receiving an invitation to a prestigious swimming camp in Denmark.

Sharpe said that the camp, organized by NextGen, is designed to help players who are trying to get to the big games in Tokyo.

"It's a World Series meet in Denmark and the team that's going is a bunch of young swimmers that have been selected as prospects for the 2020 Paralympic team."

The local paraswimmer was overjoyed when he got the news that he'd officially been invited to the camp.

"I was in the middle of class and my phone buzzed and I saw the email, the invitation. It didn't say whether I was invited, all it said was 'based on the world ranking'. It was a little bit of anticipation before I opened it, I wasn't sure if I made the team or not. When I opened it, I was very excited."

The camp will run from February 26 to March 5 in Copenhagen. Sharpe said right now he's looking to be more mentally prepared for attending the camp.

"I have to get myself prepared for a big trip out of the country and swim on the world stage. It's going to be a lot more mental than it is physical going up, leading up to the competition. I've been working hard physically, but now it's going to be a lot of mental stuff."

So far in the swimming season, Sharpe said he's been training hard in the pool and with a weight training program at Winsport in Calgary.

 

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