June 27, 2018 at 12:47 p.m.
Rolling out with friends
Rhinelander, Bay Nordic programs team up for summer ski camp
Rolling out with friends
The Rhinelander High School ski team is hoping that one of those connections, and a few days of hard work in the summer, will pay dividends this winter.
A few members of the RHS team joined forces with members of Bay Nordic from the Green Bay area for a three-day skiing camp last weekend.
For the link between the two teams, one need look no further than Bay Nordic head coach Noel Versch - a member of Rhinelander's state championship Nordic ski teams back in the early 1990s inducted into the Hodag Hall of Fame last month.
Versch's family still owns land nestled among the backroads in McNaughton, about an equal distance from Rhinelander, St. Germain and Minocqua. That area served as base camp for a weekend of skiing, learning and camaraderie.
"I grew up in Rhinelander. These are the roads I played on, woods I played in, so bringing (my team) up here, it's good team bonding, good way to get a high volume of skiing in," Versch said.
Rhinelander coach Charil Reis, who gave the induction speech for Versch and the rest of the Hall of Fame inductees at last month's ceremony, was invited to tag along and bring some of her athletes for the weekend. Two of her top skiers from last year - junior-to-be Jenna Younker and sophomore-to-be Zach Goodrich - took part, along with incoming freshman Liana Teter.
"This is another move forward, another step in the right direction to get them faster, to build more team camaraderie and make more friends," she said.
Much of the weekend activities centered around the closest analog to skiing the athletes can get during the summer - roller skiing. The "skis" themselves are basically a hybrid between skis and inline skates. Poles are used in a manner that allows the participants to simulate both the classic and freestyle technique.
Over the weekend the campers put in approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) on roller skies, Reis estimated. The camp was tailored toward those looking to compete on the high school and U16 Junior National Qualifier levels next year.
"We haven't concentrated a lot on the classic technique and today we're going to start with that, start with a little video review and then get out on skis and do some actually classic work, which is going to build up a lot of upper-body strength for them," Reis said before Friday's first jaunt. "They won't have so much kick (on roller skis), so they're going to have to use their arms and their abs, and everything else in the upper body."
Other activities included trail runs, hill bounding and plyometrics. There was also a natural strength activity geared toward a core/upper body workout which involved, as Versch described in the camp itinerary, "an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin that resists compression."
In other words, the campers spent time stacking wood.
There was plenty of time for the campers to unwind as well. There were cookout dinners and campfires the first two days of the camp, picnic lunches the final two days, and plenty of opportunities to hop in one of the nearby lakes for a refreshing swim.
Both Versch and Reis agreed that this past weekend's camp will help set a strong foundation for their teams this winter.
"From a fitness standpoint, we're getting a good early-season base," Versch said. "A lot of the kids run cross country. We're going to lose them in a couple months to cross country season, but it gives them a good, solid base."
"This is just keeping the fire lit and burning it a little brighter," said Reis, who added she has a group of athletes who roller ski on Tuesday nights throughout the summer. "Every week I want to get together with these skiers and, by the time we get to November, they will have a lot of kilometers under their belt on roller skis. That will set them up for a much better, stronger start for the winter."
And, once winter comes and the competition season starts, both Rhinelander and Bay Nordic skiers will have found some friends who happen to wear a different colored speed suit, she added.
"What's been really cool is having this connection here in the Northwood, it's going to be easier for our kids to make friends within the skiing community of Wisconsin as a whole and not just feel like they're this enclave in Rhinelander in and of themselves," Reis said. "There's other like-minded people and I'm hoping they can make some good friends this weekend."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.