Cody, WY–MWSC Cross-country athletes just finished the first camp of the training year in Northwestern Wyoming's Beartooth Mountains. Steve Scott, Tom Keefe and coach Will Sweetser enjoyed almost perfect spring weather and put in more than 20 hours on snow. A short snowstorm two days into the camp guaranteed great skiing for the next week. Hardwax was the order of the day for a few days' early classic skiing.
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Tomorrow marks the end of the grooming of snow at Auburn Ski Club for the season, and the Canadian National Team will depart for more Northern latitudes. They’ve spent their days skiing in the morning and enjoying the surrounding mountains and lakes in the afternoon, including a low-elevation interval session and swim on the Yuba River and lunch in Nevada City on Wednesday.
The Sun Valley Junior Ski Team, including Coaches Rick Kapala, Abi Holt, and Muffy Ritz have also led a group of 17 athletes down to California to ski at Auburn Ski Club and enjoy the warm California sunshine. Their camp will end on Sunday, but in the meantime they’ll ski one more day at the club, train and play soccer with the Far West Nordic juniors on Friday, and enjoy Truckee and Lake Tahoe until their departure.
The 2006 Korn Kamp at Auburn Ski Club was organized by ASC & Far West Nordic Head Coach Ben Grasseschi, with Auburn Ski Club Director Bill Clark putting in many hours of time in the groomer getting the trails in shape every day for skiing. “I’m honored that they chose to come here. Everyone is very friendly and down to earth, and they’re all just really nice people,†Grasseschi said.
“This is awesome. It’s such a great opportunity for us to get on snow,†said 2006 Olympian Drew Goldsack. “It’s pretty darn tropical temperatures, but that’s what we need to work on is skiing in slushy snow,†said Chandra Crawford, a gold medalist in the 1.1K sprint at the 2006 Olympics. “It’s great. This is a beautiful place.â€
Central Cross Country Ski Association (“CXC Skiingâ€) is pleased to announce the 2006 Regional Training/Testing Camp for CXC Ski Team, Regional Development Group, State Development Groups, and past year’s Junior Olympians.
Athletes not qualifying for these groups may petition in to the camp by writing Yuri Gusev at yuriy@rsss-usa.com with their top 3 results from last season and a short statement of why this petition should be accepted.
“This camp is the highlight of the summer training for the top athletes in the region. It has always been a very successful camp. This year we already have top athletes and coaches in the region and in the country committed to be at the camp, including U-23 World Championship Team members, Junior Olympic medallists, U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Pete Vordenberg and CXC Ski Team Head Coach Bryan Fishâ€, commented Yuriy Gusev, CXC Skiing Chief Executive Officer.
Location
Camp will take place on July 2-8 at Cresthill Resort, Hayward WI.
Activities
During the camp athletes will perform following activities:
– Strength Assessment
– Endurance Assessment
– VO2/CO2 Testing (aerobic and anaerobic thresholds, intensity zones, etc.)
– And other training activities (technique, distance, strength training, etc.)
Schedule:
July 2 (Sunday) — 10:00AM Arrival & VO2/CO2 testing
July 3 (Monday) — Distance run
July 4 (Tuesday) —3km time trial (track)
July 5 (Wednesday) — Strength Assessment
July 6 (Thursday) —Distance training (rollerski skate)
July 7 (Friday) — Distance training (rollerski classic)
July 8 (Saturday) — Rollerski skate time trial and departure
Cost:
$100 — Regional Development Group
$250 — State Development Group & Midwest/Great Lakes Junior Olympic Team members
$400 — Petitioned Athletes
Congratulations to the State Development Group athletes and Midwest/Great Lakes Junior Olympic Team members for their achievements and athletic excellence!
State Development Groups
State Development Groups are integral part of the CXC Ski Athlete’s Development Ladder and critical for development of junior athletes, especially at the younger age.
Criteria: Top ten returning State High School Championship skiers from each state plus J2 skiers qualified to Junior Olympic Teams.
Boys:
Joe Dubay
Luke Busta
Leif Nordren
Alex Reich
Sam Newcomer
Jens Brabbit
Zac Clark
Mason Bacso
Andew Tillman
Tim Cheesebro
Hans Nygren
Andy Keller
Roman Morris
Girls:
Addie Byrne
Carolyn Freeman
Maddy Wendt
Jill Smith
Lindsey Marshall
Meghan Cornwall
Stepahnie LaFrance
Kalie Mix
Danielle Berndt
Libby Ellis
Annie Demlow
Kristen Eklin
Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center
Thomas Training Center on Eagle Glacier Summer Training Camps
Thomas Training Center on Eagle Glacier
Thirty five minutes south of Anchorage by car, and a short ten minute flight will get you to the best summer ski training opportunity in the world. The Thomas Training Center on Eagle Glacier, located on an alpine ridge 5700 feet above Girdwood and the Turnagain Arm, is just a short walk from the ski tracks. The Eagle Glacier provides some of the best summer skiing available in North America.
