Here they are again, on the road. In November, the Northwood ski team packed up their skis and headed to Copper, Colorado. This is its second on-snow camp this season, and as the season gets closer, athletes are starting to get ready to race. Since the trip to Valle Nevado, Chile, we had a six-week training schedule where we built our strength in the fitness center. Three or four days per week, we had to wake up at 5:30 to head to the fitness center. On the days where we did not lift in the fitness center, we would either do conditioning workouts like sprint intervals or runs around the lake. We even got the chance to go skate on the 1932 Olympic rink. We discovered some skills while having a blast. These last six weeks were a bit tiring, but it had such a good outcome since it made us reach our peak at the perfect time.
A question the ski team gets asked a lot is “Why go so far for so long just to find snow?” Olivia Levesque ‘24 answered this question by proving her point that traveling to Copper, Colorado gives us the opportunity to get the optimal training to prepare ourselves because once the race season starts it gets harder to find time for snow training since we are racing most of the time. This camp includes three blocks of four ski days, as discussed by our coaches, they figured out that it was enough ski time for us. Jeremy Transue, the Head Coach of the Women’s’ ski team, said that staying for too long at such a high altitude can also have a negative side. Since we will be staying at more than 3,700 meters for two weeks, we need to make sure every athlete gets enough hydration, sleep, and a good diet to maximize their training.
Finally, I would say that even if ski racing requires sacrifices and dedication, the ski team is all incredibly grateful for having the opportunity to travel to such cool places and meet such wonderful people.
Staff writer Lea Lambert ’24 is a member of Northwood’s ski team.
