With the results finally being labeled official and public disclosure forms signed by all participants, times are now available!
Name
Technique
Time
Equipment
Tim H (Tim 1)
Cycling
0:16:27
Not a Ducati
Nolan
Skate
0:21:57
Elpex F1 Sprint
Kieran
Skate
0:22:28
Elpex F1
Justin (Coach)
Classic
0:22:42
Eaglesport Classic
Tim H (Tim 1)
Classic
0:24:52
N/A
Heather
Skate
0:25:59
Salt ‘Speed Edition’ Skis
Derek
Double Pole
0:43:15
N/A
April
Ski Hike
0:49:09
Telescoping Poles with Compass
If you have questions regarding the legitimacy of your time, your equipment or the spelling of your name, please keep them to yourself, as we are not running a democracy.
With the temperature dropping, and a lack of action on the UW blog, a new post can only mean one thing. The UW annual fall camp has returned for yet another season, another session, another unreal marathon of excessive training, inordinate food consumption and always mandatory and often graphic team bonding.
Located at the picturesque location of Highlands Nordic Ski Club, just outside the bustling metropolis of Singhampton, Ontario, the camp capitalized on fantastic fall weather. Due to the existence of trees, fall had arrived at Highlands (unlike Waterloo – the concrete jungle continued to defy the wishes of Mother Nature) and rendered the Escarpment a riot of yellows, oranges, browns, greens and reds. The mornings were sharp with frost, but both Saturday and Sunday featured wall to wall sun and the afternoons were sweaty.
While the turnout was hampered slightly by illness, educational commitments and the hiccups, there was still plenty of sweating to be done. The suffering started on Friday night with the arrival of Andrew ‘the Pain’ Jeffrey and his grab bag of strength toys and the institution of a circuit which somehow managed to feature massive hamstring destruction despite being advertised as ‘full body’.
After a less-than-full sleep, Saturday morning dawned with hot oatmeal, chilly athletes, and two unnecessarily aggressive cats. After a brief skirmish with the cats over breakfast, round one went to the athletes, who then hustled out the door for a rollerski session. The rollerski was interspersed with intensive all-consuming technique, featuring none other than Glen ‘Naps’ Mcintyre and Head Coach Justin Faulkner. Armed with a semi-functional digital camera and serious amounts of fleece, the two set out to change the world, but ended up settling for Nolan Beanlands’ skate technique.
With technique wrapped up and stomachs growling, the gang headed back to the Woolner House of Camo for lunch. Forty-five minutes and 30+ tuna melts for 7 people later, lunch transitioned smoothly into napping for some, working for others, and petting cats for others. Snoring, meowing and scratching of pencils filled the house for the better part of an hour, until ankles were shaken for the afternoons ski hike around the Red Loop at Highlands. An entirely uneventful ski hike later, the entire team convened out front of the lodge for team building and unbelievably fun activities such as (removed – had to be there) and (sorry, you should have come). Afterwards Coach Faulkner passed out million-yen bills to all camp attendees.
Despite protests of “sore muscles” and “horrible injuries”, cooler heads prevailed and the traditional excessively-intense soccer game ensued. The small sides contributed to fast and furious odd man rushes, and resulted in the discovery that certain team members were far better at hitting posts than open nets. A hat trick for resident soccer pro Derek Hartman and several strained groins later, the team packed it in and headed home for dinner.
Another feeding frenzy ensued, involving salad and an obscene amount of pasta sauce. Also a few other things, for those concerned about dietary variety. Sign up for Sunday mornings’ Pure Pownage - Mountain Mania ’09 was undertaken, and bed time was expedited as everyone realized the following morning was going to involve some suffering.
For those unaware, Mountain Mania is the yearly event in which a Waterloo Nordic member must choose one variety of technique and then complete the 5km course. Running from the town of Duntroon to the quarry at the top of the escarpment, the course contains upwards of 6 major climbs, 1 small downhill, a large elevation gain and several angry people in trucks. Popular choices for technique include: rollerski-skate (not impossible), rollerski-classic (quite doable), double-pole (slightly hellish), run (miserable), rollerski-skate-legs only (unbearable).
A slightly slow morning saw more oatmeal, and round 2 with the aggressive cats, not to mention the toasted bagels topped with a thick layer of pain. Frost on the rooftops and grass was a hot topic, as the collected group discussed clothing, strategies, and whether this activity was in fact optional or not. As the cars were being loaded, enthusiasm was building, and Africa by Toto was being hummed.
At 9 AM on the dot, the first time-trialist left the telephone-pole start line, and roughly 9 minutes later the last starter began. As the climb steepened, temperatures rose, muscles hurt, and testosterone raged (at least among some). Most felt that the experience was definitely an experience, whether good or bad. At the time of publication, results remain classified, but they will be made available to the public later this week.
The small number of participants (6) meant that by 10.00 AM everyone had completed the course, and was itching to move onto the next activity. After a short blast back to the farmhouse to inhale a few tuna melts, granola bars and cookies with peanut butter, the athletes were re-geared for another fall camp classic: the ski hike on the Bruce Trail with side trip into the caves.
Always a beautiful stroll along the bluffs overlooking Collingwood and Georgian Bay, this year was no different. With leaves, burrs and rocks it was a pretty stereotypical Canadian fall ski hike. After spending a solid chunk of time playing with boulders and climbing rocks, it was decided that one group would put their hustle hats on and get back to the Camo Shack early in order to prepare lunch and expedite the departure process. While on the surface a fantastic idea, pounding feet, covered ground and slippery rocks make for treacherous up-tempo activity. Several kilometers and a sprained ankle later, Team Tuna melt piled into the van and headed back to the Woolner Place and began cranking out lunch.
A furious food-filled hour followed, involving cheese, cookies, spaghetti, bagels and hot chocolate. A quick clean and sweep, pack and exit, and both vehicles were on the road back to civilization and the books. A good weekend weather and training-wise, the UW Nordic Ski team would like to remind you to wear a helmet while engaged in strenuous activity. Thank you, and good day!