Poked, pushed, measured and evaluated. That's been the name of the game for the USST's World Cup and Continental Cup members for the last week in Utah. The USST coaching staff has put a greater importance on sport science to better understand the capacities and liabilities of America's top skiers. The tests measured endurance, power, strength, speed and coordination. Seeing how these factors change during the preparation period (with testing three more times through summer and fall) look to give athletes and coaches tangible data to see where and why USST team members improve their cross country ski skill sets.
Monday:
Fatigue Profile: A fasted Blood Draw that measured white blood cell counts, hemoglobin, hematocrit, ferritin, glucose and Testosterone and Cortisol levels (T: CT ratio). By monitoring these values, one can see notice and act on a trend like declining ferritin before anemia sets in.
Velocity Testing. Using timing lights, sport science can see how fast an athlete accelerates, when they hit peak velocity, and how well they maintain their velocity. Timing lights recorded times to the hundredth. Skiers raced around the outside of the Kearns Olympic Ice Oval on a mondo track surface where wind, surface condition and temperature are all stable variables.
First of three camps in Park City “accomplished all the goals”
PARK CITY, Utah (May 31) – U.S. cross country athletes headed for home Tuesday after a non-holiday holiday weekend and their first training camp of the preseason.
The World Cup and Continental Cup athletes trained through the weekend, including a final roller-ski and run workout Monday while much of the nation marked Memorial Day with a day off from work. It was drill time, not time off, for the U.S. Ski Team troupe.
“Holiday? No way,” said two-time Olympian Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK). “The purpose of this camp was to come in, do some testing, do some team building and it's been great! There's such an awesome attitude, such a great staff. We've had such a great camp…even with the freak snowstorm [Sunday]…
“I really feel things all coming together for us,” she said.
Said Head Coach Pete Vordenberg, “The atmosphere was great, just great…just bubbling over. The young athletes were so excited at their first camp.”
First of three Park City camps
Thirteen athletes – both the World Cup and Continental Cup squads except for former national sprint champion Lindsay Williams (Hastings, MN), a 2006 Olympian who is recovering from a broken elbow suffered in a non-training fall – took part. The group will return to Park City two more times – in July before the annual on-snow training camp in New Zealand and again in September – for additional testing.
“I had three main goals for the camp,” he said, ticking off fitness “to get some baseline data through testing and then measure the progress in the next camps,” team building “in creating a cohesive team” and starting to build a systematic psychological training program.
“I feel we accomplished all the goals,” said Vordenberg, a two-time Olympian who was departed Coach Trond Nystad's righthand man for the past four seasons.
“We were busy through the camp and I'm pooped now,” he laughed. “But we've got a little break. It was fun to have the athletes around and then [Tuesday] it was just AJ [Andrew Johnson – Greensboro, VT, the first fulltime athlete in residence back in the spring of 1999] and me working out. It was fun working with all those guys…very rejuvenating.”
Even a surprise snowstorm which dropped several inches of wet snow Sunday morning didn't slow the camp. They staged a sprint relay time trial at Soldier Hollow in the morning and underwent strength training in the afternoon. “It was a fun sprint,” according to Randall. “We've got an awesome staff who just kept us fired up.”
Staff, athletes pleased with direction
Vordenberg was pleased with the testing. “I'm so positive in the direction we're going. I really feel good about it and the athletes say they feel good, too. The organization [U.S. Ski Team] is coming in underneath us with such good support – not just financial, although that's important, for sure, but support all across the board, from all departments.”
The Sports Science Department conducted a variety of tests, from the routine treadmill and lactate tests to rare-for-cross country strength workouts in which the athletes jumped on a force plate to measure where athletes create force and apply it quickly. The final fitness test, he said, was a velocity test in which the athletes sprinted through 120 meters of timing lights which helped measure acceleration as well as when they reached – and lost – maximum speed.
Vordenberg said his long-range plan calls for testing three times a year during the preseason to help measure an athlete's progress. “Continuity is such a vital part of this, showing if our training is accomplishing what we think it's accomplishing.”
The hope also is it will help understand the variables that may cause differences in test results. “It's not like cycling or running,” Vordenberg said, “where you look a watch. We'll be looking to eliminate variables.”
The scientific approach is a major step forward, he said, but – in the end – it's just one more tool to help athletes excel.
“Kentucky windage” to go with science
“It'll never be the case where we're just scientists; skiing always has some art involved. I'm much less science-minded; I go by feel a lot of the time,” Vordenberg said, ” but I've always wanted to utilize the Sports Science staff to help us get faster. Sue Robson and Zach Weatherford have been great in working with us, and Lesli Shooter spends a lot of time with alpine but she's been terrific, too, in our testing.
“And Susie [Parker-Simmons] has been working directly with us for a couple of seasons, and she's just so sharp. What a great asset, she is.”
