Category: Camps

With so much hype over the Yellowstone “Skiapalooza” Thanksgiving Camp, I figured a story about one of the “other” Thanksgiving camps might be of interest.

Since I'm not really among the nation's elite level of Nordic skiers, I just couldn't justify making a long trip from my home in Los Alamos, NM, all the way up to West Yellowstone. It may only be two states away, but that is some serious geography (and in this case, topography…) to cover.

Crested Butte Thanksgiving Camp

Devil’s Thumb Thanksgiving Camp

Finally — a world-class Nordic training camp in the High Sierra. For years Nordic skiers have made the early ski season pilgrimage to West Yellowstone.

The High Sierra Nordic Camp is the alternative to this long travel and its high gas prices for the early season shake out the summer-cobwebs ski camp. It is ideally timed, in between holidays, yet still early in the season to provide that all-important jump start to your ski season.

The High Sierra offers the peak experience of a full-service, intimate camp.

www.farwestnordic.org

A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the Far West Nordic Association.

Schedule

Pre-workout yoga (optional)
Three-hour morning skate and classic technique sessions with video
Lunch/Dartfish video analysis
Afternoon individual ski
Evening presentations (optional)

Camp Cost: $389 — What’s Included:

Four days of instruction
Four day pass at Royal Gorge ($64 discount for Royal Gorge pass holders)
Dartfish video analysis
Four day pass at Tahoe Forest Hospital Center for Health and Sports Performance
Yoga
Evening presentations
One group dinner

Single Day Sessions
$101/day ($16 discount for Royal Gorge season pass holders)

Additional Costs:

Tahoe Forest Hospital Center for Health and Sports Performance
VO2 Max or Sub-Max, and Functional Movement test $95 (a $215 value)
Three month training program included (a $300 value)
Massage available upon request

Lodging

Ice Lakes Lodge, Serene Lakes
Special Camp rate of $100/night for two people (a $165 value)

3-day cross-country program designed for all ability levels

A huge snow storm has delivered winter to the Colorado Mountains before Haloween this year and things are looking great for the Boulder Nordic Sport Thanksgiving Camp Nov 24-26. Devil’s Thumb has begun grooming trails in preparation for an early opening and conditions look excellent for Thanksgiving week.

WHAT:
2006 Boulder Nordic Sport Thanksgiving Cross-Country Ski Camp

WHEN:
November 24-26, 2006

CAMP COST:
$239 per person before Nov. 4, 2006; $279 through Nov. 18, 2005 (registration deadline). Cost does not include lodging or trail passes. Discounted three-day trail passes for people not staying at Devil’s Thumb Ranch are available (see below). All participants must have a valid trail pass to participate.

DETAILS:
The Fifth Annual Thanksgiving Camp combines top-notch ski coaching at the region’s premier cross country ski resort, Devil’s Thumb Ranch, just 65 miles west of Denver outside Winter Park.

Led by Denver University Nordic Coach Wolf Wallendorf and Subaru Factory Team racer/coach Eric Meyer, several former NCAA skiers and special guests are also joining the coaching staff to provide all levels of skiers with technique coaching and video analysis. In addition, participants will receive a variety of useful tips and information, ranging from training and racing advice to waxing clinics and more.

WEEKEND OVERVIEW:
The Camp is designed and staffed for all levels of skiers, from novice to citizen racer, and will combine significant technique work with a good amount of skiing.

Morning and afternoon coaching sessions will take place on Friday and Saturday, with one longer morning session Sunday to allow for early departures. Skiers will be grouped according to ability with no more than eight skiers per coach to provide the best coaching experience possible.

LODGING/MEAL PACKAGES:
Discount lodging packages are available through Devil’s Thumb Ranch and include trail passes, daily continental breakfast, afternoon wine & cheese reception, and use of all pool, spa and Ranch facilities. A meal plan is also available.

RESERVATIONS & INFORMATION:
For more information see www.bouldernordicsport.com or contact Boulder Nordic Sport at 800.380.5048. Registration is available on-line at www.active.com (search for “boulder nordic”), in person at Boulder Nordic Sport or by phone.

Lodging reservations should be made directly with Devil’s Thumb Ranch at 800-933-4339 or 970-726-5632 or by visiting www.devilsthumbranch.com. Additional lodging options are available at: http://www.rkymtnhi.com/Visitors/accommodations.html

November 3, 2006

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (Sept. 25) – An expanded program, fresh coaching staff and an all-new approach to training is propelling the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team toward completion of another successful training camp in the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Village.

http://ussa.smugmug.com/gallery/1919352

For audio of Lake Placid Camp: http://www.ussamedia.com/photos_audio/2006_07/cross%20country/lake%20placid/

Source: USSA

With one month to go before the World Cup opener in Dusseldorf, Germany the U.S. Ski Team preparations have moved east to the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center in upstate New York. The two-week training camp has taken advantage of Lake Placid’s low altitude, rolling terrain and U.S. Olympic Committee-funded accommodations.

