NENSA News

Snow is falling, excitement is growing and the winter season is getting underway! Skiing events are beginning to happen as well. Coming up this weekend we have the Rodrigues Sprints and Kendall Memorial races at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. These are a great opportunity to freshen up the skiing legs in preparation for the racing season ahead. Both are freestyle events and will be scored on the NENSA Zak and Club rankings.

Rodrigues Sprints

The event offers a traditional interval start qualifying round, followed by royal court heats – where everyone gets to ski all three of the rounds – no elimination, just reshuffling until you are matched with competitors of very similar ability.

Kendall Memorial

Taking place on Sunday, this is low key mass start action, with fun group skiing for U16s and up. 5km for U16s, 10km for everyone else. Bring your friends and have a great time!

This weekend marks the beginning of Popular Racing for the 2024 ski season with the Quarry Road Opener in Waterville, Maine. Natural snow and increasing snowmaking capabilities across the region have set the stage for a wonderful winter! NENSA is so fortunate to be working with excellent venues and partner clubs across New England, allowing for a robust 2023-2024 NENSA Popular Race Series. There are 22 Highlighted Popular Events on our schedule, which includes 21 individual Zak Cup competitions and nine more Club competitions (you can find on our Events Calendar). Within the Series there are nine marathons! All 31 events (and the eight Eastern Cup races) will be scored to season-long Club Cup standings. 

Popular races are intended to be inclusive events for all skiers, with options for those just exploring the sport to veteran competitors.  NENSA works with event organizers to make your experience the best it can be, from registration and promotion, to course prep, results and awards.  Local clubs and venues rally to create their own festive touches that make awesome community gatherings — including music, food and robust award ceremonies.

The community produced the #skiingbettertogether this summer — please use this hashtag and mention NENSA in your personal media so we can share our journeys this winter!

NENSA continues to automate scoring of both Zak and Club Cup.  Throughout the winter NENSA members will receive discounted entry at many of the events.  We hope individuals will consider renewing memberships early and that clubs will check in ([email protected]) and make sure their NENSA Club Membership is current.  Both of these steps insure that event timers and NENSA staff will have the best data possible, which allows us to provide the best product.

Zak Cup scoring is a way for senior and master skiers to have friendly rivalries across the race series, with both age group and overall classification.  At the end of the season, the top three competitors of each age group will receive a coveted NENSA mug.  In the winter of 2021 the scope of Club Cup scoring was expanded to include not only Popular Races, but also the four Eastern Cup weekends in an effort to reflect the broadest club participation across all competitive events.  The structure for Club Cup scoring has a points base of 60 points for a win for any given category, then decreasing by 1 point per place.  Up to three skiers per category score points for their club.

All races will score the following age groups:
U16 ages 14-15, U18 ages 16-17, U20 ages 18-19
SR ages 20-29, M1 ages 30-34, M2 ages 35-39, M3 ages 40-44
M4 ages 45-49, M5 ages 50-54, M6 ages 55-59, M7 ages 60-64
M8 ages 65-69, M9 ages 70-74, M10 ages 75-79, M11 ages 80-84
M12 ages 85-89, M13 ages 90-94, M14 ages 95-99, M15 ages 100+

We also track participation across the Marathon Races with a Challenge for skiers to complete three or more of these events.  Last years 40 marathon skiers will be receiving a co-branded NENSA / LL Bean hat in the mail in the coming week.  2024 Marathon Challengers will receive a Skida Hat! We are excited to to have a range of “marathon” distances, some that are 20+ km all the way up to 50km, with a balance of both classic and freestyle.

Whether you are a seasoned veteran, a recreational skier or a junior looking for a local race there really is something for everyone on the calendar.  We look forward to a long winter, and the return of the Club Relay Championships & End-of-Season Celebration during the NENSA Spring Series at Craftsbury on March 23rd and 24th.  NENSA will recognize season-long Zak, and Club awards as well as other NENSA Awards at this joyous occasion. NENSA mugs will be awarded to the top-3 in each season-long Zak Age Group for those that are present.

Think snow and reach out to [email protected] with any questions.

NENSA is excited to be offering two versions of XC Ski Bingo for the 2023-24 season! This will be the fourth year of Youth XC Ski Bingo  for anyone UNDER 14 years of age, and the second year of Junior & Adult Bingo  for people 14 and OLDER! The goal of this virtual game is to help inspire people of all ages and skill levels to get outside, enjoy the winter world on skis, engage with others who also like to ski, and explore new places.

Every player who completes Bingo gets a rainbow NENSA sticker and each Bingo line completed gets players a raffle entry. At the end of  every month we will raffle off some fun items from our sponsors!

New this year, NENSA will be honoring the youth Club with the highest level of participation with a special shoutout at the conclusion of the season! Read on for more info and get playing!