Randall – who has raced in the last two Olympics and in three World Championships – is in her first season on the Ski Team; last winter, she was ninth in the Olympic sprint – the alltime U.S. women's Olympic best result and she was fifth in a World Cup sprint in Borlage, Sweden, shortly after the Games. She was like a sponge, she said, absorbing everything Vordenberg and his staff – coaches Chris Grover, Justin Wadsworth and development coaches Matt Whitcomb and Pat Casey – said.
“We did testing all week and it was awesome. It's all new to me because I've never done it before,” she said. Randall, an Alaskan who has trained with the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center, added, “I've been around it but never been able to fully take part, so this was super exciting…
“APU has supported me all the way and allowed me to get to the level where I can be here. I'm excited because I feel that now I've got even more people behind me … I'm excited to have more opportunities, more tools at my disposal.”
Vordenberg said the next camp is scheduled for mid-July in Park City with a second round of testing but more training before the Ski Team heads to New Zealand for the better part of a month at The Snow Farm outside Wanaka on South Island.
May 15, 2006 – While most skiers have put away the skis for the season and dusted off their bikes and roller skis, Canada’s elite Nordic skiers returned to the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre (host venue of the 2005 Greater Vernon World Cup) this week for some on-snow spring training.
Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre Manager Mike Edwards was approached by an elite ski team from Alberta about hosting a spring camp earlier this season. “It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while,†said Edwards, while on skis and enjoying the sun himself Sunday. “When this team indicated that they wanted to come back for some off-season training, we thought it might be a good opportunity to put the word out and see who else was interested. Judging from the success of this first camp, we’ll consider making this an annual event.â€
The Sovereign Lake Race Team, who have been enjoying the snow and skiing since the race season ended, were joined by dozens of skiers and biathletes from all over BC and Alberta, and even as far away as Quebec and Nova Scotia. They enjoyed daily expert grooming on a variety of trails and through the Biathlon range. While the snow is mostly melted on the mountain, the trails which were packed and groomed all winter are holding up well against the Okanagan sun.
“The snow conditions are unbelievable,†said Rocky Mountain Racers coach John Jacques, who brought 10 athletes from Canmore and Banff. “You simply can’t beat skiing on this quality of snow under beautifully sunny skies in the middle of May. It’s great early season training for our athletes, and we’re all enjoying it. Everyone should be here.â€
Four male athletes from the Canadian National Cross Country Ski Team even took the opportunity to get back on-snow for a few days. Olympian Chris Jeffries commented on the benefits of the facility being available to skiers in the off-season. “We’re able to ski a great hour-long loop on different trails. This is the best spring skiing I’ve ever seen. It’s such a nice, relaxing way for us to get in some long training sessions together on snow. Plus, in the afternoons, we’re heading down to town and enjoying the beach, just taking it easy and enjoying this part of our season.â€
“We’ve skied here quite a bit before, especially this year before the World Cup, and it really seems to work for us,†Jeffries added. “We’re familiar with the area, we’re comfortable here. We had our best season ever last year, and we’re looking to continue with the things that work for us as we set our sights towards 2010.†The team plans on staying until Wednesday before heading off to another training camp.
The Spring Snow Camp continues to Thursday and skiing is free for Sovereign Lake Nordic Club pass holders. The conditions are best before noon. Call 558-3036 for more information.
MAY TECHNIQUE CAMP FOR MASTER/CITIZEN SKIERS RECAP
Madison and Hayward, Wisconsin
Central Cross Country Skiing brought one of the world's premiere coaches to Madison and Hayward for 4 days of meetings with the staff and athletes of our new 9 member CXC Team and offered an afternoon skate roller ski clinics.
We had a great weekend of skiing here – both skate and classic skiing were terrific. The attached photo was taken at about 1:00PM, Sunday, November 13. As you can see, it's snowing here again. We have received about 4 inches of new snow since Friday night and there is more snow in the forecast for tomorrow. If the snow does continue, Doug Edgerton will shift to grooming with his big cat Monday or Tuesday. With the Yellowstone Ski Festival less than ten days away, we are very happy to see the snow accumulating. It's going to be a great week!
I can't tell you how much snow we have had but it is enough that the
groomers are having trouble keeping up. All of our trails are open
and being groomed with our heavy groomers, something that doesn't
usually happen till the end of november. Skiing is GREAT!!! Check out
the Main Street of Silver Star Mountain on the web cam at www.skisilverstar.com { http://www.skisilverstar.com }.
Some of our former campers have called expressing a concern that with
all of the World Cup action, things are going to be too busy, too
crowded. I want to assure everyone that there is room for all.
Between the 65 km trail system at Silver Star Mountain and 55 km at
Sovereign Lake, there are 120 KM of room for everyone. And the
greatest thing of all, you will be skiing in the same place and at
the same time as the top XC skiers in the world. Just think, you may
be able to pass a Norwegian! (Something I have always wanted to do
but could only do so if they were stopped at the top of a hill having
a drink).
