Day 4- Evening Activity

Tonight was one full of creativity and giggles. After another nourishing Round Hearth dinner, we all came together for an evening of improv skits. We broke into groups with one member from each country to really mix it up, and drew concepts and themes out of hats combined with a slew of random props to create a truly unique show.

 To tie it all together we discussed the importance of being able to think and act on the spot, not just in a skit but when on the ski hill. As many of us have experienced, you never know when something unexpected could happen or conditions may change, so being able to think and act on the fly is a valuable skill both on and off the hill.

To cap off the night we gathered outside for s'mores around a fire. Then, off to bed so we can be fresh for tomorrows exciting morning session with Jamie Kingsbury (Stratton Mountain School) to learn how to train and enhance SPEED.

~Chrissy

Day 4 Afternoon Session - Swimming and Biking

Howdy from over here in beautiful Stowe!

Another great lunch from the Round Hearth staff and we were off to our afternoon session. Today we flip flopped our activities as Canada and USA enjoyed a mtn bike and Austria, Italy, and Norway a trip down to Bingham Falls.

The water was cold, but it felt good to get sore muscles in the water and to have some fun jumping off the different rocks into the river. Even the counselors jumped in and Paige demonstrated her "not so perfect" front flipping skills and got a few laughs out of the kids.

Most of the group explored down river, enjoyed a yummy snack, and took in the beauty of nature as only Vermont can sometimes offer. Danny is just returning with the bikers and the dinner bell just rang. I am off to get ready for our Skype chat with US Ski Team member Nick Krause and some funny skits from the kids.

Check in for some photos and recap of talking with Nick and maybe a video from the skits.

-M

Morning Session - Agility

The Head Coach at Middlebury College, Stever Bartlett, joined us this morning as the featured coach.  He is a veteran here at camp, visiting in each of the last five years, and he brings along with him a very accomplished background in coaching high level athletes.  Just finishing up his 7th year with the Panther squad at Midd, he spent several years before as a USST Women's Coach for the tech team.  He was on course when Julia Mancuso won her Olympic Gold Medal.

Using a plethora of different exercises, Stever helped campers find new drills and new ways to improve their quickness and change of direction.  Ladders, cones, boxes, soccer balls... all of the tools at our disposal were put into play keeping our attention focused and working hard.




This afternoon we are back to the woods and the water for another great alternate session.

Danny

This afternoon was beautiful for the mountain biking at various locations.  After a delicious dinner we got pumped back up for field games with a couple rounds of 50 yard scream. What a way to get out the desire to raise your voice and yell a little. 

We played Cat and Mouse in our teams to get refocused and warmed back up before some entertaining games of Ultimate Frisbee, Speed Ball and Dead Ant. To finish off the session everyone came together to play a wild camp wide game of Capture the Fox.

After running down the rest of their energizer bunny energy, we returned to the Round Hearth for a snack before bed so we can all recharge for our AGILITY session with Coach Stever Bartlett (Middlebury College) Wednesday morning.  

~Chrissy

Alternate Session... to the woods, to the water!

This afternoon we separated the camp for the alternate session.  Canada and USA hiked into the woods to the local hot spot at Bingham Falls.  The 40 ft water fall empties into a large pool where we could jump in from all sides.  A lot of campers jumped from heights they never had before, and for me that's a WIN when someone does something for the first time.  Tons of smiles.  We got a lot of good footage on the Go-Pro, and we're sure to see some great clips in the highlight video. 

Norway, Austria, and Italy hit the bikes with several items on their "to do" list.  Stowe has a magnificent single track mountain bike trail system accessible from right down town.  Check 1.  The traditional stop at Lackey's General Store filled pockets with candy.  Check 2.  The river running down through town presents several swimming spots to cool off.  Check 3.

Dinner was great.  Check 4.  And now we are back to the field for games!

Danny
Camp Director

Day 3 - Morning Session

Good Morning,

After the campers woke up from a great nights sleep, many of which seemed to have no trouble falling asleep last night, we were welcomed with blue sky, a cool breeze, and a new featured coach.

 

Tom Barbeau - WVBBTS

Tom Barbeau (WVBBTS) joined our group this morning to lead a session with a focus on balance. It was a flawless transition from yesterdays instructional session and we have begun to build on our basic athletic stances. We are excited to have Tom and his over 40 years of coaching experience including 3 Olympic Games. His passion and excitement for the sport of ski racing and especially fitness is infectious. Through a lot of hard work and time he has developed so many different variations of his exercises.



