Cesena Push Camp - Part 1 2009/2010
One driver, seven brakewomen, one ice coach, one conditioning coach, one physio, one team manager and our chief supporter – a happy band of campers for a week of push training in Cesana, Italy. Pleased with our progress over the last few weeks practising our starts on ‘dry land’ in the UK we were up for something closer to the real thing.
Summer is here and us bobsleighers will seek out ice whenever we can. The fact that it’s 26°C outside is just a minor inconvenience to be overcome. Italy in the summer may not seem the ideal bobsleighing location but, with an ice house giving perfect conditions all year round, it’s the ideal place to hone our starting technique. We packed our bags and set off for the airport.
As it turned out when we reached airport check-in, it came to light that some people had packed a little too well given the 15kg weight limit. Holding up the queue while to over-packers heaped clothes, food and toiletries into anyone’s bag that was slightly under weight, plus stuffing anything they could into their own and other people’s hand-luggage, wherever there was an inch of space, the bags finally satisfied the lady on the check-in desk. All except Jo John who checked in separately and won’t disclose just how much excess she had to pay. On arrival at the hotel it became apparent just why the bag was so much overweight as – Mary Poppins style - she pulled item after item out of it. She stopped short of lamps and furniture but did reveal eight pairs of training tights for five days of training, four bikinis and enough food to feed the entire squad for several days!
The first day of training provided the new additions to the squad with their first experience of pushing on ice and gave the old hands their first practice on ice since February. All went well with only one slip courtesy of Mickey, one spectacular face plant from Zoe and Gill and Jackie – who might be supposed to know what they are doing by now – jumping onto the brakes as they got in, we don’t think anyone noticed though, definitely got away with that one!
The new white gloves are a really good training aid as, against the black colour of the sled, you can see exactly what people are doing with their hands. It became apparent that several people are going for ‘Michael Jackson hands’ which, while very theatrical and stylish, will hopefully be absent by the end of the week as they don’t really help with sled velocity.
Jo J and Gill got back from training on the first day to find a flood in the entrance to their room which then started to smell like a wet dog as the day wore on – Jo is adamant she did make it to the toilet in time!
Day one ended with a Wii challenge with all events covered from 100m to gymnastics to hurdles. The highlight, from a spectator’s viewpoint anyway, was Fiona’s trampolining – we’re not sure she realised she wasn’t actually on a trampoline and were worried she might hit the ceiling!
Day two at the ice house was another successful day with everyone working on the points raised in the video analysis session the previous evening, no slips, trips or falls and only a smattering of ‘Jacko’ hands on display. Since it was a fairly intense session most of the athletes hit the pool after lunch where the (extremely) cold water soothed out people’s aches and pains despite much shivering, deep breathing and a few naughty words. It wasn’t just the training that had raised the athletes’ heart rates. On the warm down, after a gentle jog, our stretching was rudely interrupted by a cat suddenly shooting out of a small hole beside the track. It was a close call as to who jumped the highest: Mickey, Gill or Kelly.
After an afternoon of training, physio, some rest and relaxation and a video analysis session, we hit the dining room for dinner. Proceedings were livened up by a game of Cheddar Gorge – one person beginning by saying a word and then going round the table each adding a word to make a sentence – with some unusual results beginning with the tragic tale of the man who fell down a hole and walked to Everest, through the story of the angels in the sky shimmering iridescently and ending with the great cakes topped with fur that bobsleighers make before Jo M lowered the tone somewhat.
The evening ended with a very protracted pool tournament which had to be adjourned overnight as the first two matches lasted an hour and a half. I think the spectators had just as much fun as the players due to the not so subtle psyche outs, damage to the lights from Fiona’s over enthusiastic follow through on the break and the players’ inability to aim straight through giggles. Fiona took a tight, tense game against Mickey but the overnight leader was Jo ‘slightly competitive’ Manning, having snatched victory in a sudden death black ball game against Fiona.
Day three and we were back at the ice house armed with more knowledge and points to work on from the video analysis. Fiona surveyed the surrounding area from her mid-warm up vantage point high up on the track, waving down at everyone else warming up below while Jackie amused herself by posing through the glass for photos which might either be used for a leaflet on the possible effects of swine flu or for inspiration for Stephen King’s next book. Pre-session antics aside, the session itself went very well the only moment of worry being when Jo J pushed off and just after she disappeared from view there was a loud clunk and scraping sound. Everyone rushed to the side of the track convinced she had fallen or the sled had come out of the grooves. No, she’d just trodden on the brakes in a much less subtle way than Gill or Jackie. Satisfied she was still in one piece the session continued with a few more pushes and several people hitting the gym.
