My name is Necia Nicholas! I am a nordic skier from Bozeman Montana for the Bridger Ski Foundation, and this Fall, I will be on the nordic team for the University of Vermont. This August I was fortunate enough to get to attend the women’s National Development Camp in Park City Utah! Overall it was a super fun camp that was also productive and full of learning.
Because there were eleven of us and it was an all women camp, all of us formed a tight group and I got to make so many new friends from all over the Nation. Especially as I am headed to college soon, it was cool to get to know some of the girls I will be racing on the EISA circuit this winter and even Hanna Koch who I will be teammates with. Each workout was filled with laughter and encouragement, even when it got difficult. I felt like we were all able to focus and work together to learn from each other while also enjoying the process as much as possible. We did an over distance workout up Gardsman pass, which was a lot of steep striding and despite the blisters we all got on our heels, we still had a great time making vlogs and eating Nerd Clusters together. (Go check out the vlog on NNF’s Instagram!)
At the start of NDG, we created goals and intentions for the atmosphere we wanted and the culture we wanted to create. When we assessed this at the end of camp, everyone had found success and achieved at least one thing that they came to do. I personally really wanted to get to know everyone, and we all definitely did!
We had so many amazing opportunities to help us grow both as athletes and people while in Park City. Getting to use the USSA Center of Excellence is something that will never stop being the coolest thing ever to me. We got to work with Mitch on biomechanics and lift technique to help improve our speed and strength. It is so inspiring to get to lift and be in an environment that is designed for this sport and filled with so many people at a high level. For example, a highlight for me was getting to meet Breezy Johnson. Watching her do her workout was incredible and getting her signature was so cool as well. Another highlight was jumping on the trampoline and into the cube pit at the COE! Thank you Bryan!
Throughout the Camp we had various presentations that were really interesting and beneficial as well. The first being with Alex on sports Psych, where we learned how important the mental side of skiing is and how to shift our focus to the things that will help us succeed. The next was on Nutrition with Veronica and Hunter. It is always good to learn more about how to properly fuel, and we even got to test our knowledge with a game of Jeopardy. We also got to have a Zoom meeting with Ava Thurston and Haley Brewster, to get to hear from athletes who had been through similar things as us and learn how they handled collegiate skiing and the transition to going pro. Lastly, Bryan Fish did a presentation on why we train like we do, and how everything we do has a purpose. It was fascinating to me to see how scientific all this stuff gets and helps me make sense of my training and how to actually improve to become the best skier I can.
I cannot thank the coaches at this camp enough! They were all so helpful, fun, and encouraging. They are the ones who make all the magic happen so that US skiing can continue to develop and get better! Lizzie Larkins was the camp leader as well as the new Development coach. I was so excited to hear Lizzie took this job, as she is doing an amazing job. Lizzie is always full of technique advice, endless support, and brings so much energy into her coaching. Kaelyn Woods is one of my coaches at my home club BSF and It was so fun to also have her at this camp. Kaelyn’s coaching has helped me to become the skier I am today and at camp she continued to help everyone improve and was full of good vibes everyday. Ellen McCarthy from Minneapolis was another coach at camp who skied with us a ton and shared so many fun moments with us all. She always made things more fun! The development manager and coach Bryan Fish was also a coach at NDG. Working with Bryan is so cool because he is so full of knowledge and expertise that is very helpful to learn from. He also makes sure we all are becoming the best athletes we can be while helping us make sense of the process and enjoy it along the way. Also thank you to chef Steve for all of the delicious meals we got to enjoy, especially the chocolate cake!
Another BIG thank you to the National Nordic Foundation! NDG would not have been possible without this amazing organization. Filled with focus, intention, progress, and fun, camps like these make developing skiers better and help us achieve goals while fostering a positive environment and supportive ski community.