Evening Games and Swim

Over the bridges, and on the Rec Path to Speedball we go!

Tonight the camp biked down the Rec Path to the fields at Stowe Motel for two stations of games and then a swim. We played Speedball, a combination of soccer and handball, and a variation of Speedball called Quebec Ball. Speedball in particular has quickly become a camp favorite and is a great game for full body athleticism and coordination and it was great to get the kids out and playing games after great work in this morning's skate session.

Another good day! Tomorrow promises to be another as we have a great agility session with Micaela Holland and then head to the Johnson Skate Park!

Afternoon Alternate Session - Waterbury Center Reservoir

This afternoon we went to the Waterbury Center Reservoir for our alternate session.  Lots of playing in the water and sun, and we pulled out our GIANT slip n slide for the tail end.  Those who needed to take it a little easy certainly could... but those looking to play and expend some energy let it loose.

SDSC Pride at the Skate Session!

Instructional Session: Balance with Danny Noyes

This morning, Danny led all of SDSC in a balance progression on skates in the Mount Mansfield parking lot. In addition to directing SDSC, Danny is heading into his 10th year as the head alpine ski coach at Colby, has coached 11 NCAA Div I All-Americans (7 men, 4 women), and was honored as EISA Coach of the Year in 2010.

As with last week, we continued to start from athletic stance in sneakers to establish a routine and incorporate the second week campers who had not been on skates yet. I'm always impressed with how Danny's sessions build from the basic elements to the entire picture of a skiing turn, and today was a perfect example.

Once comfortable on skates, we moved into lanes and practicing flexing up and down in athletic stance before moving to hops over bamboo poles. After poles, they progressed to jumping over hurdles, and finally into GS courses. Danny emphasized how in parallel position, your inside ski (or skate, in this case) is slightly ahead of the outside ski. That helps you drive your inside knee, maintain pressure on the outside foot, and puts your hips and shoulders in position to exit turns with momentum moving down the hill.

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When Danny added bamboo poled into the course to signal their transition between turns, he pointed out how good skiers who are balanced in their transition limit mistakes.  Our campers focused on jumping and landing in basic athletic stance (a move where balance is a NECESSITY) before rolling into their next turn. The kids did a great job, taking lap after lap down the lanes and focusing well on the feedback they received from coaches. Finally, they finished strong with the SL challenge!

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As the sun heats up, we are getting ready to jump in the water at the Waterbury State Park. It's going to feel good!

Evening Activity: the Swimming Hole

After a cold and rainy day we headed to The
Swimming Hole to warm up in the pool and play some games! Located just a short drive from The Round Hearth, The Swimming Hole features a waterslide, diving board, pool volleyball and basketball. Our smallest campers learned how to spike volleyballs and  older campers played basketball VS. some of the counselors. Even though we weren't able to spend the whole day outside, we certainly burned off any extra energy we had off. Counselors helped teach campers how to safely front flip off the diving board into the pool and many SDSC campers successfully did it! We're all looking forward to a Balance Skate Session with Danny in the morning and some more swimming in the afternoon.

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Although this picture wasn't from today- here's a neat shot of some campers at the playground practicing their balance and resting over the weekend.

It Doesn't Rain on the Rec Path

Some days you get lucky, some days you don't and you just ignore the weather and do things anyway. After the rain moved our morning session inside, it continued with earnest throughout lunch and into the afternoon. We were supposed to go for an adventure in the Cady Hill mountain bike trails, but after delaying our initial departure from the Round Hearth for an hour, all four teams headed onto the Rec Path regardless of a light drizzle.

The rain couldn't douse our spirits despite its best effort, and all campers made it to the famed ice cream shop in Stowe, I.C. Scoops. I happened to be with USA, who stopped along the way for a hill climb time trial, as well as some great renditions of Miley Cyrus's "Party in the USA." We were all shocked to see the river so high after a full day of rain, as well as many felled trees into the river...nature at work!

Team USA combining tuck practice...with a classic veggie off! Distressed tomato...go!

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It's too bad camp is no fun. Good thing we are going to The Swimming Hole tonight!

Morning Session with Eric Barthold

This morning we were welcomed by a nice steady rain that is still sitting over us here in Stowe.

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Eric adjusted his lesson plan to accommodate the indoor space we had available, and the camp was still able to get plenty of instruction, minus the volume.  With 5 different segments (Basic Athletic Stance, Balance, Agility, Speed, and Explosion), Eric had the kids hopping, running, jumping, and exploding their way through the morning.

Only one day into our second week and we are helping our kids find a way to work hard, and they were ready to refuel at lunch time.  I've never seen them hit the lunch line so quickly!!!

We are monitoring the weather very closely, and while we already delivered a slight delay for the afternoon session, we are confident we will be able to get out there shortly to hop on bikes.