The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
By Kendra Walker
It’s no surprise that Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley have attracted some of the best elite athletes in the world over the years. From the high-altitude mountain air to world class trails and spectacular backcountry views, our slice of paradise is an ideal training ground for Olympians and aspiring athletes.
Locally-based Team Prep USA offers a unique experience for student athletes and has been hosting running training programs in the Gunnison Valley for 17 years. Team Prep USA hosts an annual summer camp for runners ages 11-18, helping to take their skills to the next level and prepare them for running programs back home and into their college careers.
This summer, Team Prep USA hosted a total of 240 students from 43 states and three countries during its Rocky Mountain Cross Country Camp. “We’ve been very fortunate to get very driven students that come from all over,” says Team Prep USA owner and creator Trent Sanderson.
Team Prep USA’s training center and headquarters are in Mt. Crested Butte, and the summer program is based out of Western Colorado University where the student athletes live, eat and train. The campers visit various trails and areas around Gunnison and Crested Butte for daily training runs, strength and flexibility workouts and team building exercises, and even march in the Crested Butte Fourth of July parade. Students can participate in the summer programs ranging from seven to 20 nights, with a smaller group of about 40 students moving up to Mt. Crested Butte for Team Prep USA’s Summer Distance Project.
Sanderson started Team Prep USA in 2007 with the goal to create a unique and impactful running camp for prospective athletes. “It all started with passion, and I believe we’re coaching the person first and then the athlete. I love the network and sense of pride you get working with youth,” he says.
Sanderson has an extensive coaching background, having served as the athletic director and distance coach at Crested Butte Academy, head cross-country coach at the University of Maryland and assistant coach at Florida State University. With a group of about 20 campers that first year, Team Prep USA’s summer program now sells out every March and almost always has a waiting list. “We are fortunate to have some of the most prominent runners in the world, from all over the U.S. to New Zealand to Japan to Germany,” he says.
But it’s more than just a running camp, says Sanderson. “We’re helping create a network and empowerment for these students. We’re getting them ready for that next journey in their life. They’re sharing space with new people and we have so many activities that allow them to lead and learn and direct. They’re learning to commingle with others and empower each other. We’re teaching them to put themselves around people who value them. That’s important to make it in this world,” he says. “And the kids realize it’s a privilege to be here, not an obligation.”
He continues, “Another big part of our program is creating a work ethic and a sense of discipline. We wake up at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and go to bed at 10 p.m. Every 30 minutes are accounted for, and we teach them about shutting off from electronics, being mindful and present.”
A typical day begins with a morning run in one of the various valley corridors. The students split into groups and run anywhere from two to eight miles, on trails ranging from Hartman Rocks all the way up to Gothic. “We try to be mindful of the footprint we create by splitting up into smaller groups, going to areas in the valley where we’re not causing a big presence to others and teaching the students proper trail etiquette,” says Sanderson. “We have permits with everyone in the valley, the BLM, Forest Service, Land Trust and the towns.”
Other camp activities include ice dips in the rivers, strides and stretches, core and flexibility, naps (“They love naps,” says Sanderson), group activities and lectures. Guest speakers have included Team USA’s head physician for the Paris Olympics Gloria Beim, team nutritionist Kelli Jennings and naturopathic doctor Roanne Houck.
Sanderson is grateful to have Western as a partner, which allows the program to host the campers in a safe, healthy environment and provide the students living accommodations and nutritious meals.
Team Prep USA also offers scholarships for local student athletes in the valley. “We’ve had a lot of great kids from the valley benefit from the program,” he says, noting Olympic medalist Emma Coburn. “As locals, we’re all blessed to be here in this beautiful, nurturing environment, but the downside is that we don’t have the networks and connections of a big city. That’s what we’re trying to do here, bridge that gap.”
Sanderson is proud of the caliber of athletes and youth that have participated in the Team Prep USA programs. “We have former athletes who have done really well, going onto the Olympics, winning national titles and all-American accolades. Sixty-five percent of our students run in college and about 40% get athletic scholarships. Beyond running, Sanderson says many of the campers have gone on to become Rhodes Scholars, doctors or work for Habitat for Humanity.
Many of Team Prep USA’s former athletes also return as camp staff each summer. Sanderson has a team of 18 coaches and mentors to help run the summer program. “Ninety percent of our staff are former campers and athletes,” says Sanderson. “They bring a lot of energy to the program.”
Caitlin Jorgensen joined Team Prep USA as a camper in 2016 and began working as a coach/counselor during summer program in 2020 after her freshman year of college.
“The summers I spent here at the camp are the best of my life,” she says. “I met some of my best friends who I’m still very close with and some that I still work with as counselors.”
Jorgensen says that the training program and training at altitude made a huge difference for her as an athlete, as she grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and then went to the University of Chicago for undergrad and grad school. “There’s something so special about Team Prep, you’re around other people who really care about the sport. When I came here, I felt this intensity to train hard and do well. I met a lot of state and national champions and that was very inspirational. I had my best summer of training the summer I was heading into college. I started college really well, running even faster than I had in high school.”
Beyond the beneficial training aspect of the camp, Jorgensen says Team Prep USA has also created an irreplaceable network of friends. “The thing I love most, aside from the training itself, is the relationships you can form with people. And then I get to follow along with their running careers across the country. Now that I’m a little older, I feel more like a mentor and an older sister. After working here for a number of years you see people grow up and get better and you get to be their biggest fan and see them succeed.”
Jorgensen explains one of her favorite Team Prep USA camp activities, called Boys vs. Girls. “The counselors create a bunch of challenges, and the girls and guys compete against each other. Some challenges are physical, like the longest plank or handstand, and then some are really funny, like the best lip sync battle,” she says. “The counselors get creative and try to think of new ones every year. It gets very energetic. It’s one of the most fun things we do.”
This summer’s camp theme was “Limitless,” and Sanderson hopes the students take it to heart, in both their training and their lives. “Limitless really reflects all the possibilities they have in this life. Time is the rarest commodity and the time they give for being here is even more priceless.”
Learn more about Team Prep USA and its training programs at www.teamprepusarunning.com
