About
Arete Swim Camp focuses on teaching and refining swimming technique, including all four strokes, starts, turns, and racing skills. Campers take part in specific activities such as sack races, breaststroke pull instruction called “Mick Breastroke Pull,” and kick drill instruction called “Mick Kick Pick.” The camp also includes teaching mental skills and training habits, along with video analysis for all four strokes, starts, and turns.
• Schedule: Jun 28, 2026, 2:00 PM – Jul 02, 2026, 2:00 PM
The Arete Swim Camp has been serving children and families through the sport of competitive swimming for nearly three decades and promotes its 28th year in 2026. The camp’s curriculum has been developed over the past 30 years with thousands of campers and teaches all four strokes “from the inside out,” with a focus on posture, balance, and creating more efficient swimming shapes. The word “ARETE” is an ancient Greek word that means “champion” or “achievement everlasting,” and the Arete legacy, created by Coach Chuck Warner, continues under the direction of Coach Mickey Wender. The camp states goals that include creating the most rewarding learning experience, allowing campers to become more efficient swimmers, tailoring workouts to individual needs, giving campers the chance to go fast, focusing on the entire swimmer (mind, body, spirit), and teaching life lessons through the sport, with four core objectives related to improving skills, enhancing self-esteem as swimmers, developing joy in teamwork, and creating “WOW” experiences about the sport. Video analysis is provided for all four strokes, starts, and turns, and the camp notes that hiring the right staff takes time and that the full staff list is announced closer to the start of camp.
The leadership team includes Mickey Wender as Head Coach; Chuck Warner as Guest Coach and Founder of the Arete Swim Camp; and Kate Wender and Sam Wender as Camp Administrators. Coach Mickey Wender has over 30 years of experience as a head collegiate swim coach and has run swim camps at the University of Washington, the United States Military Academy, and Colorado Mesa University, and he has coached All American swimmers at every level and is currently the head coach at Colorado Mesa University. Coach Chuck Warner is the founder of the Arete Swim Camp, an ASCA Hall of Fame Member, author of several books, and has led teams to seven National Y team championships, three NCAA Championship runners-up teams (Division II), and seven runners-up Big East Conference teams. Kate Wender is a former college swimmer who has taught swimming for over 30 years and is a mother of four children, and Sam Wender is an elementary school teacher and swim instructor.
A parent endorsement describes the camp as providing a stimulating competitive atmosphere that builds on teamwork, sportsmanship, self-esteem, and shows the results of hard work and discipline, and notes that a positive transformation for the sport and lessons learned carry on through campers’ lives. Another testimonial from swimmer Joshua Zock thanks Coach Wender for ten years of “Perfect Practice” and notes that he swam from 2010–2019.
Last updated July 5, 2026.
• Schedule: Jun 28, 2026, 2:00 PM – Jul 02, 2026, 2:00 PM
The Arete Swim Camp has been serving children and families through the sport of competitive swimming for nearly three decades and promotes its 28th year in 2026. The camp’s curriculum has been developed over the past 30 years with thousands of campers and teaches all four strokes “from the inside out,” with a focus on posture, balance, and creating more efficient swimming shapes. The word “ARETE” is an ancient Greek word that means “champion” or “achievement everlasting,” and the Arete legacy, created by Coach Chuck Warner, continues under the direction of Coach Mickey Wender. The camp states goals that include creating the most rewarding learning experience, allowing campers to become more efficient swimmers, tailoring workouts to individual needs, giving campers the chance to go fast, focusing on the entire swimmer (mind, body, spirit), and teaching life lessons through the sport, with four core objectives related to improving skills, enhancing self-esteem as swimmers, developing joy in teamwork, and creating “WOW” experiences about the sport. Video analysis is provided for all four strokes, starts, and turns, and the camp notes that hiring the right staff takes time and that the full staff list is announced closer to the start of camp.
The leadership team includes Mickey Wender as Head Coach; Chuck Warner as Guest Coach and Founder of the Arete Swim Camp; and Kate Wender and Sam Wender as Camp Administrators. Coach Mickey Wender has over 30 years of experience as a head collegiate swim coach and has run swim camps at the University of Washington, the United States Military Academy, and Colorado Mesa University, and he has coached All American swimmers at every level and is currently the head coach at Colorado Mesa University. Coach Chuck Warner is the founder of the Arete Swim Camp, an ASCA Hall of Fame Member, author of several books, and has led teams to seven National Y team championships, three NCAA Championship runners-up teams (Division II), and seven runners-up Big East Conference teams. Kate Wender is a former college swimmer who has taught swimming for over 30 years and is a mother of four children, and Sam Wender is an elementary school teacher and swim instructor.
A parent endorsement describes the camp as providing a stimulating competitive atmosphere that builds on teamwork, sportsmanship, self-esteem, and shows the results of hard work and discipline, and notes that a positive transformation for the sport and lessons learned carry on through campers’ lives. Another testimonial from swimmer Joshua Zock thanks Coach Wender for ten years of “Perfect Practice” and notes that he swam from 2010–2019.
Last updated July 5, 2026.
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