Sunday, July 7, 2013

Day 2, Kern Cape Cod Camp


 Day3
Another very hot day greeted us with a still fresh morning breeze that we used for a run in the woods. The deer flies were more merciful than last year but  stopping was still not an option. At the end of the run, half of the group opted for a cool  ocean  dip, while the rest welcomed the cold showers at the campsite. By day three, the group had learned from the previous days, how to deal with the sun and heat and after a few sets of volleyball, we all took a break in the shade over noon. Some took a nap, others were playing games in the recreation room. In the late afternoon, we raced a really  fun and fast relay that started with a swim over to the sandbar island, then paddling up the coast and then back through the water over to the beach. The fourth leg back to the start was a 100m sprint along the beach. With our big "square" of the relay around and throughout the beach tourists we developed our fan club! CSU is now well known beyond the skiing community! A very close finish for the 3 relay teams with constant action got the adrenaline of the team going  (see pictures). The relay got concluded by a stakeout between the 4 coaches who did all four legs at once and included some extra action under the water…. and with finishing having tired legs (Gunthers words, not Doro's). Sand running is harder than it looks. After that, everyone could again enter Doro's volleyball school and we got a few very nice games in, where  everyone played with full enthusiasm. Impressive how quickly the CSU athletes got better. To refuel energy  another great Dinner (chili) was  handcrafted by  Dave. The next highlight on the schedule, a monster beach fire. The air had cooled of nicely and we found plenty of wood  that fed flames until 11. Smores were prepared and Knuepplekuchen was baked on a stick, filled with applesauce.  The bioluminescence in the water  was a new nature's event this year, motivating the girls for a night swim in the glow! So we had light in the woods (fireflies)  and light in the water. 

Day4
By 7:45 we were heading out for a nice OD roller ski workout that included an agility course at the coastguard beach and a trip up the long but gradual hill from the beach to route 6. The team looked totally pro. For breakfast, we whipped up  blueberry pancakes that were combined with some maple sirup. Yet another time we did a thorough job leaving no leftovers. Now it was time to break down tents. By 11 all the cleaning and packing was complete. We ended the Cape camp with a quick slide show about the action of the week and a team meeting. Part of the group tried to leave early with the goal to beat the traffic. The rest went back to the beach for some more volleyball and a refreshing dip in the ocean (72F !!). 
We were impressed with the skill and focus level at our workouts. It was also a camp where everyone found some challenge, wether it was the running in the sand or the knee deep water, the swimming, board paddling  or the coordination work at the volleyball games. I got many positive notes from spectators how energized the team was and also heard that  this  group was very much enjoyed by the neighbors at the campground.  So we left  a positive footprint behind, had a lot of fun, learned a lot and decide that we will have another camp next summer.
Thank you Dave, Kathy and Doro for great team work leading this camp :-)
I also wanted to thank the families who provided us with tents which made it a "luxury camping" experience.
I hope everyone made it safely back home and joys the rest of the summer.
See you back at practice,

Gunther
 









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