This weekend, (Oct. 31 to Nov. 2) the Waterloo Nordic Ski Team headed to Highlands Nordic, in Duntroon Ontario for their annual fall training camp.
Attendence contained all the Waterloo Nordic regulars, a coop student or two, several prominent alumnus, and a couple of rookies.
The camp started out quickly, with Mike 'Knees' Neilly leading off a killer strength workout on Friday night, making sure that everyone was aware that they had shown up for a training camp, not a wilderness retreat.
Saturday morning dawned sunny and clear, but chilly. Not chilly enough to snow, however, so a long rollerski/technique session commenced with brand new father/head coach/inspirational speaker/organizer extraordinaire Justin Faulkner calling the shots. Most athletes managed to get in both skate and classic technique evaluation before giving in to eat lunch, check out the highlands ski swap, or regret their decision to wear shorts and get frostbite on the knees.
After a crucial post-lunch break for sleeping, the team decided to hit the Highlands trails for a hike, and after a quick ski walking tutorial from last years OUA All-Star, this years superstar, and perennial technique virtuoso Cam ED Moore, the majority of the team got down to exploring the extensive Highlands Nordic trail system. Others, most notably rookies Nolan 'Beans' Beanlands and Andrew 'JR' Jeffery, went for the afternoon intensity, racking up a few intervals before the post-workout soccer game.
Saturday night involved eating, saunas, goal setting, and realizing that it was daylight savings time and therefore actually an hour earlier than everyone thought.
Sunday morning dawned bright, early, and sore for most. Preparations for the ever-popular Mountain Mania 4.8km uphill timetrial had begun the night before, with people choosing techniques from running to double-poling and skate rollersking. Once the sign-up to suffer was complete, the TT kicked off at 8:30.
Running were Jamie Tremaine and Surabhi Venkatesh. This was followed by double-poling enthusiasts Yudai 'Guns' Nakagawa and JR Jeffery. The most popular choice, skating, saw Knees Neilly, alumni Greg Brigley, Nelly Dow, Beans, D-Rok, and Kieran T. Jones attack the hill. Last, due to the fact that he was the only one doing classic, Cam ED Moore went at it.
After one run of the hill, most were content with the amount of pain they had endured for the morning, and headed back to the farmhouse for a rest. A select group however, opted for a second attempt. Yudai attempted the rare double-double-pole, and Andrew switched to the shoes for his second go, and both were accompanied by HC Justin Faulkner, who exercised his authority as coach to detail his wife on childcare while he double-poled the escarpment.
Bagged after the mornings race, naps were taken, lunch was eaten, and a general cleaning of the farmhouse was done before the inevitable ski hike of the Bruce Trail.
2 hours of ski hiking, some light spelunking and bouldering later, the team decided to pack it in and head back to Waterloo for some sleeping and some school.
Solid weekend of training, and check the fall camp off the UW Ski Team schedule.
With a little luck, the next time we're in Duntroon for a camp, there will be snow involved.
