First FIL Summer Training Camp

Smrozovka (FIL) The first FIL Team Summer Camp will be held in Smrzovka (CZE) from June 21-28 and is intended to raise the sport-specivic level of the younger athletes in FIL Group 2 in order to prepare the athletes for the upcoming luge season. It is also intended to be a motivational tool for the athletes, providing them with knowledge, skills and tools to support their training at home once the camp is completed.

This first FIL Team Summer Camp was the idea of FIL Development Manager Fred Zimny and Vice President Sport Claire Del Negro. Fred Zimny is convinced: "The summer camps should increase the level of professionalism of the FIL groups. The level of FIL athletes should be increased so that in the future the athletes will not only be able to participate in FIL events but also improve their successes and results".

In the last two years, other measures have also been implemented to increase the athletic level and professionalism within the FIL teams. These include athletic tests with minimum requirements for athletes depending on their age, individualized training programs, a code of conduct for athletes during their affiliation with the team and improved equipment for lugers on the FIL team.

Eight girls and three boys from the three developing nations of the Czech Republic, Georgia and Moldova will participate in the premiere of the FIL Summer Camp in the Czech Republic. The camp will be led by FIL coaches Petr Kinzel, Maciej Kurowski, Bogdan Macovei and Tomas Kinzel.

In July 2021 there will be a second summer camp for the older athletes of FIL Group 1. The second FIL camp will take place in Karpacz (POL) from July 5 to 12. There are currently 12 athletes from five nations registered for this second camp.

"Ultimately, we hope to plan multiple summer camps in the future. Ideally, there would be one in the spring and one in late summer for Group 1 and Group 2. This would give coaches the opportunity to see where the athletes are physically at the beginning of the summer and develop a home training program for them to use during the summer. The second camp would then be an evaluation of how effective the off-season training was," said FIL Development Manager Fred Zimny, who has further plans: "A separate summer camp for brand new athletes would also be planned in the future to give new athletes from countries of the FIL Development Family the chance to gain their first luge experience even before the winter starts."

All required Covid protocols are followed at FIL summer camps. Participants were required to arrive with proof of a negative Covid test and were retested upon arrival.