Summer Camps on the Horizon!

World Famous Running Coach Jack Daniels gives advice to athletes at the Jim Ryun running camp.

For years coaches and athletes have debated the worth of attending a sleepaway cross country camp for a week, either with their teammates, or on a solo mission, and the specialization sports have seen in the past 10 years, these camps are as popular as ever. As you or your athletes decide on whether to attend a camp, or which one to attend, here is a simple guide to some quality camps that I have been made aware of, and some reasons to attend.

So, what's in it for me?

Many coaches balk at encouraging their athletes to attend a camp during the summer, and in some cases, it's for good reason. It's plausible that you would be sending your kids off into a situation that isn't best for them. Though there could be some negatives in a particular of an athlete spending a week during the summer running too much or too competitively. However most camps are a very positive experience and make the athletes better runners and teammates, while meeting new people along the way. Some of the possible negatives include:

-A tendency to over train for one week or be overly competitive

-A coaching/ training philosophy that doesn't align to the high school coach's

-In cases of individuals attending, a lack of building team chemistry with high school teammates

-Possible injury risk due to taking on too much at once

With that being said, the benefits of attending the right camp far outweigh the costs. I know some of my best HS running memories took place at the Jim Ryun running camp. With that being said, some camps are better than others, but, by and large, the instructors, staff, and directors want the best possible experience for the campers because they are running a business. It's no different than getting a Chpotle burrito without enough barbacoa, you won't come back to a camp that lacks in substance. The benefits of attending many track and XC camps include, but are not limited to:

-Motivation in the midst of a long summer to train hard

-Meeting athletes from around the country who share your track/XC experience

-Hearing new ideas from different, unique coaches and college athletes

-Getting perks that are impossible to get during most HS practices, including things like gait analysis, pace calculation, and stride rate

-Classroom sessions from elite athletes and coaches that cover everything from form to nutrition to mental preparation

-Building confidence and having a week in an otherwise self-reliant summer to train with others

-When attending with your own team, bonding with your teammates outside of practice

-Momentum to carry you into the XC season after a long, hard summer of training

And we could go on and on and on. Those are just a few of the benefits.

Here is a list of some camps I know of (I will add more if given info by host/coach):

Kiss the Sky Camp (Pole Vault)

Jim Ryun Running Camp (Distance, I have been 5x and loved it every time)

Boulder Running Camp (Distance)

Air Force Academy Track and Field

Air Force Academy Cross Country

BYU Track and Field Camp

BYU Cross Country Camp