Winter Olympians Join Top Juniors at Ontario High Performance Camp

3-time Olympian and U.S. National Ski Team member Kikkan Randall.

Barrie, ON – Team Hardwood, one of Ontario’s most successful cross country ski racing clubs, is host a gathering of winter Olympians, National Ski Team members, and 50 of the top junior cross country ski racers in the province at the annual Ontario High Performance dryland training camp, being held at Hardwood Ski and Bike, Barrie, ON, from August 12-15^th, 2010. The objective of the “Hitting Your Stride” camp is to show and teach promising young athletes what it takes to compete and succeed at the international level.

Featured guest athletes and speakers include Vancouver 2010 winter Olympian and Canadian National Ski Team member, Perianne Jones, and 3-time Olympian and World Cup and World Championship medalist, Kikkan Randall, a member of the U.S. Ski Team. Other National Team athletes and coaches in attendance include Len Valjas (2010 National Sprint Champion), Graeme Killick (2010 National 10km & 15km Champion) and Eric de Nys (NST Coach). Also participating in the camp are members of Cross Country Canada’s new “Female Talent Squad,” a select group of promising female athletes from across Canada, who will participate in a series of sessions organized by Lisa Patterson (Cross Country Canada) and Kateri Mills (Ontario Team Coach).

U.S. Ski Team member Kikkan Randall (L) and Canadian National Ski Team member Perianne Jones (R).

Participating athletes are spending the next three days engaged in a variety of dryland training activities, including rollerskiing, ski-striding and strength training. They are also participating in a number of technique and performance monitoring activities, such as video analysis and fitness testing. Our first day featured a Zone 1 classic roller-ski session with double-poling technique work, and a ski-striding intensity workout. The roller-ski session also featured video analysis using DartFish technology. Day 2 began with a Zone 1 skate roller-ski with a block of sprints in the middle. The junior athletes got a real kick out of going head-to-head with the National Team athletes. After some rest and recovery the athletes performed the Canadian National Team Strength test and did a strength circuit workout.

Ontario Ski Team member Alana Thomas (L) and U.S. Ski Team member Kikkan Randall (R). — Ontario Ski Team member Alana Thomas (L) and U.S. Ski Team member Kikkan Randall (R)

A highlight of the camp will be a Friday night banquet dinner featuring a slide presentation and talk by Kikkan Randall, who will talk about her experiences competing for the U.S. at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The “Hitting Your Stride” camp also features a variety of coaching seminars, as well as athlete education sessions focusing on topics such as nutrition and self-promotion.

The “Hitting Your Stride” camp is being financially supported by Cross Country Canada, Cross Country Ontario and the Canadian Sport Centre (Ontario).