NENSA

Regional Elite Group (REG) Camp is a US Ski and Snowboard touchstone program where junior skiers gather to gain experience with the training philosophies and values of our national development system, made possible by generous support from the National Nordic Foundation (NNF).

Regional Elite Group (REG) camp was a little later this summer in New England. If we’re honest, most of that was chalked up to some logistical sorting through here at NENSA. Traditionally, the camp kicks off the summer. This year, it acted as a dénouement – which, by the way, is a word which serves a singular purpose to remind high schoolers that English class is about to start up in 2 weeks (better start that summer reading, kids!).

Still, shifting the camp schedule shifted what’s become a tradition from some of its staid roots.

To borrow a line from Gavin Kentch, the “canonical” REG Camp is one which is heavy on testing top junior skiers in order to advance a select group to the National equivalent of the Project, the National Elite Group (NEG) camp in October. For a generation of skiers now, REG has become a word association game with some kind of strange basic training routine – jargon like a Strength Test which is Canadian (but does not feature maple syrup), an “agility test” where you navigate more traffic cones than have been sitting on the I-91, I-89 interchange in the Upper Valley for years (please write if anyone knows whether that project is ever going to finish), and an in-depth training presentation from US Ski and Snowboard Sport Development Director Bryan Fish with all the information you could ever want (and more!), and ALL the sources cited.

The greatest testament to REG then, is that the greater lead-in time to this summer’s camp met with more anticipation. Throughout the summer, in meetings with former juniors, at the Lost Nation Roll with the pros, in the easy, quiet gatherings of skiers that summer brings, the universal sentiment towards REG built up: “it’s SO fun, those kids are lucky.”

When 28 skiers stretched from Rochester, New York to Orono, Maine gathered at Stratton Mountain School (SMS) for five days then, along with a bevy of coaches from across the region, the jitters, shakes, and anticipation of a summer had set in. REG was on.

5 Days of Skiing and Nothing but Skiing in Southern Vermont

Simply, REG accomplishes a simple, high aspiration: get good people who love ski racing together to do just that.

This year’s Eastern REG was set in Southern Vermont at Stratton Mountain School, where skiers get to literally and figuratively follow in the footsteps of a host of champions before them. At the dawn of an Olympic year, it felt fitting to bring the next generation of the East’s champion skiers close to the source of where that spirit of hardworking, community-oriented skiing has brought New England skiing, and American skiing, among the Green Mountains of Vermont.

At any REG, there is two collaborative tracks which have to be pointed on, well, the same tract, to be successful. One is the athletes, who need to bring in a sense of camaraderie and open-mindedness towards pushing with their peers. The other is the coaches, who likewise need to come in ready to be critically and collaboratively minded through 5 days of workouts. This year’s coaching crew included Harvard’s Cate Brams and Devin Wong, Middlebury’s Kate Johnson, GMVS’ Brandon Herhusky, the SMS Staff of Alex Jospe, Steve Bruner, and Matt Boobar, Ben Theyerl from NENSA, and Greta Anderson from the US Ski Team.

Camp began on Saturday August 9th with the Harvard Ski Team pairing of Cate Brams and Devin Wong leading a series of dry land agility and mobility exercises, plus an effort to standardize the way we as a region play the game of Speedball (a mix between handball and soccer) led by Middlebury College Ski Team’s Kate Johnson and NENSA’s Ben Theyerl.

On Sunday, skiers took part in a time honored Uphill Running Time Trial adjacent to SMS campus, before Brandon Herhusky and Kate Johnson led a strength session in the SMS gym. Monday marked a ski-specific day of technique work in the morning and agility session in the afternoon, before Tuesday featured the “Queen Stage” featured workout of a Ball Mountain Dam Sprint Simulation raced court-style with a qualifier and 4 rounds (Super Final!). Wednesday, skiers partook in a classic, classic roll/run Stratton adventure, rollerskiing around the mountain proper before running over the top of it back to school.