There is a bit of a pinch on for hotel rooms but still some available
as many teams are being booked into the many rental homes here at SSM.
However, I would encourage you to book now. There is an on-line
registration form on the camp web site www.xccamps.ca
Mike mandli, one of our guest coaches, is preparing a presentation
and will be hosting a forum on Women and Loppets. The research he has
been doing leads him to believe this is a subject that can use some
talking about. Mike will be making his presentations during the LSD
camps. The folks at the Technique Camps on at the same time will also
be able to take part in this discussion.
The Yellowstone Ski Festival will take place during Thanksgiving Week on November 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26, 2005 in West Yellowstone, Montana. The event’s highlights include a series of one, three and five day Nordic skiing clinics, the NorAm XC Supertour races, the Try It and Buy It Equipment Demo and an Indoor Ski Show.
For over 25 years, West Yellowstone, Montana has played host to cross country skiers during the month of November. There is no better place to start your ski season! To get a feel for everything that the Yellowstone Ski Festival has to offer, I interviewed Jack Hart of Bend, Oregon. Jack is a long-time Festival attendee and he has participated in every aspect of the event. We appreciate the fact that he took the time to answer our questions and offer his insights on the upcoming 2005 Yellowstone Ski Festival. Here’s what Jack had to say:
1. Let’s start with a little background information — where are you from, what is your Nordic background and how are you involved with skiing today?
Born and raised in Vermont, I started skiing my last year of high school which incidentally was the last year of wood skis (1975). I continued to ski at the University of Montana and went to my first Fall Camp in 1976. I continued to race and also completed my Level 3 coaching certificate at West, the following year. In 1978, as a PSIA Instructor / Examiner, I started a ski school in Spokane, WA. I became interested in selling skiing as well and became a Manufactures Sales Representative for SWIX. I moved to Bend, OR and Rossignol was kind enough to have me as part of their Ambassador Program. I continue to ski for Rossignol and I work for Patagonia and SWIX. My wife, Lea, and daughter, Denali, support and join me in all of my ski endeavors.
2. This is your 24th year at the Yellowstone Ski Festival — that’s incredible. You wear a lot of different hats when you come to town now — you coach the clinics, you rep for SWIX , you help raise money for West Yellowstone’s Nordic ski program — what else do you do? And how has the event changed in the 24 years since you started attending?
Skiing is a big part of my life and I think I’m fairly involved because I really love sharing what I have experienced as a skier and teacher. The folks that come to the YSF are some of the nicest folks you can ever meet and they love to learn. Once you take a small group out for a 1.5 hr. lesson and see them smiling and really improving their skills — it inspires you to become a better coach.
Over the years the Ski Festival has, of course, grown significantly and now the town seems more alive and welcoming for all the skiers. During the early 80’s there were maybe 500 folks total all week. Most of us ate at the Three Bear and had a beer at the Stagecoach. We did not have a lot of distractions. I remember in 1978 or 79 we were watching TV and the very first rock video played on MTV!! (Rock the Casbah by the Clash).
3. Let’s talk about the Fall Camp Clinics. The clinics are a really important part of the Ski Festival but why should you register for them? Are they really very helpful? Who are the other coaches? What’s the average day like?
I think the Fall Camp Clinics are the heart of the Ski Festival. The amount of learning and skill improvement over the week can be significant. My fondest memories are of the students who you teach and watch them improve over the week or the day. You don’t have to be an experienced skier to benefit from the clinics. You can sign up for the week or just a day. Because you will get a different instructor each lesson, you as a camper can see many different teaching styles and methods. The Fall Camp Clinics have grown so much over time that I would recommend everyone register soon to make sure they have a spot in the lessons.
We have two sessions per day. The first lesson starts with an intro and warm-up inside and then about 9:30 AM we go ski for 1.5 hours with the first lesson of the day! We break for lunch and then some down time, because at about 2:30 PM we go out for another lesson for 1.5 — 2.0 hours. The evening includes a wonderful dinner with friends talking about what we learned and what we experienced. The evening sessions at the Holiday Inn always showcase some great speakers discussing many different subjects related to skiing. Each evening, the Indoor Ski Show has all the ski-type manufactures, like SWIX, Rossignol, Fischer, Atomic, Salomon and Pro- Ski to answer all your questions and show you the latest gear.
I think we have some of the best coaches in the country. We’ve had many years to work out an effective coaching system. I give a lot of credit to Drew Barney and Dick Hunt for bringing such a quality staff back year after year. I’ve been fortunate to work with everyone from US Ski Team and Olympic athletes to great teachers and coaches like Scott Johnston, Midge Cross, Alan Watson, Torjborn Karlson and John Downing.
4. You bring your family to West Yellowstone — can you offer any insight on the Ski Festival from the perspective of a husband and a dad?
