Congratulations to Tyler Gimple for winning both the photo contest and the story contest for Summer Session I 2016! Tyler is a swimmer from the University of Mary Washington who participated in our Study Abroad and Swimming Program. As Tyler explains in his story, this program is perfect for varsity athletes who wish to have an international experience while still keeping up with their training. Read Tyler’s story below to learn more about what it’s like to be a student-athlete on a summer program with SAIIE in Sevilla!
Be sure to also check out Tyler’s photo of the celebration of Sevilla Futbol Club’s win of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League.The people of Seville gathered at Puerta Jerez to cheer on the champions as they rode through the city on a bus.
Congratulations to Tyler Gimple for winning both the photo contest and the story contest for Summer Session I 2016! Tyler is a swimmer from the University of Mary Washington who participated in our Study Abroad and Swimming Program. As Tyler explains in his story, this program is perfect for varsity athletes who wish to have an international experience while still keeping up with their training. Read Tyler’s story below to learn more about what it’s like to be a student-athlete on a summer program with SAIIE in Sevilla!
Be sure to also check out Tyler’s photo of the celebration of Sevilla Futbol Club’s win of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League.The people of Seville gathered at Puerta Jerez to cheer on the champions as they rode through the city on a bus. This photo was taken at the Avenida Constitución just before arriving to Puerta de Jerez.
The team at SAIIE and his Spanish swimming teammates will miss Tyler, and we wish him all the best with the rest of his summer and his future swim meets!
“I chose to come to this trip because the summer before I took part in a study abroad trip to a different city in Spain. Having enjoyed that trip immensely, I decided that I wanted to participate in another study abroad trip to a different part of Spain. Being a competitive swimmer for my university’s varsity swim team, it was not ideal to be out of the water for 4-5 consecutive weeks. For me, I didn’t think I would do another study abroad because I did not want to miss an entire month of training over the summer again. However, when I discovered the program that SAIIE offered contained everything my previous study abroad had offered and also had the swimming component, I decided it would be a great program in which to participate. When I arrived in Seville, I could immediately tell that this city was wonderful. All the people of Seville are extremely nice and welcoming and were glad to help me get used to the city. My first day in Seville, I swam my first practice at Club Nautico. I was a little bit nervous going my first day, but I quickly realized that the training and swimming with Nautico wasn’t too hard to get used to and I quickly became friends with some of the other swimmers. They were all extremely nice and hardworking and were glad to help me understand the practices and were always glad to stay after practice and help me with my spanish speaking skills. The swimming is at a high level and is great training for any committed college athlete. In addition to the swimming, SAIIE offers out of the classroom activities everyday and will always keep you engaged. One of the highlights of this trip was to be a part of the soccer celebration for Fútbol Club Sevilla. A massive celebration in the city center in which the team came through the city on the top of a bus and all the fans were cheering for them. This program offers everything that an ordinary study abroad would offer while also offering the incredible opportunity of keeping your training in mind while experiencing your sport in a different country and learning how it is viewed and done in Spain.” - Tyler Gimple, SAIIE Summer Session I Story Contest Winner 2016