Picture: Our staff wants you to come to Stowe this summer to eat ice cream and run!
Hello Folks,
This is camp director Fran Cusick, I am writing today to talk to you about Stowe Running Camp 2017. It seems like just yesterday we were finishing up our scavenger hunt at the Trapp family lodge and getting ready for the long (or short) drive home. Now, the summer is upon us and we are only a couple short months away from my favorite week of the year. I wanted to tell you why I think you (and your team) should attend this year.
When I was in high school, one of my teammates attended a running camp…and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what one would do at a running camp. I pictured hours of running interspersed with a few meals and maybe an awkward high school dance at the end. I couldn’t imagine why a person would want to spend a week of their summer vacation at running camp. Suffice to say, as a running camp director who has now seen how empowering, educational, and fun a camp experience can be, I have come a long way from my ignorant stance as a high school kid.
This story leads to a question that I have been reflecting on as I prepare for Stowe Running Camp 2017 is: what is the point of a running camp? It’s one that I think will be answered differently by different people. Some may view it as a way to get in shape for the upcoming cross country season, some view it as a week long vacation and time to hang out with their friends, some view it as a time to do intense training.
What is so great to me about Stowe Running Camp is that we can accommodate all of these philosophies and more. At camp in 2016, we had some of the best runners in New England and all of the Northeast, kids who are now going on to become scholarship level athletes at the Division I level. We also have kids who have not run all summer. And that to me is what is great about running in a nutshell. In the Boston Marathon, you have world record holders and Olympic gold medalists lining up with average, everyday runners. And while no one at Stowe is an Olympic Medalist (although we do count 2008/2012 Olympian Andrew Wheating as an alum of the camp and one of our favorite guest speakers is Olympian Ruben Sanca) the same principles apply. Whether you are a 4:15 miler looking to improve your 5k time or a 7:30 miler who is just looking to get in shape, this camp can accommodate you.
In that way, Stowe Running Camp reflects an actual cross country team. There are kids of all different skill levels and coming from different perspectives, all uniting together for a common reason: because we love the sport.
I hope you’ll consider making Stowe a part of your summer. Please visit our website here for registration information. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me at fcusick13@gmail.com.
Happy trails!
-Coach Cusick
Stowe Running Camp 