My daughter Denali will be 9 years old this fall and this will be her 10th Ski Festival! I think West is a great place to bring your kids. I really like how my daughter sees hundreds and hundreds of kids, women and men skiing every day! I think it’s a great environment for kids to be a part of. I think it makes it easier for her to see that skiing is really cool and fun. Plus, the Festival offers great educational programs for children and makes it very easy to bring the family.
5. What would you tell a beginner that was thinking about attending the Yellowstone Ski Festival?
I would tell a beginner that the Ski Festival is one of the best opportunities to learn about x-c skiing and its culture. They are able to pick the level of participation that they feel comfortable with and if they don’t want to ski, West Yellowstone offers a variety of interesting diversions. I can guarantee that they will be a better and more informed skier when they head home.
6. Finally, what do you enjoy most about the Yellowstone Ski Festival?
The thing I enjoy most about the YSF are the participants and the culture of skiing that is everywhere during the week. This is a sport that has a long history with roots in Scandinavia. Cross country skiing requires a fair amount of finesse and fitness. I have met and taught hundreds of people over the years and they are some of the warmest and nicest folks that I have ever coached. To be able to teach and share a lifetime sport with such a good group of people is a privilege.
We recently received the following pictures and comments from Petr Jalk
Here are a few pictures from Aug-Sept Hudson Bay Glacier Camp in Smithers, BC, Canada. It's annual camp for BC team, development and talented squad. Enjoy it.
Humans performing one-legged hops uphill; running through the woods carrying “sticksâ€, at levels ranging from conversational pace, to all out, red in the face exertion; braving the pavement on two wheeled skis on a country road… what must the reindeer have thought?
Though at first glance it would appear that the some type of bizarre show had come to the area, the reality was this is how avid Nordic skiers spent one weekend in September… all in the name of making improvements in their sport.
This particular weekend saw a group consisting of master and junior skier’s descend on Lapland Lake XC Ski Resort in Central NY. And yes there really are Reindeer here!
The camp is an annual event run by JLS Sports and supported this year by FSx/ Fischer USA and Salomon Athlete Force.
Campers were treated to a pristine venue, fall weather that was perfect and lots of intensive, hands-on coaching. Lapland Lake provided a unique setting with Finnish Tupa’s to stay in, great ski trails for workouts and mountain biking, the aforementioned reindeer, and a beautiful lake, complete with its own Loon, to cool off in after all of the day’s activity.
Dave Stewart of the newly formed FSx Team led the instruction with help from Zach Violett (FSx), Eli Brown ( Fischer USA) and Janice Sibilia (JLS Sports).
Camp agenda included lectures and workouts devoted to speed, both on foot and roller skis, as well as explosive and specific strength. The importance of training at the proper intensities for each phase of the season was brought home with a specifically designed workout, bringing the athletes through each of the training zones and following up with theory.
Dave and Zach showed the kind of power and speed it takes to be among the top skiers as they demonstrated on roller skis and with spenst exercises.
At the end of the weekend participants left for home tired but happy and with heightened enthusiasm for the upcoming season.
This would be my third year coaching at the PNSA Junior Nordic camp in Trout Lake Washington, and the 2nd year bringing a group of juniors along from the East. It was a great camp for all of us and we are already looking forward to another trip out west in '06. A big Thank You goes out to Ben Husaby of MBSEF, for inviting us to participate.
– Janice Sibilia, JLS sports
It was July 19th and we were about to embark on a trip to a sleepy little town in the Pacific Northwest called Trout Lake. Each year in Mid July, Trout Lake gets a boost to its population from a group of about 35 Nordic skiers who come to participate in the PNSA dry land camp, run by Ben Husaby of MBSEF.
I was fortunate this year to have a great group of skiers from NY in tow. We would leave from JFK airport in lovely downtown, Queens. We packed the van full of all the necessary ski stuff as well as some not so necessary items- (Gerhard, did you really need the deck of cards, Frisbee, soccer ball, CD player AND the diabolo?!). We could hardly wait to get to Trout Lake, which is known for its dry sunny weather and wonderfully cool nights. Even more exciting than escaping NY’s sweltering heat, was the chance to ski along side some of the top PNSA skiers and the prospect of the many new friendships that we knew would be made by the end of the week.
After battling road construction, NYC taxis and a long delay at airport, we were finally on our way. We arrived in Portland Oregon nearing 1:00 am and high tailed it to our overnight lodging. Sleep came quickly and so did morning…
Camp started late the following afternoon, so we had most of the day to embark on an adventure. We decided to head out Route 14 to Dog Mountain for a scenic hike. Dog Mountain is a steep, steady trail that skirts its way around and up the mountain, offering spectacular views of the Columbia River Gorge, Mt Ranier, Mt St. Helen's, and Mt Adams, our final destination.
Later that afternoon we arrived at the Farmhouse in Trout Lake, which would be our lodging for the week. Comprised of 20 or so rooms, the house sports an eclectic assortment of knick-knacks and a video library to die for. The house is located alongside a grassy landing field for small planes, where if we are lucky enough, we'll get to see them practice 'touch and go' drills.
