Details about Sten Fjeldheim Race Camp
Sat, Jun 10, 2006 - By Mike Muha
Thought I'd give a more detailed update on the June 24-25 Racing Camp with Sten Fjeldheim:
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Thanks Sponsors!
KENSINGTON PARK APARTMENTS |
Door Prizes and Giveaways
Dick Fultz from the Cross Country Ski Shop in Grayling has donated a brand new pair of Ski Skett Shark skate rollerskis, to be given away to one lucky participant at the camp. These are sweet skis! Dick carries a complete line of Ski Skett and Jenex V2 rollerskis in stock.
Bob Frye from the Cross Country Ski Headquarters has donated a number of door prizes. Look forward to a great raffle!
Hammer Nutrition / E-Caps is providing all participants with a goody bag with samples of Hammer Gel, Endurolytes, HEED, Recoverite, a copy of “The Endurance Athlete's Guide to Success”, and a catalog. Many members of Team NordicSkiRacer – including me – have used Hammer products for years, both in training and during races. You’ll like their stuff!
Facilities
The camp will be based out of the Kensington Park Apartments clubhouse (30791 Jeffrey Court, New Hudson, MI) off the I-96 at Kent Lake Road. We'll have an air-conditioned room for lectures and video review! There’s also a kitchen area with refrigerator, sink, and microwave. The club house is adjacent to a small swimming pool. (Directions at the bottom of this article).
Right outside is a large grassy area for dryland and technique drills, and across the street is a well-paved bike path heading up a long gentle hill - great for rollerskiing (if you’ve followed my training log, it’s one of the gradual hills I use for V2 and doublepole intervals). The bike path connects to the Island Lake Rec Area and Kensington Metropark bike paths a quarter mile to the west, and to Lyon Township Community Park and the Huron Valley paved trail system to the east.
For bounding and ski-walking, we’ll mostly likely use hills at either Kensington Metropark or Lyon Township Community Park – whichever one has the best mowing. We'll have two video cameras and two displays to replay video. At the last camp, having only one camera caused long waiting times. Two video cameras should allow Sten and Jen to cover much more material in the camp. A grinding wheel will be available for you to sharpen your rollerski pole ferrules. Food
Lunch will be served both days. I also expect to have coffee and something sugary in the mornings.
Hammer Nutrition / E-Caps has provided coolers and 30-40 gallons of HEED high energy electrolyte drink for the clinic. Bring bike water bottles and fill ‘em up with HEED for our rollerski, ski walking, bounding and other outside activities!
Saturday evening we’ll have a cookout at my house in Wixom (about a 10 minute drive from base camp). I’ll buy burgers and make potato salad. BYOB and something else to grill if you don’t want burgers. (Local people: if you’d like to bring a dish to pass, we’d all certainly appreciate it!). There’s a Kroger's on the way to my house. If you have a significant other or kids, bring 'em along as well!
Coaching Staff
Sten Fjeldheim. Of course you know of Sten – you’ve seen the article I wrote about his camp in Grand Rapids last year, either on NordicSkiRacer.com or in the slightly revised version in The Master Skier. Sten was voted USSA’s Domestic AND Development Coach of the Year.
Want to know more? Sten served as Northern Michigan University’s Nordic skiing coach from 1986-94, and then returned to the Northern Michigan University Athletics staff in August 1997. From 1994-97 Fjeldheim served as an assistant national team coach/junior development coordinator for the United States Ski Team. During Fjeldheim’s time with the U.S. Team, he coached at the 1994 Olympics, 1995 World Championships, 1997 World Championships and several junior world championships.
The NMU Ski Teams have produced 37 NCAA All-Americans, three NCAA National Champions and six Olympians. The NMU Ski Team has also had many junior world team members as well as current U.S. Ski Team members.
Better still, Sten knows how to TEACH. This is no small factor and is the main reason I wanted him for this camp. He has the unique ability to break technique down into chunks you can visualize and understand. If you need work on your technique (and all of us do), this is the camp for you. It doesn’t matter is you’re in the lead pack or bringing up the rear, he’ll help your skiing.
Jenny Ryan. Jenny Ryan became a full-time assistant coach at NMU in August 2002 after spending the previous two years as Head Coach Sten Fjeldheim’s graduate assistant.
Before coming to NMU Ryan held numerous coaching positions. From 1997-00 Ryan was a coach for the Bridger Ski Foundations Junior Ski Program as well as the Masters Cross-Country Skiing Training and Racing Group, both in Bozeman, Mont. Ryan also served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Montana State University Women’s Cross-County ski team.
Jenny gained national recognition in cross-country skiing and biathlon, competing in nine National Championships and three Olympic Trials. She also competed in the 1999 World Master’s Championships in Grindelwald, Switzerland, winning one gold and two silver medals. Recently, Ryan became a Master’s National Champion, winning two gold medals at the 2004 Masters National Championships.
We have a great coaching staff.
Activities
Sten’s pulling together an agenda right now. Expect lots of technique drills on and off rollerskis, video taping and video analysis, strength and balance drills, and the latest training information.
Things You Need
- Bring rollerskis (preferable) or inline skate.
- A helmet (REQUIRED)
- Knee and elbow pads if you’d like
- Skating and classic poles
- Running shoes
- Clothing changes – you know how Michigan weather can be.
- An exercise mat might prove useful
If you have extra pairs of rollerskis or poles, bring them, too – someone is sure to forget and leave there’s home. Unbelievable but true!
Still a Few Openings
There are still a few openings available in the camp. Go to http://www.nordicskiracer.com/cgi-bin/news/news_item.asp?NewsID=819 to signup online, or send a check for $160 to Mike Muha, 1060 Yorick Path, Wixom, MI 48393.
These two days could make a big difference in your skiing this winter!
Hope your training goes well - I'm stepping up my rollerskiing to get ready for the camp!
Mike
Directions to Kensington Park Apartments clubhouse (30791 Jeffrey Court, New Hudson, MI):
From the west:
Take I-96 east from US-23 to Exit 153 (Kent Lake Road).
Turn Left at the stop sign onto Grand River.
Go through the stop light.
Drive past the Mobil station to the second apartment complex entrance on the right.
Turn Right into Kensinton Park Apartments.
The Club House is the first building on the right.
From the East:
Take I-96 west from I-275 to Exit 153 (Huron River Parkway/Kent Lake Road).
Turn Left at the stop sign onto Kent Lake Road.
Turn Left at the stop light onto Grand River.
Drive past the Mobile station to the second apartment complex entrance on the right.
Turn Right into Kensinton Park Apartments.
The Club House is the first building on the right.
Map:
http://maps.yahoo.com/beta/#maxp=location&q1=30791+jeffrey+court,new+hudson,+michigan