Well… what a few weeks it’s been – despite the best intentions and planning for an awesome celebration of the lifeblood of New England skiing – we are forced to make a socially responsible announcement of our Zak and Club rankings right here at nensa.net. Popular ski racing in New England is experiencing a resurgence for the second year in a row – with incredible people, clubs and venues upping their game – we head boldly into the future with a community of leaders of strength, intelligence and grit!! Today we are highlighting our champions on the track – a diverse bunch – some who approach ski racing with a calculated precision, others who embrace perseverance as a critical tactic, and the true competitors who seamlessly rise to the top… stay tuned as we continue to digest the season in the coming weeks!
From the top — Mansfield Nordic entered 2020 with unparalleled organization — and talent across all age groups to back it up. The Mansfield Nordic Club’s stated mission is to help athletes of all ages and abilities improve their Nordic skiing and pursue skiing excellence at the local, national, and international levels. We are happy to announce MNC as the 2020 Club Cup Champions, despite the best efforts of the perennial club NWVE.
| Place | NENSA Club/Team | Points | # of Racers |
| 1 | Mansfield Nordic | 1559 | 199 |
| 2 | NWVE | 1495 | 181 |
| 3 | CSU | 1240 | 165 |
The race for overall champions of Zak Cup racing became more competitive this year with a resurgence of competitors and the addition of a Senior Class (23-29) in the rankings.
For the women, Sarah Graves (M2) of Stowe Nordic, stormed back to regain her 2017 title as the fastest adult cross country skier in New England. She used her talent, tenacity and will to outperform notable competitors, Joanne Hanowski (M7) of Mansfield Nordic, who was undefeated in her age group this winter and senior skier, Emily Stitt, who appears to be hitting her stride by perfectly balancing medical school and outdoor pursuits.
On the men’s side, Chris Burnham, skiing for NWVE, set out on a pace for the 2020 season that proves that age does matter. Chris, a senior skier, originally hailing from the Cambridge Sports Union, like Stitt, acknowledges that he might be skiing faster than he ever did in his junior career. Burnham, with his rigorous, “skiing for pleasure training motto,” was able to distance last years Zak Cup champion (and mentor?) Eli Enman, and standout coach / athlete, Adam Terko of MNC, to take the 2020 title.
In this time of uncertainty we couldn’t be more proud of the community of cross country ski racers in New England – and we hope you will find distraction and comfort in reviewing the strength of character and depth of talent in the ranking pages at nensa.net.
You can look forward to continued celebration of our athletes and NENSA’s updated programming in the coming weeks.
A special thanks to all of our competitors, clubs, venues and officials for a fantastic season of citizen racing in New England!