Those who chose not to pump iron were treated to a very ‘immature’ (is that the right word Jo?) display of driving from Nic. Seeking revenge from being under taken at the track gates she opted for the racing line out onto the road, speeding away from Jo M who could do nothing to respond due to her car’s complete lack of acceleration. Having asserted herself she then proceeded to crawl along at old-lady walking pace, knowing that, even at this pace, Jo couldn’t overtake. Finally, a blast on the horn from Jo, a reminder of just how much trouble she was going to be in, the fact that it was lunch time and food awaited or all of the above prompted her to speed up to normal pace.
Jen was kept busy throughout the day, ending up in some very unorthodox positions trying to soothe everyone’s aches and pains. Soothe might be the wrong word judging by the screams and groans emanating from room 314! On the plus side it was discovered that Mickey does indeed posses a pair of hamstrings – you just have to look quite hard to find them!
Over dinner Fiona and Jo M battled for the plaudits for best butter sculpture – demanding all the butter dishes on the table and stacking the bricks to great artistic effect – not sure it’s going to catch on as an art form but it might find a niche market, you never know.
The evening ended once again on the pool table with Mickey levelling the score with Fiona to take the grudge match series to one apiece. She then teamed up with Gill, who played slightly less awfully than the night before, to claim victory over Fiona and Michelle. Jo M, however, basking in the glory of her great triumph of the night before did not take to the table, leaving the crown of Cesana Pool Champion hanging in the balance.
For Gill, at least, the evening did not end there. Heading back upstairs after what may prove to be the only win in her pool career, she found her room locked and no sign of room-mate Jo J. When banging on the door didn’t produce Jo but brought Mickey and Zoe in the next room to their door instead, Gill gave up and accepted the invitation of their spare bed. After what would have been a good night’s sleep if it wasn’t for the nightclub being in full swing until 5am, she returned to her own, now open, room ready to face the inevitable rumours. Unfortunately Jo’s motherly instinct had kicked in and she had left the light on until 3am, lying in bed worrying about her absent roomie. Definitely her own fault though for closing the door and going visiting late at night!
After a leisurely breakfast because we weren’t pushing, we met for a rehab and stretching session in the corridor where we generally caused chaos, getting under everyone’s feet from the Dutch team to the lady trying to deliver clean towels to the rooms on our floor. While the athletes diligently went through their rehab routines they couldn’t come close to matching John who worked hardest of anyone, breaking a sweat – or maybe he’s just unfit! The rehab session ended with Nic switching to vision training, spurred on by spectacular progress following Mickey’s coaching. Lunch passed in a blur of Magic Eye pictures on Fiona’s I-Phone and once we had all stumbled, blurry eyed away from the table, we set off to the track for an introduction to bobsleigh. Once Sean had explained training and race day roles and routine, start procedure and given tips on the latest bobsleigh fashion we set off on a track walk, giving everyone a better idea of the layout of the track and what to expect on the way down. Nic took the opportunity to visualise her driving lines until startled into sprint start mode by Fiona following her with a rather large insect she had plucked from the track wall – fastest she’s moved all week!
After the track walk it was back for dinner which passed fairly uneventfully apart from Michelle suggesting that she should flash her bum to become diary-worthy. She never did do it though so maybe I shouldn’t have put her in….! Jo M made a return to the pool table in the evening, this time playing doubles with Fiona against Nic and Mickey but on this occasion she was on the losing side, obviously hampered by a mid-match wrestle / judo match with the Dutch driver, which unfortunately she lost as well – might have been better having an early night!
Monday began with the great discovery that Jo J’s pleas had been heard and that pizza was on the dinner menu. The happy mood carried on as all sorts of animal noises emanated from the room as the team tried to match Daniella’s cow impersonation which had stemmed from her trying to translate the menu for us and not knowing the word ‘beef’. Hopefully the other nations now think it’s an essential part of a winning team – we’ll have to listen out for them on circuit!
Hilarity over it was off to the push track for the morning’s training, beginning with a couple of timed pushes each with prizes for fastest push on each run, most improved and the person who kept their technique together despite pushing flat out.
Fiona kept everyone entertained at lunch by singing ‘If I were a Boy’ in the style of a club singer and then as Marylin Monroe. It seems every day we discover another hidden talent from within the squad! To round the day off Jen introduced everyone to the fussy twins Milly and Lilly who would definitely have enjoyed the pizza for dinner, but would probably have avoided the steak. Sean didn’t like the twins and their odd ways very much but then the feeling is mutual as they do like Gill, Jenny and Michelle so much more than him! Unfortunately the much anticipated pizza did not live up to expectations, leading Fiona to ask the waitress if the chef was really Italian – no prizes for tact there!
After a final push session on Tuesday morning we headed back to the hotel for a lunch supplemented by Michelle and John’s market purchases. The bread, mozzarella and tomato went down a treat but several people turned a strange colour and grabbed for their water after trying the stuffed chillis!
