By Merridy Littell
Regional Elite Group camps, universally known as REG, were held throughout the country this June and July. The top U18 and U20 athletes from the Western region met in Bend; from the Eastern region, in Burlington; from the Central region, in Cable; and from Alaska, in Anchorage. At each stop, top local coaches were joined by U.S. Ski Team coaches such as Bryan Fish or Greta Anderson for a week of group training, presentations, and inspiration.
Merridy Littell, a U18 skier from Anchorage, was among the athletes participating in this year’s Alaska REG camp. Here’s her writeup of the week. This post originally appeared on the NNF website, and is reprinted here with permission. REG camps across the country are an NNF pillar project, and are funded in part by individual contributions from readers like you.
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The Regional Elite Group, or REG, is a series of week-long camps held in mid-summer across the country’s four regions. For one week, junior skiers from across the region (or, in the case of Alaska, the singular state that constitutes it) get to train with and race against their counterparts in a series of workouts and time trials. Athletes compete in an uphill run, an uphill doublepole sprint, and a skate sprint simulation, as well as learn from experienced coaches and athletes in a variety of settings.
This year’s Alaska REG camp was put on by Cross Country Alaska, University of Alaska Anchorage coach Trond Flagstad, the U.S. Ski Team, and National Nordic Foundation.
Alaska kicked off its REG camp on July 15th with a race prep run, with (in typical Anchorage fashion) Moose’s Tooth pizza afterward. Athletes, including myself, from a variety of teams in Anchorage, the Mat-Su Valley, and Fairbanks converged on a hapless coach’s house and hopefully didn’t trash the place too much in our pre-race meal.
[Read more from summer 2023: Postcards from Camp: Uphill Run Time Trial Day at Alaska REG]
The next morning, the Gasline time trial gave us an opportunity to measure our improvement over the summer thus far and to get a preliminary sense of where we might stack up compared to the rest of the fastest juniors in the state. A time-honored tradition in Anchorage, the Gasline time trial took racers between 10–15 minutes to complete. For at least 20 years, athletes of all ages, from Kikkan Randall to the young juniors of Anchorage’s ski clubs, have run this mostly uphill course that starts at the Gasline trail near Hilltop Ski Area and ends at Prospect Heights Trailhead.
That afternoon, local World Cup skiers (a sweet feature of living in Anchorage) arrived at Kincaid to help us with our doublepole and classic start technique. Team Alaska would like to thank U.S. Ski Team athletes Rosie Brennan, Novie McCabe, Luke Jager, and Gus Schumacher for their time and technique tips that they gave us in preparation for our doublepole time trial. Despite the rain and a few broken poles, we had the opportunity to ski with and learn from some of the best athletes in the world.
A local physical therapy organization, Runner’s Edge Alaska, also helped us learn new strategies for ski training, this time in the gym. They walked us through some mobility and core exercises that help build flexibility and stability while skiing and running. These exercises supplemented those done by club teams, and provided us with new insight into how they can fit into our daily training schedule.
[Read more from summer 2023: Postcards from Camp: Skate Sprint Day at Alaska REG]
With core muscles sore from the day before, we competed in the skate sprint time trial at Goldenview Middle School. This involved a qualifying round and king’s court style heats meant to mimic a race day experience. U.S. Ski team athletes Luke Jager and Zanden McMullen participated in the sprint simulation alongside junior athletes. This simulation gave us an opportunity to run through an (albeit shortened) sprint day to practice all the challenges that come with sprint heats: proper nutrition, hydration, and general fatigue.
The week ended with an over-distance mountain run up McHugh Peak, a peak in the Chugach front range right outside of Anchorage. This junior athlete only sustained two minor injuries from the run and summited the peak for the first time so we’ll call it a successful day, a good end to a good camp. Thank you to all the coaches who helped us during REG camp, the U.S. Ski Team, and NNF for their generous support of the future of U.S. skiing!
