Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Craftsbury BKL Camp #1

Last week was the first of our two Bill Koch League summer day camps and we had 24 kids from all over northern Vermont who joined us for a busy week of ski training and other outdoor fun. It was a great group of kids who were certainly not lacking in enthusiasm or energy!   The coaching was split between all the GRP athletes and Craftsbury coach Jeremy Nellis and we were all pretty exhausted at the end of the busy but fun week.

Monday morning the campers arrived and after some introductory games, half the group went rollerskiing while the rest played some soccer, capture the flag, and other games.  On Thursday morning the other half of the group rollerskied.  We had a wide range of rollerski experience levels from our CNSC BKL skiers who rollerski at least once a week to kids who were trying it for their first time. Dividing the group allowed us to cater to the different skill levels.  The other half of the group skied later in the week.  Craftsbury Common is the perfect place to learn with nice pavement and basically zero traffic.  We went through quite a few bandaids with some minor spills but by the end of the morning everyone skied the slalom course and raced around on the rollerskis.

Annie and Weslie ski around a cone while Cormac comes in hot from the other side.  Opposite directions through the slalom course adds an extra challenge!
Annie and Weslie ski around a cone while Cormac comes in hot from the other side. Opposite directions through the slalom course adds an extra challenge!
Neither Gardner nor Johann had ever rollerskied before but they both picked it up quickly
Neither Gardner nor Johann had ever rollerskied before but they both picked it up quickly


Everyone reconvened before lunch for some much needed swimming at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center waterfront.  Monday was the hottest day so having access to the lake was appreciated by all!

Monday afternoon’s activity was canoeing.  Some boats made it to Hosmer Point or even the other end of the lake but most stopped around the Narrows.  With the afternoon sun glaring down and the heat continuing to rise, most kids spent more time floating in the water next to their boats rather than in the canoes.

Lots of canoes on the lake
Lots of canoes on the lake
Annie and Molly paddling hard while Weslie goes for a ride
Annie and Molly paddling hard while Weslie goes for a ride
Collision!
Collision!
Gordon and Griffin paddling together
Gordon and Griffin paddling together

Tuesday was the rainy day of the week and the morning orienteering got off to a wet start.  The center has an orienteering course set  for the summer and the campers were challenged to get as many of its 30 points as possible.  A few groups came really close to finding them all which meant they covered a lot of ground quickly across the ski trails, mountain bike trails, and even a little bushwacking.  All the groups made it back to the touring center just before a big thunderstorm hit.  Swimming was cancelled for the morning but the timing was  perfect to wait out the storm inside while eating lunch.

Luckily the skies cleared in time for mountain biking in the afternoon.  The kids warmed up riding around the new pump track on the upper field and by the end of the session everyone was tackling the Center’s singletrack trails.  The morning’s rain and storm made it a muddy adventure!

Wednesday morning was a more ski specific session with ski walking, bounding, agility, and strength exercises on the new outdoor gym.  Reid won the monkey bar contest and only stopped crossing the bars once his hands were too blistered to continue.  Impressive strength!  The morning culminated in a relay race and snacks in the shade of the solar panels.




Thanks PowerBar for the snacks!
Thanks PowerBar for the snacks!

The afternoon sessions on Wednesday and Thursday included sculling and biathlon.  Each day half the group went to the lake where the Craftsbury GRP and SBTC scullers taught all the kids how to scull.  Both days were quite breezy but everybody stayed upright in their boats!  The other half of the group hiked to the biathlon range at Elinor’s house where Jeremy and Mike Gibson taught them how to shoot and staged some quick biathlon races combining running and shooting with penalty pushups.

Friday was the culminating day of camp with lots of excitement.  The day started with an adventure race.  Dylan left watermelons floating in the middle of the lake which the campers had to rescue in canoes.  The water leg was followed by mountain biking and running around the Outdoor Center, following a race course along the ski trails and single track.  The watermelons were waiting for the teams to enjoy at the finish line.
After a quick swim, everyone jumped on their bikes and rode a couple miles north along Lost Nation Rd. to the Dreissigacker’s cabin for the final afternoon party.  Some of the campers who still weren’t tired added an extra loop to the ride and checked out the new pump track at Hosmer Point.  When we arrived at the cabin, the pizza oven was hot and everyone made pizza, jumped off the ropeswing, and made quick work of lots of s’mores.

