Custom Elite Camp

ColdRush CUSTOM ELITE CAMP
Ashburn Ice House, Ashburn, Virginia
July 14-18, 2025

*CHALLENGING *PROVEN* INNOVATIVE *

*LEGENDARY*

 

 

“CUSTOM”– Each day is exclusively focused on a single skill (see below).  The majority of skaters choose to skate all 5 days, but players have the option of customizing their experience by signing up only for the day(s) that are dedicated to the skills they want to improve most.

“ELITE”– Custom Elite camp is an ELEVATED hockey camp experience exclusively for self-motivated travel payers who aspire to play college/pro hockey. Indeed many of our previous campers have gone on to do exactly that! Custom Elite is lead by by NHL level coaches and supported by a team of instructors that have Professional, NCAA, and/or Major Junior playing experience. Our drills are advanced, innovative, relevant, and specifically designed to challenge even the most skilled players.

EXPLODE / REVERSE / REACT / DEFEND / ATTACK

Each day is fully dedicated to a single vital skill.
You can choose to skate any or all of the days!

 

MONDAY: EXPLODE
Short burst forward speed

TUESDAY:REVERSE
Backward skating immersion

WEDNESDAY: REACT
Quick reactions in all directions with & without the puck

THURSDAY: DEFEND
Defensive skills for both forwards and defensemen

FRIDAY: ATTACK
Shoot, pass, & score!

UNPARALLELED INSTRUCTION

 

HEAD SKATING COACH– Wendy Marco

Wendy Marco is widely regarded as one of top skating coaches in the sport of ice hockey. In addition to running ColdRush, Wendy is also the skating coach for the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the AHL’s Hershey Bears. During her 30 year career she has taught thousands of skaters and watched as her students have worked their way up to Major Junior, NCAA, NTDP (Team USA), Minor North American and European Professional leagues, the NHL, and even the Olympics. Wendy has celebrated the success of her students as they’ve won National Championships, the NCAA Frozen Four, World Juniors,  the Calder Cup, Olympic Gold, and even the Stanley Cup! She has also had multiple former students return to her when they were ready to transition from player to coach. In fact, the DC area is loaded with youth team and private lesson skills coaches that are former students of Wendy’s. Two of her former skating students that got their coaching start as ColdRush instructors are now NHL coaches!
Wendy developed the ColdRush Custom Elite Camp in 2010 exclusively for the DC area’s youth travel players and Ashburn, Virginia remains the only place on earth where players can participate in this truly legendary camp!

 

HEAD SKILLS COACH– Ryan Leibold

Ryan Leibold is a professional player, currently with the ECHL’s Reading Royals. He participated in the 2023 Washington Capitals Development Camp as a player and in the 2022 and 2024, as an assistant skating coach. Prior to his professional career, Ryan played NCAA Div. 1 hockey on two teams; College of the Holy Cross, where he was captain and team MVP, and Merrimack, where he earned a trip to the NCAA D1 playoffs.  Ryan graduated with a bachelors degree in economics from The Holy Cross and a Masters degree in  Sport Science with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning from Merrimack. Ryan is an Ashburn native that grew up playing for the Ashburn Xtreme, Washington Little Capitals, and Stone Bridge HS before heading off to play junior hockey for the Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL) & Sioux City Musketeers (USHL). Ryan has been a ColdRush student since 2007 and  began working as a ColdRush instructor in 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

INSTRUCTORS & COUNSELORS

Our support instruction staff is comprised of current Professional/NCAA/Major Junior players that grew up right here in the DMV and are long time Wendy Marco students. They are specifically chosen by Wendy based on four things; exceptional skating, elite hockey accomplishments, stellar character, and the ability to teach and inspire the next generation of players. The opportunity to get to know and work with extraordinary players on the cusp of their professional careers, players that once played on the same teams the campers play for now, is an especially motivating experience for our young athletes. We’ve heard from many parents that this is inspirational rocket fuel for our Custom Elite campers!

 

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL GUEST COACHES:

Frequently Professional Players show up and share their knowledge and passion with our Custom Elite Camp participants. Previous guest coaches include the Washington Capital’s Joe Snively, Buffalo Sabres Skating Coach, Mike Ansell, Tampa Bay Lightning’s assistant coach, Jeff Halpern, and the Hershey Bear’s Alex Limoges. Stay tuned for 2025 guest coach announcements!

 

 

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

This is one of the secrets to the success of Custom Elite Camp!

Most hockey camps attempt to throw all things hockey into one week, typically spending just a couple minutes on each skill.  These kinds of camps can be motivating, but it is next to impossible to create lasting change. Custom Elite is different. In Custom Elite Camp each day is completely dedicated to one single aspect of the game. Every bit of instruction, on-ice drill, and off-ice exercise is focused exclusively on the SKILL OF THE DAY.

This highly focused approach provides a deep intellectual understanding of the skill, clear steps to conquer the new techniques, and a variety of drills that players can practice to gain proficiency when camp is over. Then the icing on top is the afternoon “blast” session where the skaters get the chance to go hard and compete using the skills they learned at camp that day.
This immersive experience works, and it is one of the reasons that year, after year, Custom Elite Camp sells out in a matter of seconds!

 

DAILY DEEP STRETCH

Custom Elite ends each day with a deep stretch and a Q&A Skill of the Day review session to send our athletes home prepared to rest, reflect, and return the next day ready to soak up more!

