Otter returned to La Santa in September 2014 for the annual training camp. 25 club members made the trek to sunny Lanzarote for a week’s worth of training and sunbathing in the work hard/play hard Otter tradition.

As always, plenty of other sports were on offer, with Otters excelling in pretty much everything they took up, especially on the tennis courts. La Santa also opened a new 50m pool on the other side of the resort, which Otter made use of most afternoons. With most days having a morning and afternoon session at two hours a piece, many also spent their free time sunning themselves on deck, enjoying one of La Santa’s many restaurants, or cooling off in their flat. All were pleased that Coach Steve made the trip again and provided everyone with challenging sets and plenty of useful, welcome advice.

The Otter ladies happily rose to challenge 2013’s Mr Motivator costumes and showed up for an afternoon session dressed as 1950s bathing beauties, complete with flowered caps. Not to be outdone, the guys came prepared for the annual Wednesday night out in Puerto del Carmen dressed in Baywatch outfits, only to discover that the ladies had the exact same idea. The locals and tourists in Puerto del Carmen were treated to more than two dozen Otters donning the red and yellow better known to the beaches of Southern California, ensuring that anyone’s hopes for a quiet candlelit dinner and nightcap were duly shattered. The night included a stop at a karaoke bar to sing the Baywatch theme song and hear the vocal skills of the bravest Otters who chose to sing solo or duet.

Many Otters competing at Nationals later in the year took advantage of the week at La Santa to peak before a well deserved taper, with others carrying on with the normal training schedule on their return to the UK. Felicity Hannon and Greg Comiskey took on the planning for La Santa 2014 and have handed over to Chris Sutton for 2015. Please speak to Chris to join this year’s La Santa trip, scheduled from 12-19 September 2015.