Running Up Hills: Eastern REG Camp

High-caliber junior athletes flocked to Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont on June 25 for the five-day Regional Elite Group (REG) camp.  The week provided attending skiers with a chance to train with and learn from some of the country’s best coaches.

This year saw some changes to the general REG plan, including more time trials and the requirement that athletes wear numbered bibs for all workouts, fostering a greater spirit of competition and professionalism.  “I think the camps really took a turn for the better,” Matt Whitcomb, US Ski Team Development Coach, told FasterSkier in an interview.  “I’m really encouraged.  The coaches and clubs are educating these athletes, and they hit the ground running,”

The camp featured two time trials, including the always-painful uphill running time trial, a fantastic  measurement of vo2max and pure fitness.  “It’s a hell of a mental training test as well,” Whitcomb acknowledged.

A number of senior athletes jumped in for many of the workouts, including the running time trial, in which Ida Sargent took home the win for women while teammates Tim Reynolds and Dylan McGuffin tied for the men’s trophy.

A highlight of the week was the OD rollerski on rolling country roads and smooth pavement.  “It was one of the better workouts in my opinion,” Whitcomb reported.  “There was very little chitter-chatter, very little waste of time.”

The overall feeling was one of improvement and success, both coming into the camp and leaving.  Coaches were pleased by the level of professionalism the athletes brought to the week and saw a group that was technically proficient, good on their rollerskis, and prepared to work hard.

Video by David Loney:

2010 Camp Roster:
Rachel Hall, SMS
Elizabeth Anderson, Ford Sayre
Skyler Davis, SMS
Briger Tyler, SMS
Gage Fichter, SMS
Isabel Caldwell, SMS
David Sinclair, GMVS
Welley Ramsey, MWSC
Ben Lustgarten
Hans Halvorsen, GMVS
Chris Stock, CSU
Austin Caldwell, SMS
Magnus Bigelow, SMS
Patrick Caldwell, Ford Sayre
Charlie Bencze, Mid A
Austin Cobb, SMS
Reed Likly, Mid A
Mitch Prevot, Burke
Heather Mooney, SMS
Heidi Halvorsen, GMVS
Megan Killigrew, Dartmouth
Keely Levins, Middlebury
Hannah Smith, CSU
Elizabeth Izzo, NYSEF
Green Racing Project Athletes:
Chelsea Little
Ollie Buress
Dylan McGuffin
Lauren Jacobs
Matt Briggs
Hannah Dreissigacker
Ida Sargent
Pat Obrien
Coaches: Matt Whitcomb, USST; Janice Sibilia, NENSA; Cami Thompson, Dartmouth; Jason Hettenbaugh, Rochester Nordic; Eileen Carey, MWSC; Pepa Milocheva, Craftsbury/GRP, Nick Brown, and David Loney