Hi!
Camp director Fran Cusick here. We are in the final stretch of registration for Stowe Running Camp 2019 and I wanted to offer a few thoughts. First, for those who have already signed up, congratulations!You are going to have a great time at Stowe from August 4th to 9th. For those who haven’t registered yet, it is really, really important that you sign up as soon as possible! Here’s why:
Based on trends from previous years, our numbers typically spike in the period right after the end of school. For most school districts, that is right around now! We currently have 12 open spots, but those are going to be gone faster than a gallon of chocolate milk after a group long run. So if you plan on doing Stowe Running Camp and have not yet signed up, head on over to our website, click on the link that says “Register Now” and get this process in gear!
Some of you may be wondering why we would need to put a cap on registration at all. It’s a good question and truthfully, it’s going to break my heart if we do have to turn people away who really want to go. However, we are unfortunately limited by the physical space which we occupy at the Round Heart. That means that we can only fit so many people into the building without creating major issues. So if you’re going to register, do your best Matt Boling impression to your computer and get signed up! If you’re on the fence about whether or not you should attend the best running camp in New England, read on as to why I think this experience is worth it.
The first thing I want to mention is that we have a great staff of counselors who are going to work tirelessly to make the camp experience the best it could possibly be. Almost everyone on our staff attended Stowe Running Camp as a camper so they know they know what makes the camp great and what needs to be improved upon and they are endlessly thinking of new and interesting ways to do just that. They are also talented and passionate runners who have compete at the NCAA Division I, II, and III levels and are a valuable resource for those trying to navigate the oftentimes choppy waters of high school athletics. Our staff is superb and are a huge part of why the experience of attending Stowe is so amazing for so many kids.
I also believe that what separates SRC from our peers is that we do a superior job of balancing the rigorous aspects of training with the fun and enjoyment of a summer camp. I will acknowledge that this can be a challenge and you’re never going to please everybody! There are people that want every minute of every day scheduled and programmed. There are others that would be content with a loose, ramshackle plan that only tangentially touches on running and consists of hanging out all day in between meals. The vast majority of people are in between these two poles and finding the balance between them is something we do really well. This is not to say that we have refined this process completely, as we are constantly tinkering with our approach and making changes to push the camp forward. But from my experience with other running camps, we do this part really, really well.
I could ramble on about how great the camp is, but I would ultimately suggest that if you’re torn on whether to attend, look through our blogs to get a sense of what our camp has been like in the past. Check out our Facebook or Instagram pages while you’re at it. Still unsure? Shoot me an email at fcusick13@gmail.com. I’d be happy to talk with your or answer any questions you have about our camp. Just be sure you do this quickly, as we are going to sell out real soon!
Until then, happy running.
-Coach Fran Cusick
Stowe Running Camp 