Bend Camp Recap
Every May, the entire Nordic world converges on a conical mountain on the eastern slope of the central Cascades in Oregon: Mt. Bachelor. This year was no different, as the JHSC Nordic program descended on the sleepy town of Sunriver, Oregon, to do some serious Nordic training! Due to the bleak snow outlook at the end of March, we had booked the trip earlier than usual for the second week of May. However, this wet and cool spring changed the equation and instead of marginal skiing conditions, we experienced nearly mid-winter ski trails. The trees were covered in new snow, the sun was out, and the temperatures were chilly! This meant not only easier kick waxing for the coaching staff but also better than expected classic tracks and better training! While the skiing is usually good for the first hour of the workout but then softens into a slow and sloppy mess, this year the conditions remained fast, firm, and furious past noon. In addition to some great skiing conditions, we also had amazing dryland training; such is the fantastic weather in Bend this time of year. We ran alongside the mighty Deschutes River, rollerskiied among the lava fields, and did some great core and body weight strength workouts. The team even went to the trampoline park in Bend for an afternoon for fun and to work on body awareness and coordination! Unfortunately the weather that was cold and moist enough to bring cold powder to the ski trails also brought chilly rain to the Oregon Coast, so we were not able to do our traditional beach migration, but this missed year will only build anticipation for subsequent years...
Graduating Seniors Time Warp!
We have a huge group of graduating seniors on the Nordic program this year with 8 graduates! Four of the graduates are going on to ski in college, and the other four have fantastic plans for the future! Many of these athletes have been a part of JHSC Nordic for over 10 years and they are truly a special part of the program. They grew up with Nordic skiing from a very young age, and their commitment to the sport and the program has been inspiring! With that in mind, here are some photos of the graduating seniors from when they were just starting out in the program contrasted with photos from this last season! For those of you who have young athletes in the Nordic program, these photos could be of yours someday! All it takes is a lot of passion and love for Nordic sport, along with a healthy dose of hard work.
