Words and Images by Jen Santoro – Head Coach/Program Director for TUNA (The Utah Nordic Alliance)
“I would be happy to have you on staff at October Camp,” Greta replied.
I had almost forgotten I had answered that call on Instagram from Nordic Insights for an NNF-supported position coaching at the US Ski Team’s October camp. Specifically, I’d be working with the National Training Group (NTG). These are the older U18’s, U20’s, and NCAA skiers who have been at the top of US junior skiing, traveled to races overseas including World Juniors, and are either skiing for, or heading to, top ski colleges across the US.
The camp is held in conjunction with the last US Ski Team camp before the World Cup skiers head over to Europe. It’s a great opportunity for the development skiers to train as a team, and line up next to Jessie Diggins and Ben Ogden.
I used to be a math teacher. Before that, I was a substitute teacher who ended up in a full-time position without credentials because I could keep the classroom from burning down. I’m used to jumping into deep water without floaties. To be fair, I’m in my 10th year as a ski coach now, so I should have been slightly more at ease. Alas, imposter syndrome is very real. I vowed for this week to be as much about learning from others as coaching.
It was nice to show up to camp the first day and see a familiar face in Bryan Fish. He and Greta Anderson are the two coaches who oversee development skiers. I introduced myself to the other coaches, who came from various clubs like mine across the US. As the athletes exited vans, I was instantly amused and set at ease when one skier showed up in inappropriate footwear for the warmup—a battle I have fought as recently as yesterday with my own skiers. This was the important reminder that at their core, these skiers are very young adults, more alike than different from the ones with whom I enthusiastically spend every afternoon.
The great thing about any camp is that it is a dedicated time where the entire focus is on skiing. Not every activity IS skiing, but the overall feeling is that there is no rush. As long as everyone is having their basic needs met—food, shelter, safety, school work—each activity can be approached with patience and intention, with the time to practice and get it right. Stopping at the USSA Center of Excellence for a morning movement warmup before heading to Soho for some rollerski agility were the only responsibilities until lunch on my first day, and each was approached with a focused mind.
These skiers are very accomplished for their years, yet Brian Neff, who is a USSA Para Snowboard coach and specialist in movement, was able to challenge them outside their normal plane of movement. This was a great reminder: no matter how good we are in a narrow field, there is always a way to grow outward. Needless to say, I have become a “Coach Neff” fan.
When we moved camp to Soho, Bryan (Fish), Greta, and SoHo’s Gabe Norby, who was on the coaching team for the NTG, had some rollerski stations set up. Having taken my coaching certification with Fish, I recognized some of them, and the other coaches brought in their special sauce, adding layers of excitement to the drills. I helped direct traffic while also getting to know some of the other campers. It was here I met Coach Duncan Koehn out of Team Summit. I found out that he, Fish, and I have a shared love of cones—you know, those little plastic things we use for workouts. My cone game leveled up.
Most mornings were team workouts. That was a significant observation. These athletes came from different programs across the US, but were training as a team daily. Greta is following along when they’re at home, collaborating with their coaches and the athletes even when they’re not together. She knows their individual needs and manages to balance those with a team atmosphere, balancing structure and individual goals.
One morning, the whole camp did a hike and bounding session at Park City Mountain. The NTG skiers could jump in with the A-team for as little or as long as they wanted to test their L3 against the best.
Another day, the head coaches of the US Ski Team held a very structured all-team speeds day at Soho. Matt Whitcomb, Jason Cork, Chris Grover, and Kristen Borne were on-hand to work on the goals of starts, finishes, fast corners, and lunges. So many lunges. Top skiers like Kendall Kramer and Ben Ogden showed leadership with tips from warming up to turnover. These goals of the Olympic and development skiers are directly transferrable to skiers all the way down to elementary school—all you need to practice fast finishes are skis. And cones. So many cones.
Afternoons were a bit freeform, and tended to be more individual. Many used the COE gym for strength sessions, and there were afternoon easy skis, runs, and even some playing on the trampoline.