Athletes from XC Oregon, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, CXC, and New England’s top juniors have joined the U.S. Ski Team in Lake Placid. “Training with the U.S. Ski Team at the last couple camps has been a great experience,” said Team Rossignol’s Kevin Hochtl (Vail, Co). “I have world class athletes to train with, and I get a sense of how they prepare for their sport. They are very professional — really focused on what the day’s task is. Then they go out and get it done, making sure training is done the right way in regards to technique and intensity.

“Chris Grover (USST Sprint Coach) called this spring, inviting me to all the USST training camps. I’ve found he’s an incredible guy. He knows what’s going on with skiing, especially in the sprinting realm. It’s great working with him because he really wants to see Americans go fast. And from what I’ve seen, people are already skiing faster. The technique and the intensity everyone’s bringing to training and time-trials is better. You can see that the national team skiers have made steady gains this summer.”

Some of this progression might be attributable to USST Strength and Conditioning Coach Zach Wetterford. “Sport training comes first, second and third. Always. Plyometrics, specific strength drills, and weight work just enhance sport training,” says Mr. Wetterford. “The strength work I have the sprinters (Andy Newell, Chris Cook, Torin Koos), Andrew Johnson and the Continental Cup girls (Liz Stephen, Morgan Arritola) doing is structured around two themes – injury prevention and consistency in training.

“Yes, we’re working on our athletes to get them stronger, to be more powerful skiers. But power and strength gains only help performance if the athlete becomes more powerful within their technique, not necessarily in an absolute sense. You can’t lose this when supplementing sport training with something like weight lifting or plyometrics.”

World Cup Coach Justin Wadsworth sees encouraging signs at the camp. “This camp has been an opportunity to work extensively at higher intensities. We’ve spent the earlier camps at altitude, between Park City and New Zealand, so this is the first block of sea level for everyone to focus on getting in some real quality work.

And what does low altitude provide? “Oxygen. With more oxygen, movements are quicker, and more powerful. And you can sustain intensity longer. Sure, you can do threshold or Vo2 Max intervals anywhere, but at altitude ski movements tend to be slower, heart rates are suppressed (at sea level, you can reach higher heart rates when training at a set lactate production level), and ski speed isn’t the same.

“For all skiers, and especially our sprinters with the World Cup opener around the corner, Lake Placid has been ideal. Dusseldorf is also at low altitude, so benefits carry over in this short a period. The sprinters have been competing a fair amount at this camp against each other. This competition is a good thing, especially in preparation right before beginning the race season.”
And the distance and continental cup skiers? Justin sees the distance skiers as ever diligent about staying on top of the small things that allow one to handle huge training loads that’ll allow them to keep progressing. And the conti cuppers? “They look good. They look solid. We just got to keep them consistent and hungry over a long period of time.”

“I love being back in the East,” said Liz Stephen. “I like the thick air. The humidity feels good. Then add in the facilities here — ice baths, athletic trainers on staff — at the Olympic Training Center. It’s hard not to be a good skier here.”

For daily camp updates, training schedules, and photos go to: http://nensa.net

www.skileavenworth.com )

Headgear Sponsor: USA Pears ( www.usapears.com )
Best Western Icicle Inn ( www.icicleinn.com )
BioSports NorthWest Physical Therapy ( www.biosports.net )

The CXC Team August camp started in Hayward in Mid-August and then joined MN Nordic Project for a four day camp on the North Shore of Lake Superior to wrap up 2 weeks of quality training. The Hayward section of the camp concluded with a skate rollerski time trial. Week one included more intensity, while the second week focused on aerobic endurance training.

WEEK ONE:

Day 1: We started with an easy jog, short strength and stretch at 7:00 AM. Departed at 9:00 AM for running intervals on the track. The women did 10 X 800 meters and the men did 10 X 1,000 meters at an intensity slightly above threshold (6 mmol lactate) with 3 minutes of recovery. The goal of the intervals was to accumulate lactate acid during the interval and rapidly flush during recovery. The goal was to maintain pace, heart rate and lactate for all intervals. It is evident that an athlete is not flushing lactates between intervals if they display increasing lactates at the same pace. The function to flush lactate is predominantly due to aerobic capacity.

We are becoming more efficient at these workouts. Alternating from the track to skate intervals. The goal is to do all these intervals in a sport specific manner, but the track is excellent for the athletes to learn the intensity output and pacing skills.The day concluded with a 5:00PM strength session. Most of the activities utilize free weights. We did three sets with 8, 8 & 5 repetitions. Core exercises are typically at a slightly higher repetition.