Pizza making
Pizza making
Everyone contributed toppings for the group to share.  Sam's choice was a bit more creative.  Have you ever tried a Chex Mix pizza?
Everyone contributed toppings for the group to share. Sam's choice was a bit more creative. Have you ever tried a Chex Mix pizza?
Eagerly awaiting pizza from the oven
Eagerly awaiting pizza from the oven
Pat mans the fire
Pat mans the fire
Yummy!
Yummy!
David made a blueberry, pineapple, and pepperoni pizza
David made a blueberry, pineapple, and pepperoni pizza
The perfect way to end the week
The perfect way to end the week
IMG_4076
As soon as the pizzas were devoured it was time to get back to the lake.  Here's Avery at the top of the ropeswing
As soon as the pizzas were devoured it was time to get back to the lake. Here's Avery at the top of the ropeswing
And a few seconds later
And a few seconds later
Ani climbs the tree
Ani climbs the tree for added height
Swing....
Swing....
IMG_4104IMG_4105
We went through two bags of marshmellows, two boxes of graham crackers and LOTS of chocolate in a matter of minutes.  Here's Nicole making her first ever s'more!
We went through two bags of marshmellows, two boxes of graham crackers and LOTS of chocolate in a matter of minutes. Here's Nicole making her first ever s'more!


A big thanks to Judy Geer for hosting the Friday afternoon party, the COC kitchen for making pizza dough, PowerBar for some great energy snacks, SBTC athletes for teaching sculling, Jeremy, Pepa, and all the GRP athletes for their coaching.  It was a fun week and we’re looking forward to the next week of camp in August.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Grass Skiing

It's hot, humid, and very summery here right now and taking skis out of storage just didn't seem quite right.  But it turns out that July is the perfect time for skiing in Craftsbuy, grass skiing that is.  Check out th video of ski speeds on the grass.  It actually felt much more like classic skiing than rollerskiing does.  Thanks to Gordon for the video editing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nyBEGFwT8B8

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Eastern REG camp


This week forty of New England’s top junior skiers came to Craftsbury for a training camp so we’ve had lots of company on the trails and roads during our training sessions.  The first few days were cold and wet so we were all very excited when the sun came out yesterday afternoon.  The camp started with an agility rollerski test which Pat and Alex participated in at the Lake Region parking lot and included slalom, 360s and running across the grass with your skis on.  Clare and I did the Canadian strength test which was a minute of pullups, a minute of situps, a minute of pushups, a minute of box jumps, and finally a minute of jumps.  Then on Wednesday the entire team raced the Elmore Mountain Time Trial up Mt. Elmore.  In addition to these tests there have been lots of distance and interval sessions on rollerskis and running on the ski trails.  The Stratton Elite Team came up for the last couple days and it has been great to have a huge training group.  I was feeling pretty old early in the week since I only knew a few of the REG camp juniors but it was a nice opportunity to meet the up and coming fast juniors.  Here are a few pictures from the week thanks to Liz Kantack.

Caitlin and I took the J2s and Junior women on a skate rollerski on the creek road yesterday and it was great to see the sun after a few rainy days.omen
Caitlin and I took the J2s and Junior women on a skate rollerski on the creek road yesterday and it was great to see the sun after a few rainy days.omen
Luckily there isn't too much traffic because we had a long line of rollerskiers.
Luckily there isn't too much traffic because we had a long line of rollerskiers.
Nils set a new course record on the Elmore TT.
Nils set a new course record on the Elmore TT.
The TT takes about 20 minutes and the steepest section is right before the finish.  Here Pat crests the top with less than 100meters until the finish.
The TT takes about 20 minutes and the steepest section is right before the finish. Here Pat crests the top with less than 100meters until the finish.
Han and Suz are injured and skiwalked the course instead and were great cheerers on the final stretch.
Han and Suz are injured and skiwalked the course instead and were great cheerers on the final stretch.
I of course started out a little too hard and was in a world of pain by the finish as my face shows.  But I was psyched with a PR time
I of course started out a little too hard and was in a world of pain by the finish as my face shows. But I was psyched afterward with a new PR.
Today the Craftsbury road department closed the North Craftsbury Road for us so the entire group could do double pole intervals together safely.  It's great to be apart of such a supportive community!  Here is the boys start with a huge group of guys stretching across both lanes of traffic.
Today the Craftsbury road department closed the North Craftsbury Road for us so the entire group could do double pole intervals together safely. It's great to be apart of such a supportive community! Here is the boys start with the huge group of guys stretching across both lanes of the road
Each interval felt a bit like a mass start race and it was great to have the head to head competition.
Each interval felt a bit like a mass start race and it was great to have the head to head competition.