The casual workouts included an afternoon classic ski around Park City and a snowy morning distance rollerski—you read that right, and it was kind of wrong! It should be noted that it was supposed to be a very easy ski, and the person I saw skiing the slowest was Jessie Diggins. There was also candy. Pretty much like any day coaching junior skiers.
Dinner was at 7:30 in the small kitchen next to the gym. Steve, the team chef, prepared delicious, balanced, hearty meals for the US team, followed by the development team. There were even themes—one night was barbeque and included blues on the stereo. Athletes and coaches were expected to take over with cleaning duties as Steve said his goodbyes for the evening.
It’s hard jumping into a group of people you don’t know and forming relationships in a week. I leaned on my years as a substitute teacher to try and get to know some of my fellow “campers”. Dinners were a nice time to hear the skiers talk about more than just skiing, as was the mid-day downtime around the team house.
Speaking of food, we spoke little about food. These athletes have experience fueling themselves, and I was pretty happy to see that they didn’t seem to put too much overthought into it. Fed is best, and that goes for all of us. I did make a grocery run for 60 eggs and a boatload of bagels, and I think another coach did the same just a few days later.
Hillary McNamee from Ford Sayre, who wears all the hats in her club as Executive Director, Program Director, and Head Coach, Aubrey LeClair from BSF, and Julia Hayes, who is an IMD lifer, along with Duncan, Gabe, and Greta, offered a depth of wisdom from their experiences. It was pretty vindicating to hear that we all share similar challenges.
As far as campers, I got to hear perspectives from NCAA skiers as well as high school seniors who were in the process of committing to ski schools. I even helped with some math homework.
The camp wrapped up with Schutzenski at Soho, where the entire team, from World Cup athletes to U18 NTG skiers raced a classic sprint on Friday and an individual skate 10k on Saturday. This would be the most star-studded field on American soil until the World Cup makes it to Mt Van Hovenberg in Lake Placid this spring.
The women’s sprint qualifier had 30 starters, which meant that everyone got to the quarters. In many heats, the young skiers were lining up to sprint against their heroes. One NTG skier caught my attention to ask, “hey, could you make sure and get a photo when I line up next to Jessie?” Of course! I can only imagine how exciting and nerve-wracking that was for her. Especially on pavement.
Not wanting anyone to miss out, Greta organized a King’s Court sprint in the afternoon for all the junior boys. That meant everyone skis three 6-up heats, and each round the top two move up a heat, bottom two move down. It was the quickest and most organized King’s Court I’ve seen. Credit to Chill Bill Pierce for starting them and Greta for herding the cats.
As a teacher we talked about the “art and science of teaching.” Coaching is no different. The science is in the numbers—what heart rate, how long an interval, when to do them, etc. The art of coaching is harder to nail down. The athletes have to know themselves and communicate with the coach, and the coach has to communicate with the athletes. Coaches have to balance a best practice with coaching the individual, while also creating a team. I found the entire US Ski Team staff to be art-forward, science assumed. They know the science, but where they truly shine is in the application of that to each skier daily. This is something I have always tried to accomplish in my own practice, and it was confirming to see it at the highest levels.
I’m sure the Germans have a perfect word for being exhausted and energized at the same time. If they did, I’d use that to describe how it felt leaving this year’s camp. The impact of such an experience goes far beyond the athletes in attendance. The week reinforced what’s good about my own program, while sending me home with an overflowing toolbox for use in improvement. Listening to junior coaches from across the US talk about the same challenges and victories we face daily was settling. It cleaned my lenses so I can see where we’re going—ultimately developing skiers who might get to participate in a camp like this one someday soon.
Call to action—The National Nordic Foundation (NNF) helps fund the athletes who the US Ski Team can’t. Through their Drive for 25 and other donations, they fund camps and overseas trips. This December when you’re doing those last-minute tax write-offs, consider NNF. Projects like this one enrich skiers and coaches, growing the sport of cross-country skiing in the US.
Fantastic article on a wonderful experience for the kids and coaches!!!!!