Bend On Snow and Dryland Camp
The Bend/Mt. Bachelor Camp was a major success, Prep and Comp team athletes were extremely fortunate to get on snow training in during 80-90 degree days in the Cascades in early June. Morning training sessions included skate and classic technique work, a skate interval session, a classic specific strength session, and plenty of easy distance skiing. Afternoon training incorporated two strength sessions, one with the Aspen ski team and one with Sun Valley ski team, a trail run along the Deschutes River, a trail run at Smith Rock, and an easy jog followed by yoga. To finish off the camp the team skied to the top of Mt. Bachelor with skate skis. After logging 15-20 hrs of training over the course of the week the team returned with a solid foundation of technical and fitness training and ready to take most advantage of a volume intensive summer of training. JHSC joined forces with Park City, Sun Valley, Aspen, Steamboat, Utah Nordic Alliance, and Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation in order to fund the grooming for the week. Thanks to Sue Foster at Mt. Bachelor and the grooming crew for hosting teams from across the west and working hard to create race quality tracks for training. Athletes Sam Johnson, Birch Klomparens, Josh Roubin, Bridger Stiles, David King, Will Johnson, Kate Brigham, Natalie O'Brien, Sydney Wilmot, and Aurora Stiles were joined by coaches Calvin Wight and Ben Morley.
Haig Glacier Camp
Birch Klomparens, Josh Roubin, and Elijah Weenig will be headed to another on snow training camp in the heart of the Canadian Rockies at the end of the month. They will be joining a contingent of athletes from Sun Valley, Utah Nordic Alliance and Park City for a week glacier skiing and dry-land training. Their gear will be flown in by helicopter before they will hike 5 hours to their camp that consists of 2 bunk houses, and a common dinning area. Two camp hosts will groom the trails daily with a propane powered snow cat and prepare three gourmet meals to fuel 20-30 hours of training at atittude. The Haig Glacier Camp is high on the list as an all time ski camp that we're fortunate enough to send a handful of athletes to each year. U18 athletes that display a high level of commitment to the team and their training are invited on the camp.
Junior Summer Training Update
Junior summer training is underway and functions as an opportunity for the Junior athletes to not only stay connected with the sport and coaches, but to also give them a preview of what's on deck by the time they reach the Prep team. By the time Junior athletes graduate to the Prep team, we try to incorporate at least 3 days of training into their yearly plan. This has proven to help build team culture and progress their foundational strength and technical skills on roller skis, all which translates to producing better skiers when the season rolls around. At this level we still highly encourage kids to be multi-sport athletes, but see the value in offering an opportunity to stay connected with Nordic skiing at some level year-round.
To help ease that transition onto the Prep team, for some of the more committed Junior team athletes we are offering two training sessions per week from June 25th to August 28th on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 5 p.m. - 6:45 p..m. On Monday's we're offering an intro to roller skiing session that will either take place at the High School or Middle School parking lot, or at May Park with coach Rob Murphy. On Wednesday's the team will start at Snow King with some basic core exercises with the Prep and Comp team athletes and then break out into a game, a hike, a short run, or ski imitation exercises with coach Anna Gibson. Anna is focusing on basic body position, fun agility courses, games, and a little technique instruction.
Prep/Comp Summer Training Update
With the summer training session well under way, Prep and Comp team athletes are working towards the highest volume training period of the year. Building a fitness base during this time sensitive window has become a centerpiece of the Prep and Comp team yearly training plan. Athletes begin to understand the importance of year round commitment and really start to incorporate lifestyle habits that support 5-8 training session per week throughout the summer. Long trail runs, consistent general strength training, specific strength training, and plenty of technical work on roller skis make up a majority of the weekly training routine.
New this year, athletes are in the process of drafting performance, process, and outcome goals that are specific to what they'd like to accomplish within the summer season. How these goals translate into the fall and then eventually the winter has been and will be an ongoing discussion with the coaching staff.
Commitment Scholarship Revamped
The Summer Commitment Scholarship that has awarded athletes with strong summer attendance will now require Comp team athletes to submit a training log to their coaches every month. An individual training log primarily serves the purpose to see if an athlete is following the weekly, monthly and yearly cycle. If they are sick, take a vacation, or any unforeseen circumstances arise, the training log will help facilitate athlete to coach communication to help the athlete get back on track towards achieving their goals. It also serves as an opportunity for the athlete to reflect on how they felt on any given day, which provides more information to the coaches to adjust the training plan and cater to their needs. With over 285 JHSC team training sessions every year, logging every training session displays a very high level of commitment to the sport and personal development. We are currently in search of a donor to help support this new and unique scholarship opportunity for athletes. For more information on how to help support this project, contact program director Ben Morley - bmorley@jhskiclub.org
Elijah Weenig - Regional Elite Group Camp
Elijah Weenig was invited to the Western Regional Elite Group camp that took place in Park City a couple weeks ago. Top U18 and U20 athletes are selected based on their performances at Junior Nationals to train with U.S. Ski Team Coaches and compete against athletes from across the region in a number of time trials and fitness tests. Elijah posted some very strong results placing 4th the Agony Hill Running Time Trial and 7th in the Roller Ski Agility Time Trial, out of 17 total athletes. Congratulations Elijah!!
Bridger Stiles, David King U16 National Camp
Bridger Stiles and David King will be joining top U16 athletes from across the country for the National U16 camps the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN. Just like the Western Regional Eligh Group Camp, U16 athletes are selected for this camp based on their results at Junior National Championships. Brigger and David will be putting in a big week of training and will also undergo a number of tests to keep their compeative edge alive at the national level. Congratulations Bridger and David!
New Opportunities to Sponsor/Support the Nordic Program
There are a number of new opportunities now available to your business or organization in unique ways to support the JHSC Nordic Program for the upcoming 2019/20 season. See our updated sponsorship webpage for information on how to suppor the program at a number of different levels.
Committed Coaching Staff
Ali Senhert, Calvin Wight, Anna Gibson, and Rob Murphy deserve a special thank you for sticking with the program throughout the summer months to support all JHSC Nordic athletes. The support and commitment of a highly qualified coaching staff over the summer months is unprecedented at JHSC. Thanks coaches!!