Youth XC Ski Bingo

For skiers UNDER 14 years of age! Download and print your own Youth XC Ski Bingo Card HERE and be sure to fill out the BINGO ENTRY FORM when you finish. Activity descriptions included in the Bingo card download.

Rules of the Game:

1. Must be under 14 years of age to play. Game runs from December 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
2. Get “Bingo” by completing the activities and skiing in the states in a full row, column, or diagonal.
3. Mark your Bingo card as you complete squares. Remember to take at least one activity photo or a picture of you where you skied!
4. Fill out the XC Ski Bingo entry form HERE! You’ll include your activity or ski location photo and a picture of your marked Bingo card.
5. Get outside and HAVE FUN!!!
6. Direct any questions to [email protected].

Junior & Adult XC Ski Bingo

For skiers 14 and OLDER! Download and print your own Junior & Adult 2022-23 Bingo Card HERE and be sure to fill out the BINGO ENTRY FORM when you finish. Activity descriptions included in the Bingo card download.

Rules of the Game:

1. Must be 14 years of age or older to play. Game runs from December 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
2. Get “Bingo” by completing the activities and skiing in the states in a full row, column, or diagonal.
3. Mark your Bingo card as you complete squares. Remember to take at least one activity photo or a picture of you where you skied!
4. Fill out the XC Ski Bingo entry form HERE! You’ll include your activity or ski location photo and a picture of your marked Bingo card.
5. Get outside and HAVE FUN!!!
6. Direct any questions to [email protected].

NENSA is pleased to share that our Annual Fall Event Organizer & TD Seminar will be hosted by the Holderness School this weekend (December 2 & 3).  Plymouth, NH is only a few minutes away from campus and should provide plenty of opportunities for housing options.  Click HERE for registration information on this year’s seminar. We have lots of talks/conversations and hands-on activities to help us all become better event organizers and officials!

Venues that are hosting an Eastern Cup, the Bill Koch Festival, U16s or Eastern High School Championships are required to send their Chief of Competition and one other representative (ideally the Race Secretary). Popular Series/Zak Cup/Club Cup hosts are not required to attend, but are strongly encouraged. Coaches are also encouraged to join and learn about the latest changes that impact them and their athletes as well growing relationships with event organizers and TDs.  Each year we strive to add more meaningful subject matter and activities to the seminar.  Topics range from event setup & procedures to rules updates.  Highlights of the seminar include group work activities to build knowledge and better race jury relationships as well as video review of rules infractions from the previous season, and networking opportunities.  

Here is the event agenda for those wanting a little more detail.

Here is the link for event registration (note the registration deadline is Friday 12/1 at 5:00pm):

https://www.skireg.com/nensa-fall-eo-td-seminar

Many of our teams are now on snow and we are about to have our first official race of the season Sunday (Quarry Road Opener) followed closely by the Roy Varney Memorial – Quarry Road Eastern Cup Opener December 16th -17th.

If you are interested in being a part of the New England Junior National staff — hosted in our home region in Lake Placid — March 11th – 16th please read more here!

If you are interested in supporting International Projects please read below.

Call For Coaches: 2024 World Junior & U23 Championships

• PRE CAMP: TOBLACH, ITALY (Jan 24-31)
• World Junior/U23 Ski Championships in PLANICA, SLOVENIA (Feb 1-11)

Apply for ANY positions that you are interested in by December 1, 2023.

The U.S. Ski Team is seeking coaches for our upcoming 2024 World Junior & U23 Championship Team. The team will be led by U.S. Ski Team Development Coach, Greta Anderson. Each position filled will provide valuable experience to individuals, clubs, and our developing ski nation. A goal of our National Team is to include a diverse selection of coaches on our project staffs; experience and a willingness to learn in a fast-paced team environment are paramount. We are seeking ski technicians, medical/PT support, coaches, and a Director of Service.

The desired applicants should be comfortable, clear, and effective in communicating regularly with athletes age 16–23, and be willing to work in roles which may include team meetings, group activities, transporting athletes, orchestrating training sessions, mentoring athletes, and working in cooperation with other staff members. All applicants must be current licensed U.S. Ski & Snowboard coaches with a minimum Level 100 coach’s certification. Attendance at prior U.S. Ski Team Development projects, i.e., local REG camps, is strongly encouraged. 

Applicants should send a brief résumé, along with the specific projects they are interested in and available for, to Greta Anderson, greta.anderson (at) usskiandsnowboard.org, by or before December 1, 2023. If you have questions related to specific development projects, you may call Greta at +1 907-244-7389. 

We will have positions staffed at a later date for our U18 Scando Trip & OPA Finals (Prémanon, France). Contact Greta if you are interested in staffing the U18 Scando Trip. 

EVENT WEBSITE: https://www.planica.si/skoki/msp

FIS RACES INDEX: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?sectorcode=CC&eventid=53968&seasoncode=2024