NENSA Elite Team Camp Report

NENSA Elite Team Camp — “It’s not about Prettiness. It’s about Power-ness” Pete Vordenberg

July 10 (Hanover, NH): The NENSA Elite Team camp is over and now there are over 30 cross-country skiers headed back home, looking like Jesse James and dreaming of stealing some heavy medals on the World Cup circuit.

USSA coach, Pete Vordenberg was on hand to update the athletes and coaches on technique and training of the US athletes. Starting from the basic, ‘gunslinger’, BigFoot, Tiger Woods-headed-for-the-green, body position, to the hands-high, arms bent, crunch the belly button to the chin power pole, Vordenberg pointed out that technique is “not about Prettiness anymore. It’s about Power-ness”.

For visual confirmation, Andy Newell showed up for Wednesday’s freestyle sprint workout, where he showed everyone the power and focus of a world-class sprinter. Kris Freeman was on hand Thursday to demonstrate classic double pole technique in the morning, and skate technique in the afternoon. And Justin, Mr. Classic himself, was the image of ease and power, as he joined the juniors for Friday’s Spenst and Ski walk interval session.

The evening photo/slide and DVD presentations by Vordenberg captured the fun of being a world-class athlete — from skiing in New Zealand, to getting tested by WADA for the sixth time in the summer. “We clean, squeaky clean” pointed out Vordenberg. “If you want to get fast, like Marit Bjoergen, you have to train hard, Crazy Hard.”

Photos courtesy of Fischer: