PRESQUE ISLE, MAINE, August 12, 2006 -- Rocky Mountain Nordic athletes Noah Hoffman, Ashley Quiggle and Jamie Woelk joined other skiers from the western United States to travel east and train with eastern racers for the first National Elite Group camp. The six-day camp for juniors has had a focus on intensity, with several interval sessions, a classic sprint-relay race and a running time-trial, as well as speedwork, video sessions and distance training.
This morning, on the penultimate day of the camp, the athletes took on the challenge of Mars Hill, a running time-trial up Big Rock ski area. Noah Hoffman led all racers with a time of 12:11, just 12 seconds off of the overall record, held by Jerry Ahrlin (who finished second in the 2006 Vasaloppet). Hoffman's time crushed the junior record by 60 seconds. This is the second local time-trial Hoffman has obliterated this summer while attending ski camps; Sun Valley's Harper's Hill fell in late June. [Full results are now posted at http://www.fasterskier.com/training3509.html.]
Western juniors did extremely well in both today's running and yesterday's [Friday's] classic rollerski sprint-relay and have generally proven dominance over the east in all facets of training camp life -- performance eating, table tennis, being on time, climbing wall skills and napping.
Other western attendees: Dakota Blackhorse Von Jess, Sadie Bjornsen, Rosie Brennan, Mali Noyes, Reid Pletcher, Garrett Reid, Alexa Turzian and coaches Ali Deines and Jason Cork. Also invited, but unable to attend, were Tad Elliott and Matt Gelso.
Eastern attendees: Joey Bard, Kristen Bednar, Jennie Bender, Hannah Dreissigacker, Sophie McClelland, Megan McClelland, Hilary McNamee, Thomas Stark Parker Tyler, Holley Whitney and coaches Eileen Carey, Janice Sibilia and Will Sweetser
Thanks to the Maine Winter Sports Club for hosting this camp and Rocky Mountain Nordic for providing financial aid for camp attendees. Photos are now posted at http://www.nensa.net/slide_show/?album=National_Elite_Group_Camp.
-- Jason Cork