Experience Triathlon's 2007 summer camp started off on Friday evening in the historic downtown square of Baraboo, Wisconsin. Everyone met in front of the courthouse for a 2.5-mile chatty-paced run to shake off the cobwebs from the drive north and work up an appetite for dinner. The run took us past the county fairgrounds and along the Baraboo River, taking in the view of Circus World Museum. Our Friday night was capped off with dinner for 15 at a trendy Baraboo eatery called Little Village Café. After all, the tri life consists of more than just exercise! We shared laughter, good food and drinks and pumped the coaches for some insight on what was in store for us the next morning.
Saturday morning was absolutely beautiful at Devil's Lake State Park (what morning isn't?!?!) We were greeted by cooler temps after the blistering summer heat that had melted us all week. We went through introductions and shared our triathlon experience, our goals, and what motivated us to become triathletes. The response, "So I can eat!" elicited many laughs and confirming head nods!
Coach Joe's run clinic was first on the agenda after intros, culminating with a loop on the Devil's Challenge tri course. We focused on hill running techniques and tips, and Coaches Joe and Steve gave us pointers as we practiced our hill repeats, two-by-two. While we gathered a lot of stares from campers, not one of them joined us or invited us to share the bacon, eggs and coffee they were cooking over an open fire!
After the run, we took a break for some recovery food, drinks and coffee of our own. We listened intently as Coach Greg discussed the purpose of USAT and the rules that govern it. It was a very interactive session and lots of good knowledge was gained about the rules of triathlon.
Next it was time for an open water swim clinic with Coach Steve. We practiced many things, including proper techniques for entering and exiting the water and swimming around buoys. After a few swims along the buoy line, we turned our attention to practicing transition.
The transition clinic began with a wetsuit peeling demonstration by Coach Steve. Those with wetsuits had a chance to practice (or should we say make fools of themselves?!) in front of those without wetsuits. After a lot of laughter and fun, we turned serious as we watched Coaches Steve and Greg demonstrate their transition tips for the group. We all got our moment in the limelight as we took turns practicing transition techniques in front of the group.
After the transition clinic, the beautiful weather started to falter and we knew it was only a matter of time until the rain rolled in. Following a power lunch of sandwiches, fresh fruit, and granola bars, we launched right into a brief cycling clinic and a rainy ride on the Devil's Challenge course. The Coaches shared helpful tips for riding in the rain and hill riding in the bluffs surrounding Devil's Lake. It was great practice learning how to climb and descend hills while keeping your speed under control. Due to the weather, we postponed our bike cleaning and maintenance clinic to the next morning, and the group headed off to get cleaned up before our evening BBQ at Suzy's house.
ET campers were greeted with big smiles, hand-made banners and goody bags made by Suzy's daughters. We enjoyed some Stellas and of course no Wisconsin party is complete without cheese and brats! Everyone came out a winner in Coach Joe's raffle, which featured some great gear and goodies from ET sponsors. It was a wonderful night to get to know each other better, unwind and share stories and experiences from camp and our lives.
Sunday morning began with Coach Joe taking the group through a very informative demonstration of bike cleaning and maintenance and flat tire repair. After the demo, all the Coaches assisted as we practiced changing flats and cleaning our bikes from the previous day's rainy ride. After our bikes were clean and we were all flat-changing experts, it was time for a quick ride in the beautiful farmlands of rural Baraboo.
After a long weekend of activities, camp closed with a big, hearty, Wisconsin style guiltless breakfast of omelets, corned beef hash and pancakes at Log Cabin. Everyone left Baraboo with a full stomach, reflecting on how much we had learned and what a great weekend it was with new friends and fellow athletes! Thank you, Coach Joe, for making it happen!
Check out all the great Camp memories on ET-Photo!!
(Thank you so much, Aleasha and Suzy, for all you did as Camp Coordinators to make the weekend a big success. We could not have done this without you!! - Coach Joe)