Day 2: Rigorous days are followed with easy endurance days. The morning working included skate rollerskiing with technique emphasis and an afternoon run with a general endurance fitness emphasis.

Day 3: We started with an easy jog, short strength and stretch at 7:00 AM followed by a 9:00 AM specific strength poling. We have increased the resistive load of our poling strength by utilizing a steeper grade. Light body resistance strength with some plyometrics concluded the day.

Day 4: Saturday included threshold ski walking intervals in the AM and an easy PM jog. The athletes nailed the intensity based on lactate analysis. We have witnessed positive pace shifts throughout this workout due to technique improvements. Our goal is to nail pace and intensity and witness continued improvement.

Day 5: We headed to Ino, WI and did a 3.5 hour over distance classic on Cty Rd. 246. Cty Rd 246 is a very remote road intersecting Highway US 2. Bill and Matt Pierce from Hayward HS joined us for a couple of hours. It was an enjoyable ski with rolling to gradual terrain. Cool temperatures for the whole ski. The weather was almost perfect until we were soaked by cold rain at the very end during our pick-ups.

WEEK TWO:

Day 6 : We took the entire day off. Caitlin and Matt Liebsch joined Garrott, Laura and Brian. Traveling with Caitlin and Matt were Ben Kremer and Mary Beth Liebsch. We have since nominated/ promoted Mary Beth to CXC Team cook. Thanks Mary Beth for the cooking!

Day 7: The AM session included a relatively short skate threshold interval set and the afternoon was off.

Day 8: We started with an easy jog, short strength and stretch at 7:00 AM. We then did a morning distance skate workout and a strength session in the afternoon.

Day 9: Our morning workout included 30 sec double pole intervals focusing on power and technique. We followed up the double pole intervals with specific strength single stick and a specific core strength exercise. The afternoon was off.

Day 10: We started with an easy jog, short strength and stretch at 7:00 AM. Followed by a general endurance workout in the morning. Caitlin, Brian and Garrott went for a distance run. Laura opted to switch it up and go for a road bike. I joined Laura. It was a laid back and enjoyable ride which took our mind away from skiing for a little bit. We had a little pact — no discussion of skiing for the 2.5 hour ride. We tried. Each of us brought up skiing twice.

Day 11: The Team plus a few local athletes did a skate time trial at Cty OO. This provided some feedback on performance, for we did the same time trail in July. We use test rollerskis, so results can be accurately compared. It was great having John Bauer join us. The men on average dropped 57 seconds and the women an average dropped 17 seconds. Then on the road to Grand Marais, MN to join Piotr Bednarski and his MN Nordic Project North Shore Camp. We did a short strength regimen once we arrived.

The four day North Shore Camp predominantly consisted of distance runs on the scenic Lake Superior trail. Piotr Bednarski stated, “It was great having the CXC athletes here, for it raised the bar of our camp.” The CXC athletes enjoyed the opportunity to train with a fresh group of generally younger athletes.

Day 12: We started with an easy jog, short strength and stretch at 6:30AM. The AM session included classic threshold intervals on a long ascent on the Gunflint trail. In the afternoon, we ran from our remote outpost into Grand Marais on the Lake Superior trail. We were rewarded with an abrupt and rapid decent into Grand Marais. The scenery was great. Negotiating the descent was a blast. We played some ultimate Frisbee and took a swim in Lake Superior.

Day 13: We went on an 18 mile jog on the Lake Superior trail. We departed south of Lutsen Alpine Village and jogged to Lutsen. MN Nordic Project had lunch, liquids and snacks half way. The total duration was between 3.5 and 4 hours for the athletes.

Day 14: We traveled southbound in the morning to Silver Bay. We were dropped off and ran 12 miles on the Lake Superior trail. We then fueled back up and immediately double poled on the bike path the remainder of the way to Gooseberry Falls.

The CXC Team heads to the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid shortly for a 2 week Camp with the US Ski Team and others September 11th through the 25th. Several other CXC Development Group members led by Yuri Gusev will join us there for one week.

Stay tuned…train wisely,

Bryan Fish
CXC Team Head Coach

Name		Skate Time Trial (7/4)	Skate Time Trial (8/19)
Garrott Kuzzy	14:01			13:02
Matt Liebsch	14:11			13:07
Brian Gregg	14:14			13:27
Caitlin Compton	15:43			15:23
Laura Valaas	17:35			17:20

September 6, 2006

On snow skiing and volume is the main focus for the Norwegian team’s Ramsau, Austria training camp. But Jens Arne Svartedal is warning about pushing too hard.