Lunch over, it was time for a quick video analysis session, focusing on points to be taken forward into the next four weeks. Sadly, it was time to leave after a very productive week, the smell of Jo J and Gill’s room and the rattle of the dinner trolley a distant memory.
Summer is here and us bobsleighers will seek out ice whenever we can. The fact that it’s 26°C outside is just a minor inconvenience to be overcome. Italy in the summer may not seem the ideal bobsleighing location but, with an ice house giving perfect conditions all year round, it’s the ideal place to hone our starting technique. We packed our bags and set off for the airport.
As it turned out when we reached airport check-in, it came to light that some people had packed a little too well given the 15kg weight limit. Holding up the queue while to over-packers heaped clothes, food and toiletries into anyone’s bag that was slightly under weight, plus stuffing anything they could into their own and other people’s hand-luggage, wherever there was an inch of space, the bags finally satisfied the lady on the check-in desk. All except Jo John who checked in separately and won’t disclose just how much excess she had to pay. On arrival at the hotel it became apparent just why the bag was so much overweight as – Mary Poppins style - she pulled item after item out of it. She stopped short of lamps and furniture but did reveal eight pairs of training tights for five days of training, four bikinis and enough food to feed the entire squad for several days!
The first day of training provided the new additions to the squad with their first experience of pushing on ice and gave the old hands their first practice on ice since February. All went well with only one slip courtesy of Mickey, one spectacular face plant from Zoe and Gill and Jackie – who might be supposed to know what they are doing by now – jumping onto the brakes as they got in, we don’t think anyone noticed though, definitely got away with that one!
The new white gloves are a really good training aid as, against the black colour of the sled, you can see exactly what people are doing with their hands. It became apparent that several people are going for ‘Michael Jackson hands’ which, while very theatrical and stylish, will hopefully be absent by the end of the week as they don’t really help with sled velocity.
Jo J and Gill got back from training on the first day to find a flood in the entrance to their room which then started to smell like a wet dog as the day wore on – Jo is adamant she did make it to the toilet in time!
Day one ended with a Wii challenge with all events covered from 100m to gymnastics to hurdles. The highlight, from a spectator’s viewpoint anyway, was Fiona’s trampolining – we’re not sure she realised she wasn’t actually on a trampoline and were worried she might hit the ceiling!
Day two at the ice house was another successful day with everyone working on the points raised in the video analysis session the previous evening, no slips, trips or falls and only a smattering of ‘Jacko’ hands on display. Since it was a fairly intense session most of the athletes hit the pool after lunch where the (extremely) cold water soothed out people’s aches and pains despite much shivering, deep breathing and a few naughty words. It wasn’t just the training that had raised the athletes’ heart rates. On the warm down, after a gentle jog, our stretching was rudely interrupted by a cat suddenly shooting out of a small hole beside the track. It was a close call as to who jumped the highest: Mickey, Gill or Kelly.
After an afternoon of training, physio, some rest and relaxation and a video analysis session, we hit the dining room for dinner. Proceedings were livened up by a game of Cheddar Gorge – one person beginning by saying a word and then going round the table each adding a word to make a sentence – with some unusual results beginning with the tragic tale of the man who fell down a hole and walked to Everest, through the story of the angels in the sky shimmering iridescently and ending with the great cakes topped with fur that bobsleighers make before Jo M lowered the tone somewhat.
The evening ended with a very protracted pool tournament which had to be adjourned overnight as the first two matches lasted an hour and a half. I think the spectators had just as much fun as the players due to the not so subtle psyche outs, damage to the lights from Fiona’s over enthusiastic follow through on the break and the players’ inability to aim straight through giggles. Fiona took a tight, tense game against Mickey but the overnight leader was Jo ‘slightly competitive’ Manning, having snatched victory in a sudden death black ball game against Fiona.
Day three and we were back at the ice house armed with more knowledge and points to work on from the video analysis. Fiona surveyed the surrounding area from her mid-warm up vantage point high up on the track, waving down at everyone else warming up below while Jackie amused herself by posing through the glass for photos which might either be used for a leaflet on the possible effects of swine flu or for inspiration for Stephen King’s next book. Pre-session antics aside, the session itself went very well the only moment of worry being when Jo J pushed off and just after she disappeared from view there was a loud clunk and scraping sound. Everyone rushed to the side of the track convinced she had fallen or the sled had come out of the grooves. No, she’d just trodden on the brakes in a much less subtle way than Gill or Jackie. Satisfied she was still in one piece the session continued with a few more pushes and several people hitting the gym.
Those who chose not to pump iron were treated to a very ‘immature’ (is that the right word Jo?) display of driving from Nic. Seeking revenge from being under taken at the track gates she opted for the racing line out onto the road, speeding away from Jo M who could do nothing to respond due to her car’s complete lack of acceleration. Having asserted herself she then proceeded to crawl along at old-lady walking pace, knowing that, even at this pace, Jo couldn’t overtake. Finally, a blast on the horn from Jo, a reminder of just how much trouble she was going to be in, the fact that it was lunch time and food awaited or all of the above prompted her to speed up to normal pace.
