Summer Camp
September 1, 2024
Last month, 36 EMXC Juniors skiers headed to Dublin, NH for a team training camp at Dublin School. Coaches Chris, Avery, Marika, Mark, Nick, Robert, and Devin attended to help lead camp. Camp is one of the highlights of the summer, as it cultivates a lot of opportunity for team bonding, culture-building, and fun and focused training!
Day 1
We kicked off camp with a skate rollerski on a new loop in Dublin. The loop featured a long climb with lots of opportunity to practice V1. We did some technique work at the bottom and hit a focused speed station at the top. Then, athletes were treated to a nice, long descent before starting the loop again!
Day 2
We started the day with morning movement and a yummy breakfast provided by the Dublin School dining hall before heading out on a classic rollerski. It was perfect weather with cool temperatures and blue skies, and athletes got to soak in the views as they skied along various lakes, ponds, and woods. The afternoon was especially chilly and not as sunny, but this did not stop the skiers from jumping in the lake after their afternoon trail run with a side of bee stings. They warmed up with dinner in the dining hall and a team discussion on heart rate zones and training.
Day 3
Friday morning brought some expected rain showers, and coaches had planned a great combo of workouts to fit the weather. The morning called for some L3 Bounding/ski-walking intervals on the Dublin nordic trails. Skiers with running injuries hit the loop from day 1 for some skate L3 intervals. The workout was great practice in staying mentally tough even when external factors aren’t ideal! Athletes returned, dried off, and headed to lunch before a midday technique review session in the auditorium.
Friday training was capped off with an afternoon strength session. It was awesome to take advantage of the awesome gym and weight-lifting setup at Dublin. Later, the captains led a team-meeting before the team headed to the big gym for line-dancing led by Marika, and some free-time to shoot hoops.
Day 4
Saturday morning featured appearances from two DublinXC skiers and a fun time practicing agility. Coaches set up two agility courses and challenged skiers to master each course. Some agility features included a figure-8, dual slalom, 180’s, backwards skiing, obstacle-hops, and a grassy descent. We saw skiers working together to help each other learn obstacles, and then later racing each other through the course. Talk about teamwork!
With lots of focused workouts so far during camp, Saturday afternoon called for something different. The team played a few fun games of ultimate frisbee in the Dublin soccer fields and then jogged down to the lake for a swim. The afternoon was a hot one, and the swim was a hit, featuring games of tag, chicken fights, and some exemplary butterfly strokes. The silliness did not end there, as skit-night was upon us. Athletes came up with some really fun and creative performances for their teammates to watch.
Day 5
Sunday was the last day of camp and the weather was back to perfect for the team run/hike up and down Monadnock. Skiers who couldn’t run headed out on either a bike ride or a rollerski with coaches Mark and Robert. The rest of the team summited mount Monadnock after running and hiking along some technical hiking trails. The summit was exposed from the trees and covered in boulders, introducing the team to some really unique scenery. After snacking, photo-ops, and resting, the team headed back down, and returned to campus just in time for lunch and pickup. What a great way to end camp!