The Norwegian sprint and distance teams arrived Ramsau before last weekend, while the women’s team arrived on Monday August 28.

The nationalteam skiers have not been on snow since early June, so on-snow skiing is the main focus at the seven day long camp.

Curious about the conditions

– We have been through a period with lots of intensity and volume, and on-snow skiing is therefore the main focus at this camp, says Vidar Lofshus.

The athlete developer is saying that the training in Ramsau will be as specific as possible. — It’s skiing we are training for, he says.

Jens Arne Svartedal is also looking forward to a week on Austrian snow.

September 1, 2006

From the 12th to 16th of July the 6th Annual Trout Lake Ski Camp was held in scenic Trout Lake Washington. Nestled at the base of Mt. Adams in the Cascade Mountain Range and billed as a “dry-land training dream,” the training opportunities in Trout Lake did not disappoint. First discovered by Bill Koch, Trout Lake has been a summertime training destination for a couple generations of elite level American skiers. The combination of generally traffic-less paved logging roads, easy access to hiking, great trails for running and bounding, and of course a perfect bridge for jumping off, makes it the ideal place for hosting a training camp. Run by MBSEF with support of PNSA, this year’s camp was the largest yet and attracted 43 skiers from all over the Northwest.

With emphasis on testing and technique the camp had an elite level feel and the campers rose to the occasion. Workouts ran (pretty much) smoothly from the get-go and even the J2s seemed focused and receptive to instruction. Proper body position and coordinated movements were emphasized and each skier had video footage taken during the distance workouts. At the end of the camp this footage was compiled with a technique video and each skier left the camp with a personalized ski technique video. Produced by Ben Husaby with help from Dakota Black-Horse von Jess, this video showed common errors, then contrasted these errors with footage of proper technique and ways for moving into proper body position. Each skier’s individual footage was spliced into the technique movie allowing for easy comparison and analysis of technique.

In addition to the distance/video work-outs, over the first three days campers also participated in bounding, neuromuscular training (affectionately known simply as “jumping”), and medals-style testing work-outs. The testing was particularly noteworthy because of its basis in recent physiological studies. Consisting of several types of jumping, a 20m run, and a 300m run, this testing focuses on areas where Nordic skiers have traditionally been weak. Although the testing, jumping, and bounding work-outs were physically demanding, leaving several campers unable to efficiently descend stairs, everyone seemed to agree on the utility of these exercises. Head coach Ben Husaby provided physiological and ski-specific motivation for these work-outs and many of the skiers seemed eager to incorporate these exercises into their training regimens.

On the morning of the fourth day a classic roller-ski time trial was held. Although held on an accidentally shortened parcours, this was still one of the highlights of the week. Generally flat for the first 2.0 km, after a sweeping right hand turn the race headed up hill for the next 1.5 km. While intended to be 5km, it was to the apparent relief of a number of the skiers that the finish was incorrectly set-up at the first pull-off a little under a kilometer below the intended finish-line. Although discounting himself pre-race, on the Men’s side Big Bad Ben Husaby stormed to victory in the only time under ten minutes. When discussing his surprise at the location of the finish line Ben mentioned that he was “just getting ready to kick ass.” Following up in a time of 10:47 was a hard-charging Tom Smith followed closely by Dakota Blackhorse von Jess in 3rd, Erik Bjornson—despite an embarrassing finish-line crash—in 4th (winning the J2 catergory) and Charlie Smith in 5th at 11:05. On the women’s side Sadie Bjornson matched Ben’s performance with an equally dominating time of 12:44 (good for 7th overall) which distanced herself from the tight race for second which had the next three finishers separated by under five seconds. The women’s J2 winner was Monica Markvardsen.

On the final morning campers had the chance to hike part of beautiful Mt. Adams with a select group being allowed to summit the 12,000+ ft. peak. Although a beautiful mountain to hike up, with many scenic vistas, the highlight was certainly the descent with its wide-open sun-softened snowfields. Improvising sleds with windbreakers and backpacks, or even simply sliding in shoes, we made short work of the snowfields and were reminded of some of the wonderful properties of snow. After returning to Trout Lake campers helped clean up and then headed their separate ways tired-out but energized for the coming season. Realizing that there are many ways to improve, hopefully the campers will keep the momentum of the camp going until ski season. On a final note, the participants in the Trout Lake Camp would like to thank Connie and Roger Black for the use (and abuse) of their home. Hopefully we didn’t leave it in too bad a shape and you guys will have us back next year!

