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The last 2 weeks in photos (ok, some words too)

By August 11, 2014 No Comments

The last two weeks have absolutely blown by! I really did mean to update earlier, but I was in full-on Fast and Female planning mode, during a 22-hour training week full of intervals, strength, speeds and long slow distance training. But now things are slowing down again (as much as they ever do!) and I’ve been able to collect a ton of photos from the last two weeks. So, let’s work backwards from yesterday!

Field games! So much fun on a hot day.

Field games! So much fun on a hot day. (photos from Erika)

Here’s a video that Annie Pokorny edited from the event! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0WlbiJ1qZ4

Teamwork was the theme of the day

Teamwork was the theme of the day (photos from Erika and Annie)

The Fast and Female event in Stratton was awesome! We had 40 girls attend, with 9 ambassadors, 5 junior-ambassadors, and 5 volunteers running the event.

 

The whole crew! (photo by Lilly Caldwell)

The whole crew! (photo by Lilly Caldwell)

After check-in and some name-games within the smaller age groups, we introduced all the ambassadors to the girls and shared our favorite ski memories.

Partner stretching during yoga (photo by Lilly)

Partner stretching during yoga (photo by Lilly)

Then it was time to do yoga! Tracy Black from Wild Wings Yoga volunteered to lead the girls in a fun session that involved partner yoga, lots of giggling and stretching, and learning to relax and breathe at the same time.

Upward dog! (photo by Liz Arky)

Upward dog! (photo by Liz Arky)

Thanks to Tracy Black, our yoga instructor for the day! (photo by Lilly)

Thanks to Tracy Black, our yoga instructor for the day! (photo by Lilly)

We then headed out to the field for some team building games and activities. One station was a game of kickball with a slip n’ slide from 3rd to home base. Getting soaked on the water slide ended up being many of the girls favorite part of the day!

Kickball with a slip n slide? Game on! (photo by Lilly)

Kickball with a slip n slide? Game on! (photo by Lilly)

Home run! (photo by Lilly)

Home run! (photo by Lilly)

The other team station was a series of games that needed some teamwork and strategizing to complete. The girls needed to get everyone from one side of a giant spiderweb to the other, but each opening could only be used once, so girls were being passed through higher openings and army crawling through lower ones at the same time.

Teamwork and strategy to complete the spiderweb challenge. (photo by Lilly)

Teamwork and strategy to complete the spiderweb challenge. (photo by Lilly)

We also made a group pyramid, and played the human knot game where everyone puts their hands in the middle, grabs random hands and then the knotted-up group has to find a way to de-tangle and end up in a big circle.

One of the pyramids (photo by Lilly)

One of the pyramids (photo by Lilly)

The human knot! De-tangling is hard....(photo by Lilly)

The human knot! De-tangling is hard….(photo by Lilly)

Soaked after the waterside, but happy! (photo by Erika)

Soaked after the waterside, but happy! (photo by Erika)

Once the games were finished, we went inside for snacks generously donated by JJ Hapgood’s General Store (Peru, VT).

Thanks Hapgood's for the great snacks! (photo by Lilly)

Thanks Hapgood’s for the great snacks! (photo by Lilly)

 

While the girls munched on some healthy treats, the ambassadors shared stories of how teamwork has changed the way they ski and made sports more fun for them.

Inspirational stories from our ambassadors (photo by Lilly)

Inspirational stories from our ambassadors (photo by Lilly)

Then the girls had the opportunity to ask questions, get their photos taken with the ambassadors and have their event posters signed! It was a fun morning and a cool way to give back to the community.

Checking out their autographed posters...(photo by Lilly)

Checking out their autographed posters…(photo by Lilly)

Age 22...going on 12! I found my twin! (photo by Lilly)

Age 22…going on 12! I found my twin! (photo by Lilly)

I was so proud of our junior ambassador girls! They did a great job setting up and then running the stations, and for some of them, getting their first experience public speaking for an event. Booya! They will be running events as regular ambassadors themselves really soon.

Unfortunately, we're missing Alex Cobb in this photo! From left: Tegan, Pippin, Ana and Mackenzie (photo by Lilly)

Unfortunately, we’re missing Alex Cobb in this photo! From left: Tegan, Pippin, Ana and Mackenzie (photo by Lilly)

The older ambassador girls: Ida, Liz, Cambria, Erika, Caitlin, Jessie, Sophie, Anne and Annie (photo by Lilly)

The older ambassador girls: Ida, Liz, Cambria, Erika, Caitlin, Jessie, Sophie, Anne and Annie (photo by Lilly)

I also learned that unless I want to get stress-induced stomach ulcers, I should probably never get a job as an event planner. That said, it was totally worth organizing the event once I saw the girls out there having fun, meeting new friends, interacting with the ambassadors and finding new role models! It was a wonderful day.

High-fives all around! (photo by Lilly)

High-fives all around! (photo by Lilly)

The week before I got to Stratton, I spent a beautiful 6 days up in Thunder Bay, Ontario at my family’s camp. It was so great to see my Grandma, Aunt and Uncle and cousins, and spend some time on the edge of Lake Superior. Ok, ok, I spent a lot of time IN Lake Superior as well, but it was freezing cold!

To me, this is one of the most beautiful views and relaxing places on earth.

To me, this is one of the most beautiful and relaxing places on earth.

You can't go wrong with a little lakeside yoga!

You can’t go wrong with a little lakeside yoga!

We also did a lot of camp chores, like helping to rebuild the deck, painting and clearing the roof!

We also did a lot of camp chores, like helping to rebuild the deck, painting and clearing the roof!

My sister and I went kayaking and did a little rock climbing

My sister and I went kayaking and did a little rock climbing along the quarry

A view of the camp from the lake

A view of the camp from the lake

One day we went to the Sibley Penninsula and did an epic hike (or in my case, run) around the “Sleeping Giant” rock formation. It took 3 hours but it was a beautiful fun single track with good rock scrambling and cool views since the trail hugged the shore all the way around.

My favorite kind of trail to run on

My favorite kind of trail to run on

My Mom, Dad, sister and dog out on a hike!

My Mom, Dad, sister and dog out on a hike!

The famous "Sea Lion" rock formation out on the Sibley Penninsula

The famous “Sea Lion” rock formation out on the Sibley Penninsula

Our little friend the bear let us watch him eat berries from only 20 feet away!

Our little friend the bear let us watch him eat berries from only 20 feet away!

Every evening was beautiful, with the sun staying up till 10:00pm! We had a lot of dinners on the beach, and every other night we had the steam bath running so we could sprint between the sauna and the lake.

A lovely dinner on the beach! (photo by Blair Murdoch)

A lovely dinner on the beach! (photo by Blair Murdoch)

And finally, a couple photos from the ski clinic I did in Winona, MN while I was home! It was great to meet these junior skiers and I was impressed with their roller ski skills!

The Winona Nordic Ski Club (photo by Heidi Wisniewski)

The Winona Nordic Ski Club (photo by Heidi Wisniewski)

Doing pushups at the start of our sprints..."silly starts" are the best (and funniest)! (photo by Heidi Wisniewski)

Doing pushups at the start of our sprints…”silly starts” are the best (and funniest)! (photo by Heidi Wisniewski)

We also did a lot of obstacle courses and slalom around cones! (photo by Heidi Wisniewski)

We also did a lot of obstacle courses and slalom around cones! (photo by Heidi Wisniewski)

 

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