Marco Sullivan Speed Camp at Okemo

The OMS student-athletes and Competition Center Athletes spent 4 days over the MLK weekend participating in the Marco Sullivan Speed Camp, which proved to be a beneficial and fun camp for all!

First, we would like to thank everyone that played a role in making this camp happen because without the support, we wouldn’t be able to give our athletes such wonderful experiences. First, we would like to thank OMARA and William Raveis Vermont Properties for sponsoring the camp. We would also like to thank Okemo Mountain Operations and the Okemo Competition Center for setting up such a great venue for the camp.

Another thanks to Anna Goodman (Marco’s wife), for working with all the kids for the entire camp, as well. Her input on snow and in the gym added so much to this camp! Also, a special thanks to Julia Ford for skiing with us for one day of the camp and of course, we wish she was able to ski with us more! ! It’s a pretty special day when our athletes get to work with 3 Olympians on the same day. Last, but not least, thank you to Marco for taking time away from a busy schedule to come to the East and work with all of our kids for this camp. It truly was a great experience for everyone!

Now onto the details of the camp! On Friday and Saturday, all the athletes were able to get some fast freeskiing and Super-G training in, as well as practice on a speed jump and work on the two wave tracks on Wardance. We concluded the second day of camp with a Meet and Greet at the OMS Fitness Facility where the athletes were able to sit down with Marco and Anna and ask questions about their careers, as well as get some autographs! This was a great way for the kids to see what goes into making an Olympian and prove that it is possible for each and every one of them!

As we all know, we were pounded with great snow on Sunday, so Day 3 turned into a powder day! The final day of camp was moved back to the OMS Fitness Facility to have some awesome sessions focused on refining and understanding the athletic skier stance and tuck position. During the sessions, we saw some huge improvement in these skills with all of the athletes! One of the coolest parts of the day was Marco talking the kids through the Chamonix Downhill Race (that he won), while they tucked for 2 minutes and 5 seconds, about the time it takes to complete that downhill. Check out that video and all the pictures that we captured from the camp on the OMS SmugMug page.

One of the biggest takeaways of the camp for our coaches was during the Meet & Greet when an athlete asked Marco, “What have you learned most from ski racing"?” Marco replied, “You shouldn’t be afraid to have dreams and work hard to achieve them. It doesn’t matter so much if you accomplish your goals but more that you chase after them, and when you do succeed, don’t be afraid to raise the bar and try for more!” These are words that our coaches try to show the athletes everyday and words that all of our athletes should live by!

Thanks everyone for such a great camp and we look forward to seeing Marco and Anna again next year!