MOD Masters Camp

We just finished our inaugural MOD "Functional Training For Masters Skiers" clinic this past weekend. The goal was to present masters-level skiers with a comprehensive approach to effective ski training, whether they are hoping to be age-group winners in the Birkie or just want to feel better and fitter this winter for recreational skiing. The camp consisted of four "classroom" sessions in which Scott lectured on the various theories and methods used in sports training. Using the MOD team members and other top-level athletes as examples Scott sought to impress on the camp's attendees that training at any level should be thoughtful and not haphazard.

Midge Cross (coach's wife and MOD's behind-the-scenes Miracle Worker) at the Mazama Community Center, our camp's headquarters

We balanced out the classroom sessions with demonstrative outdoor sessions with ski walking, bounding and plyometrics, strength training, and rollerskiing. We also introduced to the attendees some of MOD's ultra-secret training methods, none of which will be disclosed here...

Scott teaching the campers some ski walking technique

It was a great weekend and a welcome opportunity for the MOD Project members to delve into a coaching role, mixing it up with community members and supporters of the program while passing on their expertise with training. The entirety of the camp's proceeds went to the MOD Project and has given us a great fundraising boost, ever-helpful as the season draws near!

New Month- New Phase

The MOD Team has been shifting into a new phase of training over this past week. We are steering away from lots of focus on the base phase and heading into the fun stuff. For the next three weeks we will be focused on muscular endurance. This means a shift in most of our workouts including rollerskiing, bounding and strength. I have to say, September is the hardest part of the training year for me. I have a constant itch to race, but I also know I have a lot more wood to put in the fire. 

All three of us are feeling good with where we are, but with this shift in training we will get to do more of the exciting stuff. More intensity and shorter workouts with lots more quality in each hour of training time.

We have been including the Methow Valley Ski Team in many of our workouts lately. It is a nice opportunity for us to get the younger kids psyched, but it is also good for pushing us! I have also really enjoyed having new blood in the workouts. The change in spirit really has a secret way of motivating everybody involved. We have seen huge improvements in these younger skiers already!

Track Sprints with The MVST

Sprint Starts

Kelsey Dickenson working on getting her hips up

Time Trial and More

Last week during our training week in Whistler we had the chance to compete in a time trial with the US ski team and Sun Valley ODT team, which includes some of the best sprinters in the world. We raced it like we would a winter sprint race, with a qualifier and three rounds. I raced the quarter finals with the B group placing top two allowing me to advance into the A group to ski two more rounds with them. It was a great opportunity to see how some of the best guys in the world tactically ski. I learned a lot from skiing with them, and feel like I have made good improvements this summer with my speed training. I finshed the finals in third place behind Andy Newell and Torin Koos. Sadie also had a good race and placed second behind World Cup winner Kikan Randall. We are both feeling confident with where our speed is at this time and excited to move into a new fall phase of training.

Finishing up the dishes

The turf field we got to play on

On one of our runs

The top of Black Tusk

The view from the top

This is the lake that you can see in the picture above. Pretty cold but it was nice because we still had 10 Km left to run.

The guys room/living room

The gang after a rollerski.

Week in Whistler

NEG Group

Erik and I have just returned from a week long camp in Whistler training alongside the US Ski Team. I would have to say this was one of the most fun and successful camps that I have ever attended! It was a great group of people, five girls and five boys, and an awesome duo of coaches. Mother Ben Husaby and Chris Mallory. The week started out with adventures right away. The house we were living in was a house previously rented by Zach and Amy Caldwell in Squamish. They had moved out several months ago, but were still paying rent. So, basically the house was unlived in. We arrived in Squamish, ten at night, not really sure what house we were trying to find, and no key. We pulled the van into a dark driveway, concluding this must be the house and started looking for ways to break in. Finally we ended up giving the garage door an extra hard kick and lifting it up, finding a way into the house. The house was completely empty with one bed, one bathroom, no furniture and no cooking utensils for the twelve of us. We spent the next day at the dollar store and Walmart looking for stuff to eat off of and things to decorate the house with. That night consisted of drawing contests and a little artistic interior design with limited supplies. We found some random pieces of furniture and an old mattress in the garage providing some area to rest on between practices.

Following World class skier Kikkan Randall during sprint race.

Rollerski course at Olympic Venue

 The training was great. Most days we drove the 35 minutes to the Olympic venue in Callaghan Valley and joined up with the US Ski Team members and coaches along with some Sun Valley Olympic Development Team members for the workout of the day. It was really nice to get some technique advice from the coaches and also very motivating to jump in behind the US girls for the workouts. We got in four good intensity sessions over the course of the week, a race, a distance double pole workout, and some nice long easy distance skis. Most days we spent the afternoon doing various strength workouts, running, and some extreme soccer games around Squamish. Many times we found ourselves playing soccer as late as eight o’clock because everybody was too into the game to stop. We played east of the Mississippi skiers against west of the Mississippi skiers. Our games were constant sprinting across the field and at times got a little rough, but a good solid workout. We were smart enough to cook our dinner during the day so that we could come home long past dinnertime and quickly get the dinner of the day in the oven. Cooking was tough with limited supplies but always an adventure in and of itself. Often times dinner turned into a competition of which group of people could cook the best lasagna or who made the better mashed potatoes. We were constantly entertained but very productive during training. One night we invited the US coaches down to our homey little house for dinner and technique review for the week. We got a nice talk about the developmental pipeline and how every day counts towards our end goal from head US coach Pete Vordenburg. 

Erik and I came away from the camp confident in our training and even more motivated to start our fall training! We learned lots and brought home some good suggestions to weave into our training plans. Thanks to all the coaches for a great camp in Whistler!

Our living arrangements...specially decorated.

Some decoration on the wall.

Kikkan Randal, myself, Linzy Williams and Liz Stephan during time trail on Olympic Venue.

Erik mixing it up with the big guys.

thanks to Pete Vordenburg for pictures.