More Cape Pictures

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

 

Day 1 and Day 2 at Cape Cod Camp

Day1

After everyone had arrived although with some traffic delays, we veered off to the beach to escape the heat around Boston. We were greeted by 69 degree water and did not miss to use this as an instant cooler. Boggie boards were tested, surfboards paddled and running happened close to the surf break. We got a nice relay in that included running in the deep Cape Cod sand, swimming in the ocean and getting your core and arm strong by paddling surfboards. We had two teams going and everyone had to do each discipline. The two teams were really close until the finish where one of the pickups bailed and I went in as a sub. The paddling went well however our teams last leg was a 400m sand run that I had picked against Lewis. He turned his sand leg motor on and was quickly gone leading his team to the victory. We then got ready for some roller skiing that included drills around an agility course that Kathrine and Julia hat put together. After some practice the steps and turns we were speeding up but I think there is still plenty of tricks to learn. At the end we had another relay where we had one skier pull another with the poles then switch half time and speed back. By 7:30 everyone had built up a good appetite and we finished the day with a nice group dinner after which the groups went off for another stroll on the beach. This year the highlight is the bioluminescence in the water which is visible at night.

Day2

We went of for a nice 45 min  run throughout the beach forest and along the beach barefoot and had the sun hiding behind some morning fog. After that cleared, we knew we had a very hot day ahead of us. So back to the water, we installed all umbrellas and of course a volleyball field on the beach. The water was only 62 today but a pleasantly welcome refresher with air temps in the 90s. So we played ball and chilled in the water and had a nice 45 min core workout right at the water. Since we had plans to go to P-town for the fireworks and ice-cream, we skipped the roller skiing. All made it back and forth safely and were happy for a good night sleep at 10 pm.

Coaches Gunther, Dave, Kathy and Doro

 

shuttling food and gear to our island

Hadley breaking through the  surf

Katherine fighting the wave

Haley fully under control in the relay

Valentina beating a 25 year old MIT student

Lisa powering in before Chris

Hadley stylish even in the race

Janelle winning with a smile

Lewis and his typical race face, whether on snow or in the water

Rebecca with a perfect relay handoff

while her brother Lewis prefers the Bolt-pose while the girls are working hard

what is happening, Doro is giving them a break??

the beach volleyball net needs to be perfect for the pro game, too much action during the game for photos 

Jacob riding in synch with the girls

 

Skiing in a tunnel

So, I'm in Finland right now, for the orienteering World Champs (WOC).  This is taking place at the Vuokatti Sports Institute, which is basically a big Finnish ski school.  Having now been to ski schools in Sweden, Kazakhstan, and Finland, I'd say the Finnish school wins.  Though I'm not sure how much actual school they do.  Anyway, this is the home of the Vuokatti ski tunnel, so even though I'm supposed to be resting, I figured it would be criminal to come here and not go skiing!  The folks at Intersport were super helpful, and hooked me up with equipment, and then off I went!  The skiing was good - compared to Weston, the loop is a little longer (well, it's an out-and-back, takes ~10min), and there are longer, more gradual, hills.  The snow is still manmade and fast, though.

Boy was it fun to go skiing!

This place looks awesome for rollerskiing, too, tons of bike paths and all their ski trails are paved.  This would be summer camp heaven!