|
Written by Brian Olsen
|
|
Wednesday, 08 October 2003 00:00 |
|
Location: Park City, UT
Last Thursday, I left the rainy (and snowy) weather of Vermont behind, opting instead to hop onto a plane bound for Salt Lake City, Utah. For the past week, I have been in Utah with five girls and our collective coach for a two-week altitude and dryland training camp. Yes, I am outnumbered.
A local recounted to me the other day that a single cloud in the sky here makes for bad weather. Out of the past seven days, only one night saw the desert get rained upon. It is perfect weather for training… almost too good. When I return to Vermont, I fear that my rifle will forget what humidity is and crumble into a pile of rust.
The main purpose of this camp for me is foremost to adjust to altitude. The second goal is to get in as many quality hours of training as possible before I transition into the pre-season period of hard intensity. Of course, having the 2002 Olympic Games venue nearby is surely helping my shooting as well.
This afternoon, I took an old beater bike from our residence in Park City up to the top of the ski jumps at the Utah Olympic Park. On my second trip up, I passed a cyclist who was passing time while his kid was jumping. We chatted about developing Nordic sports in the United States, among other things. He was surprised to hear about the Maine Winter Sports Center program and how youth in it are provided equipment and expert coaching free of charge.
While on one of my trips up the hill, I was stopped by an official with the Olympic Park facility. Supposedly, the road that I had just cycled up and down was too dangerous for cyclists, so it had been closed. I cannot imagine how it could have been too dangerous seeing that I had just ridden the route on a rusty old bike, but I turned around. I looked back, and saw the guy sitting on the front bumper of his van smoking a cigarette.
 |
