I am writing this while the entire camp is in the GMVS Student center
watching the movie RAD. An eighties movie about BMX biking and pursuing
your goals. Although a bit cheesy, the message and the action are good.
Today started with a review of the dance which is coming along nicely and
then right into circuit training. Fifteen stations of core, lower body,
upper body, quickness and ski specific exercises. It was so cool to see
all 45 campers and 15 staff working hard in the gym. All the tuck jumps
looked great, but some of the hula-hooping needed work. We cranked the
tunes throughout the workout to keep us all motivated!
After lunch it was time for physical testing. One by one they put it all
on the line, going as hard as possible. They each wrote their results in the
Notebooks so they’ll have a record of where they stood at 7/23/09. The
action was very intense at the Bergundtal as they were striving for a flawless run.
The 40 yard dash was also exciting. When it was Meaghan’s turn, she stepped up to the line
and surprised the kids around her by crouching down into a “real” start position. She looked
very professional! The girls around her asked, “Do you run track?” The excitement continued
when Sarah showed up for her turn. Feeling brave, she challenged Coach Katie to a sprint race.
Despite a false start and a second “re-do”, Katie won both races handily. Coach Katie is strong,
fit and in fine form. Sarah quickly realized that she has more work to do.
After testing, we all headed for the kitchen to make fruit smoothies. They used yogurt,
frozen blueberries and raspberries (the raspberries came from our garden), bananas, juice,
wheat germ and grape nuts. The kids added anything they wanted, and the smoothies
tasted awesome! Some kids where even brave enough to add the wheat germ. They also
ate the Zucchini Bread which they had made earlier in the day. Although green, they
chowed it down ravenously. Even the “soupy” batch tasted great.
Our final activity before Crazy Hat and Wild Socks night was a new element
of ELITEAM brought in by Coach Jena – an Adventure Race. After splitting
into six teams, they were given their first challenge which involved a
baseball size hunk of ice with a secret code hidden in the middle. To get the code,
they had to melt the ice, which they did by rubbing it on their bodies. It was a sight to see.
Foreheads, bellies, necks, legs, even armpits were used! More challenges and craziness
ensued for the next hour. One such challenge included transporting water from
a kiddie pool to a large bucket with a piece of piping that had holes in it. That took a while.
Friday is my favorite day at ELITEAM. We will be hiking up Mad River Glen
in the AM and then Sandpits in the PM. After dinner it’s Andrew's Wild
Relays and the Jello Drop!
