Ezme attends Cross Country Running Camp at Coldwater
Story by WTIP youth volunteer Ezme Mundell
The 10th year of cross-country camp came around the corner fast! This was my first year going to cross-country camp! It is so much fun! Every year Grand Marais, Silver Bay, and Two Harbors students on the cross-country team drive down to Coldwater camp up the Gunflint Trail.
When we get there we jump right into running, we run from Coldwater camp home to Bogus Hill. Every year people dread this long steady uphill climb. We run up and down it then some people run back to camp and some take the bus. We get settled into our cabins, then we eat breakfast. Yummy I am always so hungry after running.
That was the first workout of the day. The second one was aqua- jogging which I had never done. We start with some light weights in the parking lot then we pop our swimsuits on and grab a blue aqua jogging belt. The belt basically pulls your butt up when you are running in the water so that you have good running form. After that, we had sandwiches for lunch and then some free time. Me and a friend played cards by the water. It was so peaceful.
Then our coach April Wahlstrom grouped everybody up to talk about this year’s camp games theme and because every 4 years is the Olympics that was our theme. We were each assigned to different countries. There were Brazil, Bulgaria, Finland, and Kenya. I was on team Finland.
Our first task was to make a cheer for the opening ceremony, and then the games began. The first game was Nerf gun shooting. We used cute mini Nerf guns and played with pistols to shoot at a little target board. The next game was a 4 person relay where we picked up a cup with our mouth by suctioning it to our face then we ran down a small path under and over an obstacle. Once that was completed we filled the cup at the lake and ran it back, the first team to fill up their bucket with water wins! It was a close race but Finland pulled a 3rd. This day was full of other games such as 3 on 3 basketball, chip toss, water balloon toss, and unite shoe game. For dinner that night we had burgers! They were really good! Anyway, we finished day one with yoga and fell asleep!
Day two started with running 800s at race pace! I didn’t hate this. It was a great workout but it was humid. We ate really yummy pancakes for breakfast. We did the same aqua jogging routine and had salad for lunch. We then jumped back into the Olympic games! The games on Wednesday night were Whiffle ball and a run, speed walk, and swim relay. We got cooked in the relay but that was okay because the whiffle ball was really fun! I hit the ball and was able to run all the bases a couple of times! I had no idea it was so easy to hit a whiffle ball! It’s so light.
Before dinner that night we went on our annual Kimble Lake hike. April matches us up with somebody we don’t know yet and we get to know the person on a short lake walk. It was a fun social experience! Then when we got back we did some goal-setting for the season. We set 3 individual goals and 2 team goals. It was nice. Then after another crazy day, we got delicious tacos for dinner.
After dinner, we did a game that if you stick with cross-country you will get to participate in. All of the seniors hide when it’s dark out and it is like sardines if you find a senior you hide with them. People are not allowed to use their lights. It was fun and kinda scary to walk around in the dark with no light. We did yoga, had cookies, and went to bed.
Our last full day we started with mile repeats and more pancakes! For aqua jogging this day, we did an easy run. We had lunch, and then it was time for the water portion of the Olympics. We prepared a sail for sailing and a synchronized swimming routine. As of Thursday Finland was in dead last and was getting booed. People thought we had no chance of moving up from 4th place but we had a plan. We worked as a team and ranked in the points that day.
Our victory started with winning the canoe races! Finland was also really proud of getting 2nd in the 4-person swim relay because we were going up against strong swim team swimmers. The sailing was really funny because it had been really windy earlier in the day but when the time came to do the sailing races there was no wind at all. We ended up last in the event but that did not stop our positive attitude though. We crushed synchronized swimming with the finish cha cha as our music and a wonderful routine ending with a front flip from one of my teammates. We ended the swimming events with a little aqua-jogging race! We pulled a 3rd in that race.
Overall the swimming events were my favorite! Before we ate dinner we were told the rules of a game of 4-way capture the Flag that was held as the final event after dinner. We put on face paint so we would know who is on who’s team. We ate some yummy rice, Asian, and taco bowls and then got into the game! Finland needed the win and we pulled it off! It was incredible! In the end, Finland moved its way up to 3rd place by one point!
I took a sauna with some of my friends and jumped in the lake! It was really nice to jump in after sitting in the sauna heat! We changed fast so we could get to the dining hall for the annual end-of-camp skits. Some of the skits were funny! I loved getting to sit together and watch them as a family team. We had a little cupcake celebration for one of the runner’s birthdays, then we did yoga on the dock under the stars and went to bed!
The day we said goodbye to cross-country camp came fast! We still had the dreaded time trial to tackle so it wasn’t over yet! We woke up to yucky rain and ate French toast as our running energy! We hopped on the bus and headed to Pincushion Mountain. We ran some warm-up laps then we just did it! Ran what we will be running all season to see how we improve over time! Everyone had really tired legs but pushed through and finished! I was happy with my time. Varsity ran a 5k and Junior High ran a 3k.
We ran back down to ISD school to unpack the bus and eat pizza together! Overall, it was such a fun experience as a team! I was happy, exhausted and ready for more! I can’t wait for the cross-country season to go underway!
Kalli Hawkins August 27, 2024