It is the perfect environment for massive amounts of training and eating, great local swimming and property large enough for 35 campers to choose either indoor or outdoor accommodations.
For our NY group, training in this area was like a dream come true. Miles and miles of paved logging roads wind their way up the mountains, towards spectacular views at the top. Few encounters with cars make for uninterrupted video and coaching opportunities and gave the skiers a chance to really focus on technique.
Mornings typically began with a gentle wake call from the cows in the back pasture; much nicer than an abrupt alarm clock! A typical day consisted of a huge assortment of breakfast foods put out by the 'work teams' and skiers wasting no time getting to the task at hand. Frequent eating and hydrating was highly encouraged by the coaches to continuously fuel the muscles for the hard work they would be doing. Breakfast was followed by a brief lecture on ski technique, and then on to the first of several workouts of the day.
The skiers encountered a variety of training sessions including roller skiing, strength, speed and agility, ski walking and bounding, all in close proximity to Trout Lake. Several different lectures were given as well; visual imaging for better performance, the how's and why's of strength training, and technique and body position for classic and skating, were a few.
One of the nice aspects of this camp is the balance it offers between working hard and playing hard. There were many opportunities to do both. The local swimming hole offered up at least a couple of chances each day to cool off, swing off the ropes and break the bridge record. Games of Killer Kapture the Flag, Frisbee and soccer were prevalent, and even during the agility workout, some very challenging and unique balance drills evolved into team competitions.
The highlight of the camp however, came on the final day – the hike up Mt Adams. This has been included the past 3 years at camp, but this year the older juniors were offered the possibility of reaching the summit. Mt. Adams stands at about 12,300 feet. Though the route we would take is not super technical, it would require a good fitness level, smart pacing and an affinity for heights and exposure, as we got higher up the mountain.
The summit group departed form the South climb trailhead at 5:00 am and watched the sunrise with Sleeping Beauty (a climb we had done earlier in the week) and Mt St Helens in the background. It was turning into a beautiful day. The trail started as a hike on a dirt path, but as we gained altitude became more of a rocky ascent. Mt Adams, like many of the other nearby mountains, is considered an active volcano and is made up of basalt type rock. Some of us had ice axes, and some used ski poles for purchase, as the terrain became more challenging. The weather was perfect. Cold evening temperatures had made the passage icy and firm earlier in the morning, but around mid morning the sun had begun softening up the snow making it easier to keep our footing. We stopped often for food and drink, as it's easy to become dehydrated at this altitude.
5 hours later our group had reached the summit. The views on the way up were fantastic, and Mt Rainier greeted us as a backdrop once we were on top.
After much picture taking and celebrating, we began the descent back to camp. If getting up had been fun, getting down was even more so. Climbers that had descended before us made a trail of snow chutes…similar to a water slide you might find at an amusement park, and we had our very own version right here. Glissading and sliding down was a blast, and provided many hilarious moments, including more than one equipment yard sale! But it was all good and a great time was had by everyone.
9 hours from the start we were back at the farmhouse, and packing up to head home. It's always a little sad leaving the group each year, but we know we will run into each other again in the ski world, and for sure next year at Trout Lake!
USST September and October Training Camp schedules
September Lake Placid Camp Schedule
Day Date AM (dist. Team) AM (sprint team) PM (all)
Sunday 11th Travel Arrive
Monday 12th VO2 int. skate Sprint progression Strength
Tuesday 13th Run distance Run Bike ride
Wednesday 14th VO2 int. class Sprint progression Strength
Thursday 15th Run Run Off
Friday 16th VO2 or L3 bound Sprint progression Strength
Saturday 17th Classical dist Classical dist Off
Sunday 18th VO2 int. skate Sprint Race Strength
Monday 19th Off Off Off
Tuesday 20th Dist or L3 int. Sprint progression Strength
Wednesday 21st Run dist Run Bike ride
Thursday 22nd Time Trial skate Time Trial skate Strength
Friday 23rd Bike dist Bike dist Off
Saturday 24th Sprint Relay Sprint Relay Strength
Sunday 25th OD skate OD skate Travel
This camp is not an open camp. But skiers and coaches are invited to attend. Anyone wishing to attend any training session must contact USST staff — pvordenberg@ussa.org
Preliminary October Park City Camp Schedule
Saturday1st Travel Arrive
Sunday 2nd Blood tests
Monday 3rd VO2 tests
Tuesday 4th Strength tests Strength
Wednesday5th
Thursday6th Hard (L3) Strength
Friday 7th
Saturday8th Hard Strength
Sunday 9th OD
Monday 10th Off Off
Tuesday 11th Hard Strength
Wednesday12th
Thursday13th Hard Strength
Friday 14th
Saturday15th Hard Strength
Sunday 16th OD
Monday 17th Off Off
Tuesday 18th Hard Strength
Wednesday19th
Thursday20th
Friday 21st
Saturday22nd Soldier Hollow Running Time Trial Strength
Sunday 23rd OD
Monday 24th Off Off
Tuesday 25th Soldier Hollow Skate Time Trial Strength
Wednesday26th
Thursday 27th Travel to Fairbanks
This camp is not an open camp. But skiers and coaches are invited to attend. Anyone wishing to attend any training session must contact USST staff — pvordenberg@ussa.org
The 2005 US National
Cross-Country Ski Coaching Conference and Coaching Education Summit in Lake
Placid, NY released its goals and final schedule today. The schedule, as well
as registration and detailed information on the conference is available at
www.NatronNordic.com. The 3-day conference’s purpose is to present a wide
range of relevant coaching information, discuss these ideas and find ways for
the US XC coaching community to collaborate on a project to create a National
Coaches’ Education Resource. The conference requires registration, but the
Summit on Coaches Education Resources on Saturday, September 24 from 6-9:30PM
will be free and open to anyone.
