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National Team Training Camp
Falls Creek, June 25-30 3000
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DARLO LEARNS MATCHBOX GAME

Report by Leon Spiller - As printed in Australian Cross Country News

Sunday afternoon 25th of June saw the annual gathering of both the junior and senior National team members. The venue to be was the Howmans Gap Alpine Centre near Falls Creek, as Ben Derrick couldn’t get time off work so the camp came to him (perks of being No.1).

With an early run followed by a circuit d’Paul, Monday saw an instant start to the camp. A distance ski in the morning was an easy warm up for an intense double pole test in the afternoon sorting out the men from the boys and the girls from Camille. The test was performed on skis of similar speeds but I still think the big boned members of the team (fat bastards) were disadvantaged. The evening finished with a meeting from Coach Finn on proposed plans for teams overseas, a good ploy to get everyone fired up for the coming season.

The remainder of the camp saw a similar format to the one previously mentioned however I couldn’t help but notice the morning running groups getting smaller, if it wasn’t for James Rickard firing everyone up in the morning some people may never have gotten out of bed at all. Making good use of the hot multi-cultural AIS girls (Jess, Naomi and the loud obnoxious Cissi) the camp was well packed with testing and video analysis. Other tests apart from the previously mention included a three minute max test of arms, legs and combined so the athletes could pinpoint individual weakness and strengths (for example Paul’s chicken legs, Mark’s chicken arms, and Rhiannon can’t do two things at once). The nine minute double pole test on the converted rowing ergometer is always good fun and the Wednesday sprints (500m and 1500m) were a great crash course in moving fast on snow. Esther Bottomley and Nick Grimmer were the Princess and Prince of Speed with Andrew Wynd as their Jester.

Included in the testing the athletes were pricked and probed for lactate levels and perceived exertion. Jess Hart was also strategically placed gathering footage and information for the making of everyone’s private home movie, another one for Duane Butcher to add to his collection. Thanks very much to the girls for their help and evaluation of results.

Food- excellent, Wednesday was danish day and some of us suffered. Benny D’s fairy bread proved a great success unlike the shepherd’s pie which became the reoccuring nightmare.

Evenings generally concluded in a meeting involving selection policies, financial plans and analysis of tests as well as phantom bag-rustling and Duane serenading one of the Ballarat outdoor-ed girls with his guitar.

Overall the camp finished with the athletes pretty tired and Duane well on his way. Thanks to Finn and Len and the AIS girls for putting on a great show, and there is no doubt that every athlete involved is fired up and focused for the coming season.

Cheers,

Fatboy

Note: This National Squad Training Camp could not have been the success it was without the support of the Australian Sports Commission, the Falls Creek Resort and the Howmans Gap Alpine Centre. The assistance from the AIS biomechanics and physiology departments were invaluable, the Falls Creek groomers did a fantastic job of maintaining the track conditions throughout the week despite heavy snow falls, and the Howmans Gap staff bent over backwards to assist with everything imagninable. Special thanks also to Stuart Imer from the South Yarra Physiotherapy Centre.


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