Summer 2020 XC Development Camps- REG and U16

REG and U16 Camps supported by National Nordic Foundation

The Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team hosts a number of development camps for junior athletes in the summer months. These camps have been an important component of development for junior athletes and have been supported by the NNF for years.

Many of our national team athletes attended U16 and REG camps on their way to the top of the sport.

Each year there are 4 Regional Elite Group Camps (REG) held around the country for U18/U20 skiers (1 each in Alaska, the West, Central, and the East).  The NNF National U16 Camp brings together the top 40-50 U16s for a week of training and learning together.

All told around 150 athletes qualify for one of these camps each summer. Athletes are invited to these camps based on their race results from last winter. The camps provide an opportunity for top juniors to come together to train, learn from national team and regional coaches, and build lasting friendships with peers. The current COVID19 situation will prevent in-person REG and National U16 camps from happening this year, but we are excited to announce a series of Virtual Camps to engage with junior athletes around the country. Each region of the country sets their own criteria for REG selection, qualified athletes have been informed of the format for this years' camps.

This year's virtual camps will be held:

June 22-27          Eastern REG                                                                      

July 6-12              Central REG                                                                      

July 6-12              Western REG                                                                                                                                         

July 18-25            National U16 Camp                                                         

TBD                     Alaska REG  

Each qualified athlete will be asked to perform the same workouts each day around their home (supported by their home club if allowable by local guidelines), with evening educational and motivational presentations from U.S. Ski Team athletes and staff. We are encouraging all athletes and clubs to incorporate a training camp week like this if it fits for them. There are no magic workouts. Workouts are mostly 1-2 hours in length and focus on keeping good technique within easy distance sessions.

In REG camps, we  include a few standardized assessments that people around the country can do to see how you compare to your peers and measure up to your idols- the Canadian Strength Test and the 3km running time trial are classic standardized assessments that anyone can do on their own! a 1km on a SkiErg is proving to be another reliable measure to keep track of, so use it if you have access to one! It is important to assess your fitness regularly over the course of the year to ensure that your training is making your faster and stronger! We'll be keeping track of scores for the Canadian Strength Test, the 3km Time Trial, and the 1km on the SkiErg for camp qualifiers, but encourage every club and athlete to keep track of their scores!

Athletes who qualified for the camps have received and will be receiving additional information about the camps but we are hoping all athletes can view the schedule of the REG camp week and use it to motivate and improve your own training. There are no magic workouts in the camp, the key is to do good work every day. Sometimes twice a day.

The REG training schedule should be a challenging but not impossible volume of training. Challenge yourself to your own training camp virtually alongside the top junior athletes in your region. How fast can you run 3000m on the track? What can you score on the Canadian Strength Test? What's your 1km double pole time on the SkiErg? These are just examples of standardized tests done across the country (and across the world in some cases). Test yourself. Train for a few months. Test yourself again. If you improve, chances are you are on the path to winter fitness!

Here's the basic schedule for the 4 regional REG camps (a similar schedule will be used for the National U16 Camp)

Day 1: AM Easy Distance Run; PM Strength Assessment via the Canadian Strength Test; Evening Goals and Education presentation for REG Athlete and Intro to Day 2 Workout

Day 2: AM Foundations of Skating and SPEED; Evening Regional Coaches Roundtable

Day 3: AM 3km Time Trial (ideally on a 400m running track); PM 1km SkiErg Test (if you have access to a SkiErg) + Easy Run + Core

Day 4: AM Foundations of Classic skills: Double Pole and Striding; PM Optional Easy Distance Skate; Evening Double Pole/Stride technique and intro to Day 5 Workout for REG Athletes

Day 5: AM Double Pole Intervals at L3/Threshold- practice pacing; PM Optional Easy Distance Run

Day 6: AM Skate Roll with technique and specific strength; Evening Athlete Q&A "How can we continue to push forward?" for REG athletes

Day 7: Overdistance Roll/Run Combo- Rollerski for 1.5-2 hours and run for 1.5-2 hours at easy endurance effort

Skiers are made in the summer! Happy training!