Registration Deadline
Moved Up
Additionally, the final
registration deadline has been moved forward to September 9, 2005. Early
registration at a reduced price ends Tuesday, August 23, 2005. The change was
precipitated by requirements for lodging at the Olympic Training Center. [Editor's Note on August 25: Because it took us a few days to post this listing, you may still be able to sign up for the early registration price. Contact Nathan Schultz right away if interested.]
Goals and Schedule
The purpose of the conference
is to present ideas about training, technique and athlete development from a
wide range of sources while bringing together coaches from across the country
to discuss these ideas and collaborate on how best to implement a new coaching
education resource. Previous attempts at creating coaches education systems have
tended to legislate guidelines on what coaches should be doing. We hope to
bring a new approach where the function is to create resources for coaches’
education where it is understood that there are many different ways to create
capable skiers. To facilitate this, we will kick off the conference with the US
Ski Team coaches presenting their concept of a National Development System
(NDS), which focuses on athlete competencies rather than specific training
methods. We will then discuss the NDS as a framework for coaches’ education.
From there, speakers will
present topics on intensity training, strength training, and technique. Each
area will have multiple presentations which will focus on presenting their
ideas, the reasoning and science behind them and specific ways to implement and
test these ideas. Each session will be followed by time to question the
speakers. We will then break into small working groups to discuss the topics
and their relevance to specific age groups and the development pipeline. Each
working group will then make a short presentation back to the entire
conference.
Friday, September 23
Start
End
Topic
1:00PM
1:15PM
Introduction & Agenda
Nathan Schultz
1:15PM
1:45PM
National Development System
Framework
Peter Vordenberg
2:00PM
3:30PM
Intensity Training
Presentations
3:45PM
4:15PM
Intensity Training Panel
Q&A
4:15PM
4:55PM
Intensity Working Group
Discussions
5:05PM
5:40PM
Working Group Leader
Presentations
5:45PM
6:30
Dinner
6:30PM
High Peaks Tech Night
Saturday, September
24
8:00AM
9:30AM
Strength/Speed Training
Presentations
9:45AM
10:15AM
Strength/Speed Training
Panel Q&A
10:15AM
10:55AM
Strength/Speed Working
Group Discussions
10:55AM
11:30AM
Working Group Leader
Presentations
12:00PM
1:00PM
Lunch
1:00PM
1:30PM
Teaching Technique
1:30PM
3:00PM
Technique Presentations
3:15PM
3:45PM
Technique Panel Q&A
3:50PM
4:25PM
Technique Working Group
Discussions
4:30PM
5:15PM
Working Group Leader
Presentations
5:30PM
6:15PM
Dinner
6:30PM
9:00PM
Coaches Education Summit
NDS
Framework and Athlete Competencies
Evaluate
NDS Framework and Competencies
Evaluate
Current Coaches Ed Resources
Propose
future direction
Create
Working Groups
Sunday, September 25
8:00AM
9:00AM
Presentations: Building
Training Plans
9:00AM
9:45AM
Training Plan Working
Groups
10:00AM
11:30AM
Presentations: Building a
Skiing Organization
11:30AM
11:50AM
Q&A
12:00PM
1:00PM
Lunch
1:00PM
1:45PM
Establish Coaches Education
Resources Priorities
1:45PM
2:30PM
Create Coaches Education
Working Groups Tasks
2:45PM
3:00PM
Fill Working Groups
3:00PM
3:30PM
Working Group Meetings
Coaches Education
Materials Sought
The goal of the Summit will
be to bring together coaches from across the country to collaborate and evaluate
current coaches’ education materials and to establish what is left to be done
to build comprehensive and effective resources for the education of coaches in
the US. Leading up to the Summit, we hope to identify and compile the current
resources available within the USSA/US Ski Team, regions, teams and individual
coaches for review and evaluation.
