Tuesday’s Blog by Coach Dan Bell-
The day starts early at ELITEAM as the campers got in either a morning run or bike and 50 pushups all before breakfast. And after several plates of fluffy pancakes and Vermont maple syrup the true adventure began. Half the group split off into Mountain biking, while the other half took to the high ropes course.
The bike group lead by Coaches Andrew, Dan, Makenzie, and Kelley took off on the beautiful Round Valley trails located right in the NAC’s backyard. The group started with Matt’s Flat’s and Rambler where our skills were tested on some challenging climbs and some very fast downhills. We eventually made it over the mountain to the Trailhead Bike Park where the campers got to shred the pump track and cruise down the steep bank turns and high table tops of the flow trails. Everyone was so caught up in the action that we barely made it back in time for lunch.
Lunch was also an adventure in itself as the teriyaki chicken and vegetable eggrolls quickly disappeared. The egg rolls were such a hit that that as the last one was taken, “the last egg roll is the best egg roll” could be heard being shouted across the cafeteria. After Lunch it was down to the Center of Excellence where the campers got to learn the importance of sport psychology from Doug and US ski team member and Olympian Steven Nyman. We learned that it is often the skier who is the mentally toughest that separates him or herself from the rest of the field on race day.
After a dynamic warm up to wake up and loosen up the muscles, it was off to the much anticipated SUFFERFEST!!! The campers, coaches, and Steven Nyman helped push each other through 90 minutes of non-stop suffering! Every camper completed 100 pushups, 100 burpees, 100 rock presses, a 100 yard rock sprint, a 100 yard rock throw, 100 rock Core twists, 100 tuck jumps, 100 sit ups, and an extreme tennis ball hunt in the COE’s foam pit. After the very first set of pushups a camper shouted “are we almost done yet?” and the coaching staff just giggled. Hayden pushed herself so hard during sufferfest that she claimed “my core and quads are so sore it takes me like five minutes just to sit down!” With everyone’s legs still shaking it was off to the first ELITEAM dance practice followed by a round robin soccer tournament.
The campers were thrilled to see that the Vermont tradition of ‘Taco Tuesday” was brought with us to Park City as the tacos were quickly devoured. After dinner half of the camp split off to partake in a biathalon competition that included running and archery. The other half was with Coach Kelley in the kitchen learning about nutrition and baking some healthy yogurt banana bread that was enjoyed by the entire camp. Needless to say the campers are exhausted and looking forward to tomorrow.
Ropes Course Report from Coach Doug:
I was at the high Ropes Course today watching the athletes push themselves while up in the air. We started with team challenges that had the campers working together in two person teams at up to 40 feet. Some were literally tied together climbing up cargo nets and poles and ropes. Some were even blindfolded. It was so much fun to see each team learning from every other team and then taking it to the next level. The campers took on the challenges thrown out by the coaches and their teammates with enthusiasm. The focus was on pushing personal limits, teamwork, positive thinking and remembering to breathe.
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