 The campers worked through a great warmup, followed by a lot of focus on core strength and hip position to help them become aware of the parts of their body that aid in balancing. They progressed through a set of exercises that tested their focus and challenged them to try. We put a lot of emphasis on trying to do things, although you may not succeed at first, second, or even 50 nothing we share with them is impossible. The counselors did another amazing job demonstrating, coaching, and keeping the kids engaged for our session. We ended with some fun relay games, and now we are back at the lodge about to sit down for lunch and fuel up our bodies for a bike ride or swim this afternoon.

Till this afternoon, and as always thanks for allowing your kids the opportunity to be with us at camp.

-M

Day 2 evening session- Bike Skills

Welcome to Day 2 SDSC Evening Session!

Tonight we hit the Top Notch Field and worked on out bike skills. 

Mountain biking is very beneficial but most of all fun! We worked on skills such as balance, speed control (fast and super slow), hills (realizing the value and importance of using gears) and even rode through some slalom gates. All of their hard work paid off in the bike obstacle course that followed. With bumps, jumps and turns in the course, I am confident that everyone is going to have a blast on the mountain bike excursions planned for tomorrow afternoon.




After fine tuning their riding skills we headed down the Stowe rec. path for a refreshing swim in the river before heading back to The Round Hearth for snack and cleanup before bed.

Overall a super first day of smiles and personal growth on skates, bikes and sneakers which prepared everyone for the fun filled adventures planned for tomorrow!
 
~Chrissy

Johnson Skate Park

Good afternoon from sunny Stowe, Vermont!

This afternoon we boarded the bus and headed over to the Johnson Skate Park for another session on skates! We have visited the skate park almost every year and this time was another great experience. The skate park is a great controlled environment for our campers to try new things, practice skills, and have fun with all the campers, all under the watchful and helpful eyes of our great staff. There were many firsts, a few crashes, and a lot of smiles today. 

The biggest smile of them all might of been our coach Justin Sperry as he amazed the group with tricks and some pretty awesome half pipe skating. Justin was a great example for the kids and many of them gained confidence to try the half pipe after watching him make it look so effortless. 

Our staff this summer is a great group of individuals with a lot of different experiences, but they all share the common goal of making the campers experience here memorable. I can't thank them enough for the efforts and willingness to go the extra mile enough, and I assure you that the campers are in great hands! 

Just finished up dinner and now a few minutes of down time before we get on our bikes and head over to the fields for some bike skills, an big obstacle course, maybe a swim and definitely lots of laughs and fun. 

We will be in touch before bed, but for now thank you to all the parents for trusting us with your children, and in return here are few photos with smiles of thanks!

-M 

Athletic Stance

SDSC's very own Matt Maloney ran this morning's session on basic athletic stance.  Matt is a veteran ski coach who got the opportunity last summer and winter to join the US Ski Team as a ski technician and travel with a select group of the Men's Europa Cup Team.

Focusing on something as basic as athletic stance is extremely important for our sport, and in reality every other sport as well.  Our bodies are trained to return to a position that is natural, some with wide stances or narrow stances, weight on the toes or heels, and in most cases toes pointing out.  Through correction of imperfections within our stances, it is our goal that repetition of the right way to do it will lead to a little more comfort, and hopefully something that takes less work and feels natural.  Carrying that stance onto skates gave us a simulation of doing athletic stance drills skis.  It also broke the ice for the kids to get comfortable on wheels before heading over to the skate park this afternoon.  

We hope the sun stays out and the ramps at the park stay dry, and we'll have another killer day here in Stowe.

Thanks, Danny
SDSC Camp Director

SDSC First Day - Getting Your Feet Wet!!

Good Evening!

Day 1 in the books.  Registration was a breeze, and the kids were absolutely awesome through orientation games, both before and after dinner.  Staple team building exercises like Trust Fall, Spiderweb, and Centipede were joined by a few new ones like Human Knot and Anti Gravity Stick, and the campers demonstrated skills in problem solving, communication, and creative thinking.  We didn't make it to the Four-Way Tug of War, but that's in our back pocket for later in the week. 

We took to the bikes to gain some comfort and shake off any rust and made sure to stick to my number 1 commandment of SDSC.... Get in the water EVERY DAY!

Our first instructional session kicks off tomorrow morning on skates with Matt Maloney.  We're excited.

Thanks,
Danny

SDSC Camp Director