What a weekend. 50+ Junior cross riders and a coaching resume that can't be beat. Olympian Ann Trombley and World Silver Medalist Danny Summerhill headlined as head coaches and brought a ton of valuable knowledge to the kids and adults as well. I coached a group of 10 kids and the progress that was made on both a technical and psycological level was truely amazing.
Ann teaches the kids the finer points of pre race setup
Friday night started with what was suppose to be safety checks (many ended up being tuneups) of every kids bike. After darkness fell, I was caught up. Step 1 complete. Bikes were safe. We got everyone settled in after a quick intro session as visions of barrier practice danced in their heads.
Saturday started with a 7am run and a few agility drills, followed by a much earned breakfast. Afterwards, alot of chamois time. The kids were troopers as we split into groups and practice things like dismounting, uphill barriers and shouldering, and off camber turns and cone drills. I can't remember the last time I saw so many smiles. There were crashes, bumps, and bruises, but they were all washed away when the kids saw the results they were acheiving.
Connor showin' 'em how it's done!
Saturday night brought a game of Bump-n-Thump to practice some bike handling followed by a core strengthening work out and some screwin' around. Some much needed rest for both kids and coaches was had.
Sunday brought a few fun races with one heck of a mud pit, then some how to by the pros. Danny, Brady, Heather, and Jon showed us all what it's like at race pace. Amazing! So fluid, so fast. The kids were in awe.
The Pro's How To...
I highly recommend these ACA Junior Camps for any kid that is involved or wants to be involved in racing. The crazy thing is that I probably got as much out of it as the kids did. I'll be there next year for sure!