Although it may seem as if summer was just yesterday, at least one Vancouver Island group is counting down the days until winter.
A Teck Regional Camp, hosted by the Strathcona Nordic Ski Club, took place over the Sept. 10-11 weekend with 55 motivated athletes and coaches enjoying the beautiful West Coast sunshine.
Near perfect weather allowed for ideal camping and training conditions. The favourable conditions also put everyone in a great mood, empowering athletes to form camaraderie throughout training sessions, evening campfires and team building games.
Activities included a roller skiing time trial, roller skiing technique session, strength and agility training, forest and beach running and the younger athlete’s favourite game – ‘Bone Collector’ – which is a version of tag where an individual collects bones (or popsicle sticks in this case) to build an empire.
Strathcona Nordic Ski Club head coach Andrea Stapff noted it was exciting to see so many young, eager faces at the camp. “The high participation numbers and keen attitude that the skiers had last weekend is a good sign that is a fun season is not too far ahead.”
Dudley Coulter, Athlete Development Coordinator at Cross Country BC, stated, “Camps like this build buzz for our sport, and we’re looking forward to growing participation numbers again this season.”
The camp finished Sunday with a brief commentary from the coaches, reminding the athletes that it’s only three months until they hit the start line.
A special thank you goes out to CCBC Para Nordic head coach Jessica Heyes who brought three BC Para-Nordic Team athletes from the mainland to train with Vancouver Island skiers for the weekend.
Many thanks to the coaches and parent volunteers, as well as Teck Resources Limited, for their support.