Regarding their experiences the campers composed a few haikus:

“we had so much fun
we met this guy named jerry
he was real scary”

” we jumped off a bridge
we hiked far along a ridge
i can't feel my legs”

and my fav

“Trout Lake, not a lake,
Logging roads, not for logging
Training Camp, we trained”

August 7, 2006

Far West Nordic juniors skiers recently returned from this summer’s first High Sierra training camp, held in the Sierra Nevada region of June Lake, near the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park. At 7,600 ft., June Lake has proven over the past years to be a perfect location for high altitude training, with excellent access to hill bounding, roller skiing and mountaineering (not to mention some great lake swimming). This year’s camp was once again led by 2-time Olympic athlete Nancy Fiddler, along with Far West Nordic’s Head Coach Ben Grasseschi, and it featured 20 young athletes of varying abilities and fitness who have expressed a strong desire to become faster skiers over the summer training months.

As is tradition, the camp began on Thursday afternoon at the beach of June Lake with a set of team-bonding exercises, which quickly escalated to a vigorous game of SpeedBall. Thursday evening also featured a trip to the famous Bachar Boulders for some serious rock climbing, lasting well into the darkness hours.

Friday’s program featured some special new drills cooked up by Coach Fiddler, who emphasized that “If you can change something right now in the summer, you are going to ski better in the winter.” With that in mind, Nancy put the athletes through a series of drills designed to improve their classic technique, with an emphasis on correct body position and forward motion. To complete the workout, all the athletes then worked on proper ski walking technique on the slopes of June Mountain itself, culminating in a long, level 3 time trial up the steep climb.

After a long break for lunch and some camp lounging (including the compulsory rope swing and occasional tree jumping into nearby Gull Lake), the workouts began anew with a Classic technique roller ski in the beautiful valley southeast of Mammoth Lakes, with incredible views of the Sierra Crest and Mammoth Mountain itself, still featuring a significant amount of snow on its upper slopes to tantalize cross country skiers longing for winter. After a series of drills led by the coaches, the athletes really found a need to focus on snow images, as the climb through the steep canyon near Crowley Lake led to temperatures in the 90’s (F), and exhausted and parched skiers eagerly awaited the arrival of the shuttle van.

Saturday was the highlight of the trip for many, with all the athletes and coaches heading south to Rock Creek for an attempt to climb 13,760 ft. Mt. Morgan, a behemoth of a peak directly east of the main Sierra crest. Starting at an elevation of 9,600 ft., this 4,000+ foot climb was a significant endeavor for many, with more than half of the route scrambling off-trail over talus and snow. Amazingly, 100% of all who attempted the climb succeeded in reaching the summit, and were rewarded with unsurpassed views of the entire High Sierra. And being skiers at heart, the route down was filled with quite a bit of glissading on foot, rear, and even some frontal “penguin” sliding, led by Head Coach Grasseschi.

On Sunday morning, it was time to strap on the skate rollerskis and head back for some more ski-specific drills on the pavement, followed up by a strength workout on the grass at the nearby ball fields, with the imposing Sierra Crest and Mt. Morrison looming close above. Afterwards, it was time to pack up and head back home, whether that was south to Mammoth Lakes or Bishop, or north to Truckee and Lake Tahoe. This camp was notable for the strong bonds that developed between all the athletes, whether they were Junior Olympic athletes or younger, Development-age skiers. Many of these same campers are planning on heading back to the area for Far West Nordic’s next camp in August, a 4-day trip to Yosemite itself in the Tuolumne Meadows area. Designed specifically for older, more experienced athletes, this camp will feature much of the same variety as the June Lake camp, but with a significantly higher level of intensity.

A gallery of photos is available on the Far West Nordic website at www.farwestnordic.org , and skiers are encouraged to email the office at info@farwestnordic.org with any questions about training camps and programs for cross country skiers in the Far West division.

August 4, 2006

July 12th through 16th saw approximately 25 junior skiers from around Colorado gather on the Western State College Campus to take part in the Western State College/Crested Butte-Gunnison Nordic Summer Training Camp. The camp provided young skiers with the chance to work with an impressive group of coaches who have 7 trips to the Olympic Games between them. 3 time Olympian Ingrid Butts shared her insights on training, racing and preparing for a career as a skier. 2 time Olympian and Western State College Graduate, Wendy Wagner coached roller ski workouts, ran and hiked with the campers and shared her Olympic experiences throughout the week. Fresh off their first trip to the Olympics, Abby Larson and Rebecca Dussault shared their experiences and coached the young athletes on technique and training practices. Joining the Olympians were RMN Select Team Coach Travis Jones, Steamboat Coach Brian Tate, CBGNT Coach Duncan Callahan and WSC Coach Jesse Crandall.

In addition to 4 1/2 days of quality training, the athletes had the opportunity to work with WSC Exercise Science Professor Scott Drum and be tested for Lactate Threshold and VO2 Max. Scott and Abby presented these results and the meaning and value of the testing to the group.

