Regional Development (RDG) Camp
August 10, 2024
Regional Development Group (RDG) Camp
The Development Team is chosen based on results from the winter and is named once a year. Athletes selected to the team have the opportunity to attend a 3-day camp in the summer to work with new coaches and ski with athletes from around the region. This year, Jasper and Alex attended camp at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, where they got to rollerski on the rollerloop, run, and attend some valuable presentations!
RDG Recap from Jasper
Friday we arrived at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center on a hot, humid morning, and went on a jog while learning names, before having lunch and settling into rooms. After some time to chill, we went over to the touring center to get a nutrition talk from Megan Chacosky, who has given EMXC the same talk at Craftsbury camp last Thanksgiving. Then we wrapped up our first day with a skate technique practice, a review of Sunday's upcoming rollerski race, and a swim before dinner.
Day 2 dawned wet and stormy, and after breakfast and morning sport, we hopped into the COC vans to drive over to the Long Trail for a running OD. Along the 40 minute car ride in rural Vermont, we managed to spot a moose right on the side of the road!
Despite the excitement of a moose, we were glad to not encounter any more of them on our run. With the threat of thunderstorms successfully dodged, we made our way down the mountain and drove down the street to a swimming hole, and ate our packed lunches there. After our lunch, we headed back to Craftsbury before our classic technique practice in the afternoon. This practice had a lot of double pole drills, and was a fun opportunity to get technique ideas and advice from coaches that coach other clubs and colleges.
Then Sunday was the biggest day of the camp, with the Lost Nation Roll taking place on the rollerski loop. Many pro and club skiers alike came to race, making for a fun and deep field. It was also my first ever 10k race, and the big hills on the roller ski track made for a long race. Even with that, everyone powered through, and camp wrapped up in the afternoon with a strength session all about Olympic Weightlifting. Overall, camp was a wonderful experience, and hopefully I get the opportunity to go to another NENSA camp in the future!
RDG Recap from Alex
At RDG, I was blown away by how supportive and fun the team there was. I had such an incredible time working on the “up-down-over” drill with Chris and learning Olympic lifts in the outdoor gym, but I also loved the campfire chats and card games played outside training hours. I took away so much from both the technique sessions and college talks, but also from how the other athletes trained and approached skiing. We ended the week with the Lost Nation Rollerski Race, and it was so much fun to be able to race in July and work on my process goals, but also see EMXC alumni after. I had a great time overall. I'm so psyched for the upcoming season after this camp!
