Friday's morning run and stretch started out in a drizzle, but by the time
we had breakfast and began our hike up Mad River Glen it was partly sunny.
The group stayed in a tight formation as we hiked to the top of the
Double Chair in just under an hour. What a beautiful view from up there
into the Valley. Just a quick snack and it was back down and to the
campers favorite lunch – healthy and real chicken patties! Yum.
After lunch was our final Notebook session where we talked about Sports
Psychology. We wrote down goals and also talked about distractions at races
and games and how to handle them. A lot of the kids shared stories of
start delays and bad referee calls and other times when they lost
their concentration. It was great to hear their stories.
Then it was on to sandpits which are everyone's favorite. After an
inspection, everyone got two training runs at about 80%. Then it was race
time, and they all went for it down the 50 foot vertical freefall in the
pit, negotiating 10 gates. There was awesome action with perfect runs and
not-so-perfect runs. Zack's crash was by far the best. He got low,
tumbled and slid about 20 feet down, landing straddled around a bamboo
gate. He stopped just short of catastrophe…
Since we were covered with sand we hit the pond for a swim. The water was
very refreshing and everyone enjoyed a dip. After that, the kids spent some
time packing up their gear for tomorrow. With a little down time, Eva & Natalie
decided to soothe their sore muscles with some Icy Hot. They overdid it a bit
and soon discovered that putting Icy Hot in your armpits is not a good idea.
After dinner it was Andrew's Crazy Relays which did not disappoint. There
was Todd’s Chicken Walk, Baywatch Run, Tuck Jump race and more. Not only
did we get a workout, but our stomachs were sore from laughing. Following
the relays it was the Jello Drop which was won by Pete and Max. They were the
only duo to both catch the jello chunks in the second round.
As I write this it is approaching 10:00pm and the dorm is quiet. The kids were
promised a sleep-in if they went to bed on time. Unfortunately, there were some
shenanigans after lights out, so the entire camp will be running at 6:30 tomorrow
as a penalty. I am looking forward to taking them on a hard one too. Rules are rules.
Hope to see everyone on Saturday morning at 10:00am sharp for the Eliteam
Olympics. We will be warmed up and ready to go!