Interspersed with the training program was a series of talks, goal-setting exercises, and informational sessions. SMS T2’s Colin Rodgers joined to do a panel discussion on post-high school skiing opportunities, Greta Anderson gave a robust talk on training, nutrition, emotional and mental well being in training, and an overall approach to skiing as a junior skier. Matt Boobar supplemented this with a regionally-focused talk highlighting the training philosophies and values of the NESNA community.

Then, there was the little moments which make for a special REG camp. Icebreaking activities, time spent lounging in the Adirondack chairs on the Stratton dorm porch, talent shows, and time spent catching up over meals in the dining hall. The whole scene comes neat, tidy, and effortlessly camp-like, made possible by the hillside, picturesque setting of the SMS cabin.

Shifting Focuses and Fun: On Where REG is Headed

The whole REG experience is made possible by the support of a grassroots organization dedicated to empowering US Skiing, the National Nordic Foundation. NENSA is grateful to NNF, US Ski and Snowboard, and all of our community partners who continually support REG.

What does that support look like? – In part, and most importantly, it means direct support from US Ski and Snowboard’s Development Staff – this year in the form of US Development Team Coach Greta Anderson. The REG model is premised on granting the region’s autonomy to design a program which will work effectively for our communities. The key to tying it together as a single, national project though, lies in having a coach with the perspectives from Alaska, to the Rockies, to the Northwoods, to right here in New England who is comfortable stepping in and asserting how we all want our skiers to approach skiing, and bring a whole lot of fun and stories from the road of American skiing too. In that regard, Greta is an incredible asset to add in to our regional programming, and we don’t take it for granted that getting her from Alaska to Vermont takes a community effort!

Shifts in the System – US Ski and Snowboard has broken from that “canon” spoken of earlier in that REG no longer emphasizes testing of junior athletes as a focus. In its place, there’s been a concerted effort to understand how it should play into our regional programming matrix in the summer. For New England, that process is ongoing. We’re asking coaches around the region how time spent as a elite group is spent best knowing many of our skiers are coming in off of a dense programming schedule, with club programs and camps and summer trips all directed towards skiing. Plus, you add in work at the local pool lifeguarding or working the soft-serve machine at the local ice cream shop, and it’s a busy summer being a Junior skier in New England!

Right now, our focus is fine-tuning the knobs of volume and intensity. We strived this year to give skiers a good volume block, while featuring intensity efforts which match with regional emphasis on areas we want to place regional emphasis on. This year, two intensity efforts of a uphill running TT, stressing overall fitness, and a extended “super sprint” stressing durability in sprint heat racing, were chosen as featured intensity efforts.

Likewise, we’re also looking to use REG as a space for continuing to build a community-forward emphasis towards performance. Carving out space to discuss what approaching ski racing as a developing skier in New England looks like, and likewise, allowing some of our region’s greatest asset, the deep well of experienced coaches, to share workouts they are finding particularly helpful for their programs.

One thing we know REG is doing well is still being an incredibly collaborative space for our regional leadership, athletes and coaches alike. In addition to our core camp coaches, we also had contributions and guest appearances from Kathy Maddock (Dublin XC), Colin Rodgers (SMS T2), Jason Cork (US Ski Team), Reese Brown (NNF), and Heidi Lange (NENSA). More importantly, we saw athletes who have already become comfortable with regional and national training environments welcome and encourage their peers who were newer to the REG project. One vital essential element of the East’s strength, our ability to augment strong club programming with a genuine path for athletes to come from less developed ski communities, was on full display. That is only made possible by strong leadership from athletes, and we have a plethora of strong leaders in junior skiing right now.

REG is a project, and that means, it ain’t ever done. We’re grateful to everyone who is contributing towards making it a meaningful part of the landscape in New England -from club and team coaches at home, to the coaches at camp, and most importantly, the athletes creating the community they want to be a part of by participating.

Ball Mountain Dam Photos from Reese Brown/National Nordic Foundation: Full gallery HERE