This is a collaborative
effort and we need the help of everyone who can contribute materials and ideas,
as well as review the existing materials or simply spread the word about this
project to other coaches. The US Ski Team coaches and many of the leading
coaches from around the country will be there to share their experiences and
ideas. We are hoping to involve as many people as possible from every
geographical location and every level of coaching.
Leading up to the summit, Nathan Schultz, the conference coordinator, will collect
educational materials and post them to a web site for review. This site will
accept comments, new ideas and additional materials as well. These will all be
presented at the summit and lead off the discussion as to what should be done
to develop a useful, informative coaches’ education program in the US. The
goal is to have significant materials posted by September 1.
Please contact Nathan for
more information about the Summit and the National Coaches Conference or to
contribute ideas and educational materials. Conference registration, compiled
coaches’ education materials and additional information can be found at
www.natronnordic.com. Materials or ideas can be emailed to
nathan@natronnordic.com.
Far West Nordic just completed a summer training camp for Junior Olympic-qualified athletes in the high country of Yosemite National Park. Combining ski-specific exercises with long-distance running, hiking and roller skiing, along with some peak-bagging, swimming, rock climbing, ultimate frisbee, and more, this camp was extremely successful in keeping the athletes motivated and working hard during the summer. We camped out in Tuolumne Meadows at 8,600 ft. (2,120 meters) high in Yosemite, the highlight of the 3 days was the summit climb of 12,600 ft. Mt. Conness (a total run/hike of over 22 miles and almost 5,000 total vertical feet of climbing). Some of the younger athletes did a (slightly) shorter hike to an 11,000 ft. lake in the backcountry. The last day was spent roller skiing up the Virginia Lakes road to an elevation of almost 10,000 ft. How’s that for altitude training?
Far West is coming off its most successful Junior Olympics in its history, and we’re looking forward to keeping that trend going throughout the 2006 racing season. These kids are working hard over the summer. For those interested, there are lots more photos on the Far West Nordic website at www.farwestnordic.org
WANAKA, N.Z. (Aug. 3) – For the fourth consecutive preseason, U.S. cross country skiers have gone Down Under – to New Zealand – to train at the Snow Farm outside Wanaka on South Island. And for the fourth straight preseason, they've found plenty of snow and long loops for a variety of training situations.
“We could use a little more snow – you always can,” Head Coach (and newlywed) Trond Nystad said Wednesday after a morning workout, “but once you come here, you never go back to the glaciers [in Europe]. It's that good.”
Four members of the national team will be joined Saturday by sprint specialist – and defending U.S. champion – Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA), who is finishing graduate-level classes under the Ski Team's special program at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. Kris Freeman (Andover, NH), Andrew Johnson (Greensboro, VT), Carl Swenson (Park City, UT) and Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT) also are joined in the 3-1/2-week camp by up-and-coming skiers Leif Zimmerman (Bozeman, MT), Zach Simons (also Park City) and Chris Cook (Rhinelander, WI). And Nystad's new wife (as of July 2), German star Claudia Kuenzel.
“We've got the least amount of snow in our four years here but conditions are still good and we're able to accomplish what we want. It's going well. These are probably the best snow conditions we'll see until [the Olympics in] mid-February,” Nystad said. Sprint Coach Vidar Loefshus and World Cup Coach Pete Vordenberg are helping Nystad guide the camp.
“Things are fabulous. There's nothing to be negative about. The Snow Farm sets track every day and we can ski in all directions. We have deeper stuff, narrow stuff and if we need different terrain elements, we can do that, too. We've got a one-hour loop and some smaller loops, probably 25 Ks of skiing…it's really good for distance, for intervals, whatever we want to train. We certainly have no complaints. Another snowstorm would open more terrain, but it's not essential with everything we've got now.
And,” he added, “we've been here four years so it's like coming back to the family. The Snow Farm just treats us so well.”
Training includes the traditional basics of video analysis and strength workouts – on skis to focus on arm strength and core strength and off skis. “We'll do strength work twice a week, intensity workouts three times a week and the rest is distance training.
Luke Bodensteiner, Nordic Program Director for USSA, recently informed us that the Italian National Ski Team will be holding a training camp in Park City, Utah from July 26-August 6.
While their exact reasons for coming all the way to North America for a training camp are not known, Bodensteiner speculates that they want to hold an altitude camp in place where they can also train at low levels. They also might just want a change of pace, he says.
The Italian ski team will be bringing the following athletes to
Park City for a training camp July 26-August 6:
1. Piller Cottrer Pietro
2. Santus Fabio
3. Checchi Valerio
4. Moriggl Thomas
5. Clara Roland
6. Saba Claudio
7. Schwienbacher Freddy
8. Pasini Renato
9. Macor Enzo
10. Semenzato Francesco
www.mainewsc.org For information on ranch vacations at the 7D Ranch, visit: www.7dranch.com
jqhurst@alaskapacific.edu
www.icicleinn.com )
www.cxcskiing.org
http://www.teamtoday.org/news.php?id=290