July 24, 2012 (Sun Valley, ID) – The National Nordic Foundation will invest $6,000 in two forthcoming Cross-Country Pillar Projects in its summer round of XC 2012/2013 funding. The primary goal of these USST International Development camps in Austria, Germany, and Sweden is to get the athletes on snow midway through the preparation period, and most goals will be technique-based. The National Nordic Foundation’s investment will offset some athlete’s travel expenses thereby reducing the personal cost for many of the athletes. Primary funding for the camps will come from USST with a significant additional investment to the men’s camp from the Oregon Nordic Ski Foundation. These strategic investments are made to Support Tomorrow’s Stars Today.

Men’s Camp: July 28-Aug 3 Ramsau/Dachstein, Austria, Aug 3-9 Oberhof, Germany
The men’s National Team is looking forward to the upcoming camp in Ramsau am Dachstein, Austria and Oberhof, Germany. Ramsau and Oberhof are two of the best summer cross-country ski training venues in central Europe. Both venues provide excellent skiing, as well as world-class rollerskiing and dry-land training opportunities. It has been many years since the USST has been in Ramsau for a summer camp and we are looking forward to being back in a place that is already one of our winter homes. This will be our first summer camp in Oberhof, a venue that offers a rollerski track over 10 kilometers in length as well as the ski tunnel. The primary goal of our camp is to get the men back on snow midway through the preparation period, and most goals will be technique-based. We also gain a unique opportunity to test new equipment directly from the European factories. This camp would not be possible without the generosity of the Oregon Nordic Ski Foundation and the National Nordic Foundation. We are grateful for the support of both of these great Nordic organizations; they have made this camp a reality.

Women’s Camp: August 3-16 Torsby & Salen Sweden

The women’s National Team is preparing for its third of five preparation period camps – this time to Sweden. The team will spend its first three days training in Torsby to kick off the camp. During this time we will test equipment on snow in the tunnel with ski industry representatives. We’ll then pack up and meet the Swedish National Team women in Salen for five days of dry land. For the final five days of the camp we’ll head back to Torsby’s ski tunnel with the Swedes. An important national strategy for this group is international partnerships. We’ve made significant progress with Canada in two years and have felt positive benefits on a number of levels. These partnerships naturally inject change into our program without drastically changing our direction. The excitement of new faces and training methods is motivating. We have more fun this way, and we train harder and better. If you want to see a hardcore interval session like never before just put two national teams together and stand back. Our team depends on a deep network of support and NNF is at its center.