The camp opened with running at the scenic Hartman Rocks Rec Area, just a few minutes from the WSC Campus. Then everyone headed up to Crested Butte for skate roller skiing with coaching and video analysis. It was a real treat for all of these young athletes to hear about technique from Wendy and Abby who are just off of racing World Cups and at the Olympics this winter.

In addition to serious training and technique work, the campers got the chance to test their skills with a raft trip down the Gunnison River in addition to double poling technique and video on Friday. While the rafting went smoothly, swimming through the waves at the Gunnison Kayak Park proved to be more of a challenge and put the hurt on Marty Smith, but all had a good time. On Saturday the group headed up to the Mill Creek trail system, just North of Gunnison to pole hike. The scenery at Mill Creek is second to none, but a few of the girls got more than they bargained for when the Summit County crew had to back-track about 3 miles uphill to retrieve a pair of Rudy Projects that got left at the turnaround point. Luckily everyone made it back in time for lunch. After bounding, strength and core that afternoon and a bit of Ultimate Frisbee, everyone went to sleep dreaming about the last workout, a Sunday morning time-trial.

Sunday morning was warm and sunny and great conditions for pushing it to the limit on a rough 2 mile course. The course had a healthy dose of climbing with a couple of flat stretches to test everyone’s ability to recover a bit while still moving fast before pitching back uphill. With Rebecca, Wendy, Travis and Rebecca’s son Tabor cheering everyone on, the interval start race went well and the coaches that raced set the standard with Duncan posting the fastest overall time and Abby Larson posting a scorching fast time for the girls to chase down. Here are the full results:

Female Final Results
1	Abby Larson		11:54
2	Brianna Perkins	13:06
3	Brittany Perkins	13:18
4	Anika Petach		14:14
5	Brittany Marrs	14:31
6	Mary Rose		14:39
7	Hannah Smith	14:54
8	Molly Newman	15:03
9	Abby Mickey		16:07
10	Annalise Grueter	16:37
11	Shana Keilson	16:44
12	Gretchen Powers	16:55
13	Bailey Jefferson	18:08

Male Final Results
1	Duncan Callahan	10:25
2	Calvin Delamere	11:02
3	Marty Smith		11:41
4	Trevor Petach	11:50
5	Andy Richmond	11:51
6	Paul Rose		12:05
7	Jesse Crandall	12:18
8	Kyle Steitz		12:22
9	Grant Ruehle		12:30
10	Brian Tate		12:31
11	Scott Lacy		12:39
12	Whit Parker		13:31
13	Thomas Sawyer	14:37
14	Dawson Stucky	15:14

Thanks to all who helped out with the camp and we hope to make it bigger and better next summer!

August 1, 2006

Cross Country Alaska (CCAK) and the US Ski Team hosted a dry-land training camp in Anchorage July 11 – 15, 2006 for elite junior and senior skiers. This was a step toward fulfilling CCAK’s mission “to create and support a cross country skiing culture and environment that allows Alaskan cross country ski racers to succeed in regional, national, and international competitions.” Invited athletes included those that qualified for the 2006 Alaska Junior National Team, NCAA Championships, World Junior Championships, or U-23 World Championships, as well as top-3 J2 finishers at Arctic Winter Games. CCAK hosted the camp free of charge, and arranged for out of town athletes to be hosted by local families to keep costs down.

The invitation went out just one month before the camp, but the response was tremendous. More than 40 athletes from across the state participated. Many local coaches helped plan and run the camp, including Ben Arians, Holly Brooks, Jan Buron, Stan Carrick, Gretchen Carrick, Joey Caterinichio, Ja Dorris, Brian Erickson, Dave Feeken, Erik Flora, Jon Kehler, Sara Miller, Charlie Renfro, Cory Smith, Eric Strabel, Mark Strabel, Adam Verrier, and Rob Whitney.

US Ski Team Development Coach Matt Whitcomb was on hand to help lead all the workouts. Matt’s energy and enthusiasm set the tone throughout the camp. He was always quick to offer a joke or an encouraging word, and the athletes clearly enjoyed working with him. Matt, along with the Alaska coaches, kept a watchful eye over the athletes and gave each of them plenty of new ideas to work on in their own training.

The camp kicked off Tuesday morning with a ski walking and hill bounding session at Kincaid Park. Tuesday afternoon consisted of a double-pole technique session on rolllerskis at Kincaid. The afternoon workout was followed by a barbecue and a talk by Matt Whitcomb. Matt let the athletes know what will be expected of them as they continue to progress towards the US Ski Team level.

