US Snowboard Team Trains at Nike Campus

Beaverton, Oregon (July 13, 1996) -- The US Snowboard Team spent the weekend of July 13-14, 1996 in the Bo Jackson building of Nike's Beaverton, Oregon Campus completing their bi-annual conditioning testing.

"We do this twice a year," says Sharon Harned, US Snowboarding Team Manager. "Once in the spring and once in the fall as a way of checking the athletes progress over the season."

Halfpipe rider Cammy Potter attacks her way to the finish on the Windgate, the most grueling test on the U.S. Snowboard Team's testing program.

The camps are designed to set up a baseline for the season as well as get the Team mentally prepared for training. The numbers generated during testing will help US Snowboard Team trainer Heath Van Aken develop individual training programs for the team members to help them prepare for the 1997 competition season. "The reason we are here is that currently we have no information on you," Van Aken told the team during a meeting the first night. "The testing will help you in the future."

The tests also act as a gauge to see how hard team members are training in the off season. "We want to see if the team is investing as much in themselves as we are in them," says Peter Foley, US Team Coach.

The two day camp included one day of conditioning testing including the vertical leap, the box, the hexagon, a variety of hand-eye coordination tests, and the hellish windgate--a 30 second all out sprint on a stationary bike. Day two featured individual meetings with trainers followed by intensive work-out instruction and strength testing in Nike's weightroom.

Most of the A Team was present including Annmarie Uliasz, Cammy Potter, Mike Jacoby, Steve Persons, Zack Horwitz, Ross Powers, Dan Smith, Thomas O'Brien, Tom Lyman, Sandra Van Ert, Bill Enos, Jeff Greenwood, and Lael Gregory who rode up from Bend on his customized road race motorcycle.

There were some casualties during the testing. Tom Lyman, of Whitefish, Montana went so hard on the Windgate that he had to leave the room to throw up. Jeff Greenwood fell off the box test twice before his 90 seconds were up. "This stuff is brutal," Greenwood said after his round on the box.

The team's token old man Bill Enos, 32, kept everyone going with his constant heckling of the younger team members. "What's wrong Lyman?" Enos said moments before Lyman heaved. "Can't take it? Come on, get on the box. I'm old and I'm not laying down in the corner."

In the conditioning testing the champ was freestyle team member Lael Gregory who scored the highest on the box, and tested well on the bike. "He's just one of those naturally gifted athletes," said Foley. "He's the best miler on the team."

Team members left camp with personal training programs that should put them on the road to peak performance. Now it's up to them to follow through and improve on their performance. While it's easy to cheat on the training it will be hard to fool the testing come November. And with changes in the competition landscape coming thanks to the pending Olympics, team members have no room for slacking.

Van Aken put it simply to the team. "I'm not a policeman. I don't want to hear any excuses," he said. "I'm just here to help you be your best."