Jen was kept busy throughout the day, ending up in some very unorthodox positions trying to soothe everyone’s aches and pains. Soothe might be the wrong word judging by the screams and groans emanating from room 314! On the plus side it was discovered that Mickey does indeed posses a pair of hamstrings – you just have to look quite hard to find them!
Over dinner Fiona and Jo M battled for the plaudits for best butter sculpture – demanding all the butter dishes on the table and stacking the bricks to great artistic effect – not sure it’s going to catch on as an art form but it might find a niche market, you never know.
The evening ended once again on the pool table with Mickey levelling the score with Fiona to take the grudge match series to one apiece. She then teamed up with Gill, who played slightly less awfully than the night before, to claim victory over Fiona and Michelle. Jo M, however, basking in the glory of her great triumph of the night before did not take to the table, leaving the crown of Cesana Pool Champion hanging in the balance.
For Gill, at least, the evening did not end there. Heading back upstairs after what may prove to be the only win in her pool career, she found her room locked and no sign of room-mate Jo J. When banging on the door didn’t produce Jo but brought Mickey and Zoe in the next room to their door instead, Gill gave up and accepted the invitation of their spare bed. After what would have been a good night’s sleep if it wasn’t for the nightclub being in full swing until 5am, she returned to her own, now open, room ready to face the inevitable rumours. Unfortunately Jo’s motherly instinct had kicked in and she had left the light on until 3am, lying in bed worrying about her absent roomie. Definitely her own fault though for closing the door and going visiting late at night!
After a leisurely breakfast because we weren’t pushing, we met for a rehab and stretching session in the corridor where we generally caused chaos, getting under everyone’s feet from the Dutch team to the lady trying to deliver clean towels to the rooms on our floor. While the athletes diligently went through their rehab routines they couldn’t come close to matching John who worked hardest of anyone, breaking a sweat – or maybe he’s just unfit! The rehab session ended with Nic switching to vision training, spurred on by spectacular progress following Mickey’s coaching. Lunch passed in a blur of Magic Eye pictures on Fiona’s I-Phone and once we had all stumbled, blurry eyed away from the table, we set off to the track for an introduction to bobsleigh. Once Sean had explained training and race day roles and routine, start procedure and given tips on the latest bobsleigh fashion we set off on a track walk, giving everyone a better idea of the layout of the track and what to expect on the way down. Nic took the opportunity to visualise her driving lines until startled into sprint start mode by Fiona following her with a rather large insect she had plucked from the track wall – fastest she’s moved all week!
After the track walk it was back for dinner which passed fairly uneventfully apart from Michelle suggesting that she should flash her bum to become diary-worthy. She never did do it though so maybe I shouldn’t have put her in….! Jo M made a return to the pool table in the evening, this time playing doubles with Fiona against Nic and Mickey but on this occasion she was on the losing side, obviously hampered by a mid-match wrestle / judo match with the Dutch driver, which unfortunately she lost as well – might have been better having an early night!
Monday began with the great discovery that Jo J’s pleas had been heard and that pizza was on the dinner menu. The happy mood carried on as all sorts of animal noises emanated from the room as the team tried to match Daniella’s cow impersonation which had stemmed from her trying to translate the menu for us and not knowing the word ‘beef’. Hopefully the other nations now think it’s an essential part of a winning team – we’ll have to listen out for them on circuit!
Hilarity over it was off to the push track for the morning’s training, beginning with a couple of timed pushes each with prizes for fastest push on each run, most improved and the person who kept their technique together despite pushing flat out.
Fiona kept everyone entertained at lunch by singing ‘If I were a Boy’ in the style of a club singer and then as Marylin Monroe. It seems every day we discover another hidden talent from within the squad! To round the day off Jen introduced everyone to the fussy twins Milly and Lilly who would definitely have enjoyed the pizza for dinner, but would probably have avoided the steak. Sean didn’t like the twins and their odd ways very much but then the feeling is mutual as they do like Gill, Jenny and Michelle so much more than him! Unfortunately the much anticipated pizza did not live up to expectations, leading Fiona to ask the waitress if the chef was really Italian – no prizes for tact there!
After a final push session on Tuesday morning we headed back to the hotel for a lunch supplemented by Michelle and John’s market purchases. The bread, mozzarella and tomato went down a treat but several people turned a strange colour and grabbed for their water after trying the stuffed chillis!
Lunch over, it was time for a quick video analysis session, focusing on points to be taken forward into the next four weeks. Sadly, it was time to leave after a very productive week, the smell of Jo J and Gill’s room and the rattle of the dinner trolley a distant memory.
