Through Time Trials and Tug-of-War: Central REG Camp

Friday marked the end of the Central Regional Elite Group (REG) training camp at the Cresthill Resort in Hayward, Wisconsin.  Top athletes from throughout the Central region arrived on Saturday, July 3 for a week of tough competition, quality training, and phenomenal coaching.

One of the great values of the REG camps is the educational component, as athletes attended lectures presented by the coaches almost every night.  The star-studded coaching staff included Bryan Fish (US Ski Team (USST) Continental Cup Coach), Matt Whitcomb (USST Development Coach), Gus Kaeding (CXC Elite Development Coach), Igor Badamshin (CXC Junior Development Coach), Justin Easter (CXC Director of Sports Education), and Yuriy Gusev (CXC Athletic Director).

Athletes celebrated the country’s independence with a vo2max test on their first full day of camp, followed by a 3000 meter running time trail, medals strength testing, and an obstacle course throughout the rest of the week.

Training concluded with the “OO” 5k skate time trail beginning at the Sawmill Saloon in downtown Hayward and ending at the halfway point of the American Birkebeiner trail, the top of the infamous “OO” hill.

Members of the Central Cross-Country Association (CXC) Elite Team, taking part in their own nearby training camp last week, joined in on both time trails, making for some highly competitive races.

“It was obvious that the REGers took aim at taking down some of the elite team.  Watching the REG skiers hang everything on the line to stay with some of America’s fastest skiers was awesome,” coach Gus Kaeding told FasterSkier in an email.

The camp was, as always, an overall success as all athletes learned from the coaches, from themselves, and from each other in order to improve and become faster skiers.