Wednesday morning, the athletes were separated into groups for skate technique work on rollerskis. The coaches set up four technique stations and the athletes spent 30 minutes at each station. Coaches Erik Flora and Cory Smith instructed the no-poles drills, Matt Whitcomb and Eric Strabel focused on V2 alternate technique, Jan Buron worked on V1, and Ja Dorris coached V2. Dave Feeken took video of the V1 and V2 stations. On Wednesday afternoon, the athletes (and some of the coaches) were put through a rigorous circuit workout designed by Jan Buron. After circuits, the athletes watched video from the day’s skate session and footage from the 2006 Olympics.

On Thursday, the athletes attacked the Gasline Uphill Time Trial at Hillside Park. This race was only 10-14 minutes in length, but the challenging uphill course was a real test of fitness. A number of other top skiers, including 2006 Olympian James Southam, also came out to participate in the time trial. Incoming UAA skier Andy Leibner set the fastest time, while Justin Singleton and Caitlin Patterson were the fastest juniors. On Thursday afternoon the skiers put on their classic rollerskis for an hour of distance skiing and another hour of technique drills run by Matt Whitcomb. US Ski Team member Tazlina Mannix joined the girls for this session. The rollerskiing was followed by video analysis and pizza in the Kincaid Chalet.

Friday morning, the most advanced skiers went with Matt for a skate rollerski session, while Ja Dorris lead the others in a run and technique drills session.

While the athletes had Friday afternoon off, the coaches used the time to review the camp, as well as discuss the broader subject of athlete development, with Matt Whitcomb. Everyone was very pleased with the week and agreed that CCAK should continue to do these camps in the future as part of the long-term development plan.

After having great weather all week, the camp finished up with a soggy OD run/hike in the rain on Saturday morning. During the five-day camp most athletes trained between twelve and fifteen hours.

Matt was very encouraged by what he saw at the camp. He noted that Alaska has great depth in its junior boys. The junior girls currently have a higher top-end than the boys, but the field is not as deep. Matt was particularly impressed by the training venues located in and around Anchorage.

“You guys have the whole package,” he said. “Many places have either great rollerskiing, or great ski trails, or lots of hills, or plenty of snow. But you guys have it all.”

Matt was also impressed by the expertise of the local coaches and their respective ski programs. On Friday, he told the skiers, “You basically have a US Ski Team infrastructure up here. With the coaches and programs you have, it’s just like what we are doing in Park City. You guys are really lucky.”

For more photos:
http://www.crosscountryalaska.org/photos/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=4670

July 19, 2006

Central Cross Country Ski Association recently completed a week long testing and technique camp for CXC Ski Team, Regional Development Group, and State Development Group athletes. 38 junior, collegiate, U23 and top senior athletes from across the Central region attended this camp.

www.cxcskiing.org for comparison by athletes not able to attend.

“This is the best camp we have ever done by far. Three years ago we set the bar where we wanted to be today, and we did it very successfully. We still have learned a lot and will implement some changes next year” commented Yuriy Gusev, Chief Executive Officer Central Cross Country Ski Association following the camp.

“I would like to thank CXC Skiing for a great week and coaching support. The camp really helped me improve technique wise as a skier and all of the talks helped to better educate me in my training. The combination of the two has provided me with a great toolbox to improve my training for the rest of the summer and year.” Santiago Ocariz, State Development Group Athlete

“It is impressive to see how much CXC Skiing have gotten done in such a short amount of time” commented Matt Whitcomb, U.S. Ski Team Development Coach

June 30 to July 6, 2006

Lake Placid Olympic Training Center

Compiled by NENSA Program Directors Janice Sibilia and Stuart Kremzner

The NENSA Elite Camp was held at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid June 30th — July 5th. Twenty-six of the regions top junior and senior skiers participated, along with 8 regional coaches, USST coach Pat Casey, and University of Utah’s Eli Brown, on hand to guide and educate. The OTC is one of the best places to focus on training, while having five star athlete training facilities.

The primary goals of the camp were to help the skiers learn more about training at their aerobic threshold, developing hill technique and building on their Summer fitness base.

Despite the continual threat of what has now become familiar weather, the forecasted thunderstorms and steady rain never materialized and we proceeded in a somewhat dry environment-at least from the top down. The warm weather provided a great opportunity to take advantage of the numerous lakes in the area to cool off after workouts. Games of laser tag, soccer, and name game finished off the evenings.

Day one started off with a bang as the athletes were put through a tough mobility session, working on range of motion and flexibility. While none of us threaten to replace Gumby, all got the job done and found some new areas to work on for improvement.

Athletes work through a mobility session with jumpers ascending the Lake Placid tower in the background.

This was followed by a fun plyo session led by Matt Cook ( NYSEF Nordic-Combined), after which some of the campers still had enough energy to take a quick run ( which soon became a walk and later a crawl) up to the top of the ski jump hill.