 

 

 

 

 

DAILY SCHEDULE

 

 

PROGRAM DETAILS

FOR:
Self-motivated travel players that are striving toward a future in college/professional hockey. The vast majority of Custom Elite campers are AAA/AA players. A minimum of one full year of regular season travel hockey experience prior to the start of camp is required to participate. Custom Elite is exclusively designed for the young athletes that are dragging their parents to the rink because they simply can’t get enough hockey!

 

QUALIFIED PLAYERS:
2011 & 2012 AAA, AA, Travel
2013 & 2014 AAA, AA, Travel
2015  AAA, AA, Travel

MIGHT BE QUALIFIED BUT MUST GET PERMISSION BEFORE REGISTERING:
AAA/AA/Travel Goalies that want to skate out as a player
Girls AA/Travel

NOT QUALIFIED:
Select or house players
Middle School/high school team
Spring travel team without regular season travel team experience
Skaters whose first regular travel season will be Fall ’25
Players born in 2010 or earlier
Players born in 2016 or later
Players of any age/level that are unable to tie their own skates without assistance.

WHEN:
July 14-18, 2025 
11:30am-6pm (Times are approximate. Exact times depend on group placement.)

WHERE:
Ashburn Ice House, Ashburn, VA

COST:
Any 1 day $200
Any 2 days $365
Any 3 days $495
Any 4 days, $600
THE FULL EXPERIENCE, $650

REGISTRATION

***PLEASE READ BEFORE REGISTERING!***

We can not state clearly enough that Custom Elite is NOT daycare!
It is an elite training experience for young, dedicated hockey players

EXPECTATIONS:

ALL SKATERS MUST BE SELF MOTIVATED
Custom Elite skaters are expected to behave, train, communicate, nourish, and hydrate like elite athletes. Our instructors COACH, they do not babysit. It was designed for highly self-motivated travel players with the desire to play College/Pro hockey in the future. Custom Elite Camp is fun for players that crave hard work. It’s a miserable experience for players that don’t. If this is what YOU want for your skater, rather than what your skater wants, do not register.

PHONES ARE NOT PERMITTED
If players need their phones for before or after camp, they can check them in each day to the camp leader and will get them back when camp is over.

SMARTWATCHES ARE NOT PERMITTED
This rule is in place to keep our skaters’ focus on the the things they are learning and the friendships they are making at Custom Elite camp.

PLAYERS TIE THEIR OWN SKATES & PACK AND CARRY THEIR OWN BAGS
ALL Custom Elite skaters must tie their own skates and be fully responsible for their own equipment. If a skater isn’t ready for these responsibilities, they are not ready for Custom Elite Camp.

ALL FOOD AND BEVERAGES THE CAMPERS BRING WITH THEM MUST BE HEALTHY FUEL.
UNHEALTHY FOOD AND DRINKS ARE NOT ALLOWED AT CUSTOM ELITE CAMP.
Our aim is to help our young players embrace the full experience of being an elite athlete, and that includes respecting their bodies. We will talk to them about the snacks they have selected and how those foods and drinks will help or hurt their athletic performance.

EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, PARENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO INTERACT WITH THEIR KIDS DURING CAMP HOURS. (NO PARENTS IN THE LOCKER ROOMS!)
A major theme of Custom Elite Camp is giving these young athletes full ownership of their sport. In order for that to work, parents have to let go and let them try. We have a full staff of experienced coaches ready to step in if your kids make a mistake or need help. Well meaning parents that take care of all of the details for their kids, inadvertently deny their kids the opportunity to take ownership. By doing things for them, you send the message that this is something your kids CAN’T do on their own. Mom, Dad… THEY CAN, but if you if you aren’t ready to let them try, if you aren’t ready to accept their possible mistakes as valuable learning experiences, then YOU are not ready to sign your skater up for Custom Elite (even if they are).

RESPECT
Our Custom Elite skaters must respect each other, their coaches, rink employees, their parents, the facility/equipment, and themselves with respect at all times.

 

 

   Here’s how registration works…

1.PRIORITY REGISTRATION: First, our current ColdRush students will receive a direct priority registration link before the camp is released to anyone else. This will occur during the month of March. Current students will receive an email in advance and will know the exact day and time that the priority registration will open.

2. PRIVATE REGISTRATION: After our current students have had an opportunity to register, a private registration link will be emailed to skaters that have been on our waitlist for a class this season, siblings of current ColdRush students, and former students that have worked with us during the past year. Qualified skaters will receive advanced notice by email of the exact day and time that the private registration will be open.

3. CONTACT LIST REGISTRATION: After our current students have had an opportunity to register, a private registration link will be emailed to those people who have signed up on our “Become a Student” contact list. Qualified skaters will receive advanced notice by email of the exact day and time that the private registration will be open.

4. OPEN REGISTRATION: In recent years Custom Elite has completely sold out less than a minute after private registration has opened, however, if any spots remain, the registration link will be posted on this page after the Priorty, Private, and Contact List Registration period has ended.

*Pro Tip:  If you’d like to increase your chances of getting into Custom Elite Camp and your skater is not a current student, make sure you sign up on our “Become a Student” list and follow us on instagram (@ColdRushHockey) for updates. Also, if you try to register and there are no spots left, choose the waitlist option! We keep an active waitlist and cancellations happen every year. 

REGISTRATION DATES:

March 17 at exactly 10am: PRIORITY REGISTRATION
March 19 exactly 10am: PRIVATE REGISTRATION
March 21 10am: CONTACT LIST REGISTRATION
March 24: OPEN REGISTRATION