If it’s June, it’s time for Culver Academies Distance Running Camp, and camp director extraordinaire, Dana Neer, produced the best camp yet. He hosted 125 high school cross country runners, staffed with an incredible group of collegiate runners as counselors and experienced coaches, with Frank Shorter and myself as guest speakers — all combined together as a cohesive team, and I was a proud member.
It was my pleasure and honor to recommend camp to two young women runners in particular — one from Hawaii and one from Minnesota; one entering high school and one graduating from high school, or as they said, they are both going to be “freshmen” in September. I was taken not only by their amazing talents as runners, but their leadership qualities and passion for our great sport.
What an amazing time it was! The campers were treated to lots of activities, including running at the dunes of Lake Michigan, and some sports and games that took them out of their comfort zone — like a triathlon that included kayaking; as well, there was beach volleyball, relays and plyometrics. They learned a great deal about preparing for college training, race strategies, sports psychology, summer training methods, gait analysis, resiliency and injuries.
