By ALEX PAJUNAS

Arrol Bryant glides across Anthony Lakes Highway on his skis in shorts and a T-shirt.

Brenna Knowles stands outside of her large white passenger van and offers him a water refill as he slows to a stop.

A truck pulls across an intersection, and the driver stops to inquire what these young campers are doing performing a ski workout without snow.

andquot;Going all the way up Anthony,andquot; Knowles says of the 16- to 20-mile roller skiing workout, part of the Pacific Northwest Ski Association’s Nordic Dryland Training Camp.

andquot;I wouldn’t even make my horse do that,andquot; said Martha Jane Spratling, Knowles’ great aunt, who stopped to watch the action.

The summer cross country ski camp, which concludes Saturday, is attended by 22 campers ages 13 to 20, brought campers from the Methow Valley and Spokane, Wash., Bend and La Grande

andquot;We want to increase the amount of people who know what we are doing and keep the interest high,andquot; said Knowles, 26, a graduate of Powder Valley High School. andquot;Hopefully some day we will be as exciting as cycling, at least for skiers in the U.S.andquot;

The camp is in its second year in Eastern Oregon, taking place this year at the foot of the Elkhorns outside of Haines.

For Knowles, who has coached in Bend with the Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation for five years, it is a chance to retrace some of her old workouts in a place she loves.

andquot;I grew up here as a nordic skier, and I wanted to share this with them,andquot; said Knowles, who skied at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., and spent a summer as a reporting intern at the Baker City Herald. andquot;There are roads with hardly any traffic, varied terrains, and lots of beautiful mountains.andquot;

Knowles received coaching from her dad, Dick, in high school. She had to do many of the demanding workouts on her own because there were no available summer camps in the area.

andquot;You never know how much goes into (training as an athlete) until you start coaching,andquot; said Knowles, who still competes in ski, bike and running races. andquot;You can’t be a good coach until the focus is off yourself.andquot;

The campers have enjoyed training in the Baker Valley and the attention they receive from passing motorists.

andquot;It’s kind of a novelty for the kids to be able to explain what they are doing,andquot; Knowles said of the drivers who stop to ask about the roller skiing. andquot;It gives them a boost of energy to tell (drivers) what they are doing.andquot;

The PNSA provides support for the camp while Mount Bachelor Sports Education Foundation provides the coaching and logistics. Other snow training camps are held at Mount Bachelor and a second dryland camp at Trout Lake on Washington’s Mount Adams.

While at the dryland training camp, the young athletes will be training for at least three to four hours a day. Workouts are varied with strength training, roller skiing and pole work.

A highlight from last year’s camp that will carry on to this year is the time trial roller ski up to Anthony Lake, with the finish line in the lake’s chilly waters.

andquot;Some kids are so into it they don’t take their boots off,andquot; Knowles said. andquot;Others take their time to get boots off and casually jump in.andquot;

Training carries on throughout the year for cross country skiers.

Dakota Blackhorse von Jess recently returned from a national camp in Presque Isle, Maine which he described as andquot;pretty hardcore.andquot;

Blackhorse von Jess trains seven days a week. He incorporates a variety of outdoor activities into his training, including running, kayaking, swimming, climbing and weightlifting.

andquot;The sport requires year-round training,andquot; Knowles said. andquot;If they didn’t train year round, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the rest of the country.andquot;

Having experienced international competitions a couple winters ago in Sweden and Finland, Blackhorse von Jess believes he has andquot;a fair shotandquot; to become a member of the U.S. Under-23 World Championship team.

andquot;You have to be the kind of person who enjoys working hard a lot,andquot; said Blackhorse von Jess. andquot;Not necessarily enduring physical pain, but you have to enjoy working out two and a half hours every day.andquot;

With the national cross country skiing competition coming up in January in Houghton, Mich., Knowles is testing the campers’ progress in sprinting, as well as vertical and horizontal jumping. The tests provide coaches with a benchmark for comparison and andquot;inspire the kids to improve for their next test,andquot; she said.

andquot;I like the training because I am advancing and getting one step closer to beating the kids who aren’t training,andquot; said Willie Devin, 15, from Methow Valley, Wash.

The athletes pay no attention to the steady rain as they bound up the steep gravel hill near Rock Creek.

andquot;Rain or shine, they are out working,andquot; Knowles said as she watched the technique of the athletes. andquot;They are out in the snow all the time. Weather is no big deal. They have to learn to deal with all weather.andquot;

Though there is no snow around the bounding exercise the technique involves swinging arms forward and planting their poles in the ground forces the campers to use the same muscles and mimic the movements of skiing.

Knowles and George Bryant, a coach from the cross country skiing club in Spokane, expect andquot;100 percent focusandquot; during workouts.

andquot;The camp is more about staying motivated,andquot; Knowles said. andquot;They are well versed on technique and have a good level of fitness. It’s more something for them to look forward to. I hope there are things they can always take back and use from camp.andquot;

After a workout, the campers quickly change from serious athletes in training back to teenagers upon their return to the rented house on Rock Creek Town Road.

Inside the house, one of the training groups prepares a lasagna dinner with salad and bread, a meal that makes up a small portion of the $1,000 spent on food for the week.

Tired from a long day of training, many of the girls lounge in the living room on couches and sleeping bags.

The boys quarters, 100 feet away past the neatly organized ski equipment, is a much different scene more reminiscent of the movie Animal House.

Old school rap music gives way to the Rolling Stones singing andquot;Satisfactionandquot; as many of the boys make up there own lyrics and dance along inside a trailer home.

The trailer, with clothes, luggage, and sleeping bags jumbled on the floor, shakes with the opening and closing of the door and the boys joke about the potential for collapse.

Time at the house is spent napping, reading, and watching Spanish soap operas and Dr. Phil, which this day features two sisters arguing over money owed for rental payments.

While drama and fights are an everyday occurrence on daytime television, the atmosphere shared by the campers is a bit more relaxed.

andquot;We are one big family,andquot; said Kaley Bjornsen, 18, from Methow Valley, Wash. andquot;Having this group of people together, we energize each other to do a sport we all love.andquot;

Before dinner begins, Knowles mentions the possibility of the time trial and jump into Anthony Lake tomorrow, much to the shock of some wide-eyed campers.

andquot;They may not admit it, but they enjoy the time trials,andquot; Knowles said. andquot;They like to compete.andquot;

How else could you explain training to ski in the summer time?