Division III Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) was originally scheduled to go to Puerto Rico for their 2018 winter training trip, but like almost every other team (BYU was the notable exception), were forced to pull out of those plans after Hurricane Maria roared through in the fall. That left them to scramble-up a replacement location, which in this case meant 400 miles down the U.S. coast in Washington D.C.
They assembled a training trip from December 30th-January 7th training out of the Maryland, UMBC, and Naval Academy pools. The traditional winter training trips involving beaches and snorkeling weren’t viable in the frigid Mid-Atlantic winter, and so the team instead took on a more cultural experienced. They attended an NBA basketball game between the Wizards and the Bulls and visited the area’s many educational institutions including the National Zoo, the Smithsonian, and the National Aquarium.
Below, WPI juniors Caroline Flynn and Jenna Vandervort assembled the video below of the team’s training trip.