The following days consisted of lactate testing on the “E” town hill, first with classic technique, then 2 days later, skating. All went well, and despite initial reservation about getting “stuck” some of the participants even asked for more to gain a bit more history for their training regimens. The test data provided valuable information to the athletes about tagging their heart rate and perceived exertion levels to an individualized measurement of work output. All of the athletes did a great job of fine tuning their work loads to just above and just below their threshold.

Coach Margaret Maher helps Parker Tyler check lactate levels during an interval workout.

On Sunday the group drove out to White Face Mountain for a distance hike. With the advent of all the previous rain, the stream crossing were eventful, almost succeeding in taking Janice Sibilia (NENSA) for an unplanned downstream run…Short legs do not do much against a swollen stream and strong current. However, we quickly utilized a cooperative tree to help others get across with a little less excitement. The hike was challenging throwing wind, fog and steep terrain including rock scrambling at us but the clouds parted just in time to get a glimpse of the incredible views from up top.

Elise Moody-Roberts reaches the summit.

The skiers’ roller ski speed and agility were put to the test several times during the week, first with an agility course set up at the ski jumps. This was followed by several laps on the roller ski loop, where only a couple of campers had to find a quick line through the fencing to make the tight corner at the bottom of the downhill. Later in the week, the skate agility course on Bear Cub Rd provided more excitement. The skiers had a lot of fun with this one and saw their confidence grow with each time through.

A Team orienteering/balance competition heated up Tuesdays workout. The skier’s tried their hand at Pete Phillip’s (Burke) homemade balance apparatus and pull up “bars”.
A two hour distance double pole along the Au Sable river provided the ultimate terrain for the final camp day training session.

A big thank you to all the coaches who participated and to all the skiers who made it a fun week.

Coaches: Pete Phillips, Pat Casey, Janice Sibilia, Stuart Kremzner, Paul Stone, Amy Caldwell, Margaret Maher and Eli Brown.

Athletes: Kevin Cutts, Fritz Horst, Harry Poole, Paul Smith, Brian Pepper, Gerhard Schulte, Nick Mancuso, Zach Wetherell, Chase Marston, Patrick O'brien, Kyle Dewey, Alex Schulz, Ethan Dreissigacker, Sam Tarling, Jennie Bender, Kristin Dewey, Alice Nelson, Elise Moody-Roberts, Hannah Dreissigacker, Audrey Magnan, Sophie Caldwell, Parker Tyler, Madeleine Talkington, Megan Killigrew, Kristen Harkay, and Kristen Bednar.

Cross Country Alaska is pleased to announce its July dryland training camp for developing elite skiers.

The camp will begin on Tuesday morning, July 11 and run through Saturday, July 15. The camp, to be held in and around Anchorage, is being run in cooperation with US Ski Team development coach Matt Whitcomb. Matt will be on hand to help lead all the camp workouts. He will also give a talk about the US Ski Team and what it takes to get to that level and beyond.

This camp be a great opportunity to train with other top skiers from around the state and interact with many top coaches. Sessions will include rollerskiing, running, circuits, a time trial and an OD hike. Rollerski sessions will feature technique work and video analysis. There are a couple of social dinners on the schedule as well.

DATES: Tuesday, July 11, 9:00 AM through Saturday, July 15 early afternoon

LOCATION: Most sessions will be held at Kincaid Park in Anchorage. Other select venues in the Anchorage area will also be used.

COST:
There is no cost to attend the camp. It is free to all Alaskan skiers who have qualified, although skiers will be responsible for their own lodging, food, and transportation.

QUALIFICATION CRITERIA:
Skiers should be from, or currently residing in Alaska and have qualified for at least one of the following during the 2005-2006 season:
• Top 3 result at Arctic Winter Games in J2 age group
• Alaskan Junior National Team
• World Junior Championships
• Scandinavian Cup Team
• NCAA Championships
• Under 23 World Championships
• Olympic Games

COACHES:
The camp is being organized by Alaska coaches Ben Arians, Holly Brooks, Jan Buron, Joey Caterinichio, Ja Dorris, Sara Miller, and Cory Smith, along with US Ski Team Coach Matt Whitcomb. We encourage coaches of all levels to come to the camp, either to observe or to help run training sessions. Coaches who are interested in running a training session should contact us soon. On Friday night, July 14, Matt Whitcomb will lead a discussion for all coaches about planning and executing training.

NOTES:
All afternoon workouts are followed by a classroom session. It is a good idea to bring water and extra clothes to each workout, especially when you will be sitting around for a while afterwards. Also, helmets required for all rollerski sessions.

For more information, visit www.crosscountryalaska.org