July
As you can probably tell, I have been out and about and very busy with this first month of summer. I figured I would just write a brief "shake-down" of the various camps I have been to in the past month or so and what I thought of them.
June Training Weekend
So, back in June a bunch of Team Hardwood athletes got together for a training weekend to celebrate the end of school. Up until the weekend I was unsure whether or not choosing to go was a good idea, because I still had a couple of exams left at that point. Now I am very relieved that i decided to go, because it was a super fun time and my exams were still very successful. It really was the best of both worlds and it was super exciting to spend some time with some of my favourite people. We had lots of fun playing beach volleyball, and also learned a lot from an athletic standpoint as we were able to work a lot on skate technique in the two days. This was when it became apparent to my friends and I that Hardwood's new peer coaching system was really good: we got to take a much more in-depth look at our technique and got more one-on-one advice from Kieran which was very helpful. Not to mention Go-Karting was tons of fun as well as rollerski sprints around a little school in Oro.
SOD Camp at Highlands
A great opportunity to train with other skiers, I was super excited to go to the SOD camp. One thing I found really enjoyable about the camp was the opportunity to train in a different environment. I think it's very convenient to get into the habit of essentially doing the same thing over and over again, which can lead to it becoming a chore; this is why I really value an opportunity to do a workout somewhere different, especially with some friends. There were definitely many friends at the camp, and everything went off without a hitch (well, maybe apart from me doing a running clinic in a t-shirt and cargo shorts...). All the sessions were really good and a great time. I would say it was very successful.
Team Hardwood Canoe Trip
The team canoe trip was a long time in the making and it was more than well worth it. Everybody worked hard and had a blast. We were also super lucky to have amazing weather for the entire time. Of course, no good trip is without its challenges, and it is safe to say we were not without a healthy dose of those. From "navigational difficulties" (give or take 2 hours), to enough spaghetti and no-bakes to feed a starving spartan army for the better part of the summer. I must say, these challenges along with some epic portages, a leech colony being spawned on Kieran's foot, and some amazing lakes and scenery all contributed to this being an awesome camp. Also, I have yet to list all the other great things about this trip (like the nature sightings, three moose!), although I will say that I enjoyed every moment out there with the whole crew.
P.S. The top super-hero/legend of the camp was Beaverine
SOD Coaching Conference
Another great opportunity was to not only meet, but to also do rollerski sessions with Justin Wadsworth (the national team coach). All this was in the midst of a coaching conference being hosted at Hardwood, that saw an impressive turnout of coaches ranging from high school to high performance. I was lucky to get to sit in on most of the talks which were quite helpful, especially the ones on technique where I (like the other athletes) had my rollerski video analyzed. So I was able to get some very useful tips and technique cues.
Pan Am Games
Back during the games, the hype was high for all of the Canadians doing so well. I wasn't following the action too closely but I saw some of the key highlights- for example, the Brazilian cycling team going out for a little spin on the DVP- and I got to see the individual time trial in person. It was a great day out in the sun cheering on the strong contingent of Canadian cyclists.
The racing was fast-paced and they took home medals in both the men's and women's races. Most interesting was to look at the pacing strategies of the racers, it was definitely enlightening from the point of view of a racer.
Mount St. Louis hill test with Kikkan
One of the coolest training sessions Team Hardwood got to do this summer was another go at the famous MSL hill test with Kikkan Randall. Doing a session with a star skier really helps to give some perspective regarding the caliber of the athletes in the Olympics or on the World Cup. Not to mention it was tons of fun and a great workout!
June Training Weekend
So, back in June a bunch of Team Hardwood athletes got together for a training weekend to celebrate the end of school. Up until the weekend I was unsure whether or not choosing to go was a good idea, because I still had a couple of exams left at that point. Now I am very relieved that i decided to go, because it was a super fun time and my exams were still very successful. It really was the best of both worlds and it was super exciting to spend some time with some of my favourite people. We had lots of fun playing beach volleyball, and also learned a lot from an athletic standpoint as we were able to work a lot on skate technique in the two days. This was when it became apparent to my friends and I that Hardwood's new peer coaching system was really good: we got to take a much more in-depth look at our technique and got more one-on-one advice from Kieran which was very helpful. Not to mention Go-Karting was tons of fun as well as rollerski sprints around a little school in Oro.
SOD Camp at Highlands
A great opportunity to train with other skiers, I was super excited to go to the SOD camp. One thing I found really enjoyable about the camp was the opportunity to train in a different environment. I think it's very convenient to get into the habit of essentially doing the same thing over and over again, which can lead to it becoming a chore; this is why I really value an opportunity to do a workout somewhere different, especially with some friends. There were definitely many friends at the camp, and everything went off without a hitch (well, maybe apart from me doing a running clinic in a t-shirt and cargo shorts...). All the sessions were really good and a great time. I would say it was very successful.
 |
| SOD group at the highest point on the Bruce |
Team Hardwood Canoe Trip
The team canoe trip was a long time in the making and it was more than well worth it. Everybody worked hard and had a blast. We were also super lucky to have amazing weather for the entire time. Of course, no good trip is without its challenges, and it is safe to say we were not without a healthy dose of those. From "navigational difficulties" (give or take 2 hours), to enough spaghetti and no-bakes to feed a starving spartan army for the better part of the summer. I must say, these challenges along with some epic portages, a leech colony being spawned on Kieran's foot, and some amazing lakes and scenery all contributed to this being an awesome camp. Also, I have yet to list all the other great things about this trip (like the nature sightings, three moose!), although I will say that I enjoyed every moment out there with the whole crew.
 |
| Trip picture (taken from the team website) |
P.S. The top super-hero/legend of the camp was Beaverine
SOD Coaching Conference
Another great opportunity was to not only meet, but to also do rollerski sessions with Justin Wadsworth (the national team coach). All this was in the midst of a coaching conference being hosted at Hardwood, that saw an impressive turnout of coaches ranging from high school to high performance. I was lucky to get to sit in on most of the talks which were quite helpful, especially the ones on technique where I (like the other athletes) had my rollerski video analyzed. So I was able to get some very useful tips and technique cues.
Pan Am Games
Back during the games, the hype was high for all of the Canadians doing so well. I wasn't following the action too closely but I saw some of the key highlights- for example, the Brazilian cycling team going out for a little spin on the DVP- and I got to see the individual time trial in person. It was a great day out in the sun cheering on the strong contingent of Canadian cyclists.
 |
| Sean MacKinnon on his way to the Bronze medal |
The racing was fast-paced and they took home medals in both the men's and women's races. Most interesting was to look at the pacing strategies of the racers, it was definitely enlightening from the point of view of a racer.
Mount St. Louis hill test with Kikkan
One of the coolest training sessions Team Hardwood got to do this summer was another go at the famous MSL hill test with Kikkan Randall. Doing a session with a star skier really helps to give some perspective regarding the caliber of the athletes in the Olympics or on the World Cup. Not to mention it was tons of fun and a great workout!
 |
| It was great to meet Kikkan! |
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