Hello Nordic Community, this is Necia Nicholas and Cal Waters from the Bridger Ski Foundation in Bozeman, Montana. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to attend both the National Training Group and Regional Elite Group camps this year.
Cal Waters:
As I close my eyes, recalling the events of my weeks at camp, I am immediately transported back to the stadium at Soldier Hollow. Despite the varying conditions between summer and winter, Soldier Hollow always possesses a distinct feel, unique to other race courses. The ground blends into an unintelligible combination of asphalt and snow as memories from different seasons lead me through the twists, turns, climbs, and descents of the courses. Every lap, physically or mentally, is an opportunity to learn how to ski the course slightly faster. Soldier Hollow continues to positively impact my ski racing through providing an expansive, consistent venue for training and racing.
Originally constructed for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Soldier Hollow now hosts both Nordic and Biathlon events. Through hosting events such as the 2024 Senior Nationals, 2025 Junior Nationals, and numerous training camps for many ages, Soldier Hollow is not only preparing the venue for the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, but is also providing a safe, supportive environment for the development of many athletes.
Scheduled back-to-back, the REG and NTG camps were two of the most technically demanding camps I have attended. Mobility, something I often neglect as an athlete, took on new meaning as it was a central focus of the camps. The strength and conditioning coach Brian Neff, who has an uncannily similar appearance to that of Jesus Christ, led us through skipping, jumping, and active stretching exercises every day to help us move faster, more efficiently, and to prevent injury.
Similarly, we utilized the roller ski treadmill during NTG. A fantastic chance for coaches Greta, Cate, and Julia to graciously point out everything wrong with our technique and offer cues to help us improve. We had so much fun that the athletes started to critique each other. I will humbly take full credit for any successes Noa Kam-Magruder has this winter with his classic striding… You’re welcome, Noah! Regardless, the tips and tools taught over the past weeks gave me a new perspective on training (I love mobility now!) and offered insight guiding my training in the future.
Last of all, I wanted to thank all of the Individuals and organizations that make these camps possible. Thank you, athletes in attendance for all your hard work, Soldier Hollow for providing us a lovely place to train, NNF for making the camps feasible, and coaches for all of your time, energy, expertise, enthusiasm, and passion that make these camps special.
Necia Nicholas:
I personally really like training camps like these because I get to be a full time athlete while I am there, giving me big opportunities to learn and grow and take home the things I learn. At NTG we had a small group of athletes with eight boys and three girls. Going into camp I was a little nervous about this but it turned out to be so much fun! With such a small group, we were able to have more individualized time with coaches. This was really beneficial for me, and I learned a lot about technique, mindset, and skiing and being an athlete in general.
Each morning the day started out at the Center of Excellence with the strength and conditioning coach Brian Neff. He introduced us to so many things I’d never heard of! This includes exercises and strategies to improve speed, mobility, and reaction time. Especially after his presentation about the importance of these things, I am starting to implement them into my day to day training here at home. A huge thank you to Brian Neff for his time and expertise!
We did a lot of our roller skiing at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, which has great trails and facilities! There we did lots of technique sessions for skate and classic (lots of double pole kick!) and a skate sprint simulation.
In between sessions, when we weren’t training, we spent a lot of time as a whole group. This included watching World Cup races, going downtown to watch Brian Neff play guitar, having daily debates and polls, hanging around the COE in our orange US Ski Team outfits, and of course playing salad bowl.
All of the coaches there were amazing and super helpful! Greta Anderson, the Nordic Development Coach of US Ski Team, was very supportive to me the whole camp and helped me make the best decisions for me and my skiing. She also helped a lot with my technique, especially when I got to use the roller ski treadmill. Julia Forbes, who is one of my former coaches, was there too! This was really fun and as always, beneficial to me and my skiing.
Cate Brams, the head coach of Harvard, was another great coach to have there. They are really good at giving technique advice and helping to improve my skiing. Cate even helped me cut poles while I was there! Bryan Fish, the US Ski Team Nordic Development Director, was another coach who helped out with camp a lot. A big thank you to all of these coaches for all they do for us! Not only at camps but for skiing as a whole.
Another thank you to the food staff! We were fortunate enough to have food catered by High Performance Chefs from US Ski Team. Thanks Steve and Luke!
NTG was an amazing experience. Thank you to NNF for making it possible! I had a great block of training, met many new people, learned a lot to take home, and improved myself as an athlete. I look forward to more opportunities like this in the future, and hope that our sport continues to grow and improve. Thanks!