The New England Nordic Ski Association is excited to produce an Eastern Coaches Conference with the main goal of bringing our community together in anticipation of the 2024 winter. This years Conference will take place at the Dublin School in Dublin, New Hampshire on September 30th. #SkiingBetterTogether
This ongoing educational experience is open to all. NENSA membership provides registration for the conference (including 2 meals, presentations, a film debut, and Nordic Team Solutions coach membership raffle) and a significant subsidy for the clinics, reducing the overall cost of attendance. Whether you are new to coaching or a veteran we hope you will join us. Please fill out this application if you are in need of a scholarship, as we don’t want cost to be a barrier for attendance.
If you are seeking U.S. Ski & Snowboard certification please see details below how to register and begin completing your online curriculum. All participants will be listed on the NENSA Coaches Resource page to highlight ongoing education and leadership.
We are so fortunate for the support of the Dublin School, providing this venue (and wonderful food) as a way for NENSA to show appreciation for our members, help strengthen coaching knowledge and the stoke for cross country skiing in the East.
Throughout a jam packed day: there are options for technique clinics, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Certification, BKL Leader Training, expert insights, a forum and question period from an expert panel, and an artistic movie following a community dinner.
Kathy Maddock of Dublin XC will lead the introductory technique clinic, which is combined with coaches performing their in-person practicum for USSS L100 certification. Bryan Fish, USST, will lead the advanced clinic and lead L200 candidates through discussion and in-person practicums. In the afternoon, join Mackenzie Rizio, NENSA, for Bill Koch Youth Ski League Coach Education! This workshop is intended for club leaders, parent/caregivers, volunteers, and youth ski coaches from all across the Northeast. Entry in any of these clinic includes lunch at the Dublin School.
Please note if you are trying to achieve USSS certifications you must complete coursework (follow above links) prior to attending the clinic.
Throughout the day Drew Gelinas – the new Nordic Product Manager from Swix will be on hand.
At 4:30pm, Zach Caldwell, NENSA’s first Program Director and owner of Caldwell Sport, will present on ski selection for juniors, and fleet management through growth and development.
At 5:00pm we will have a Forum Discussion with Caldwell, Fish, Gelinas, Kathy Maddock of DublinXC and Sam Benzing – The Paul J. Finnegan Family Head Coach for Men’s & Women’s Nordic Skiing Harvard University. Participants are encouraged to provide and bring questions – topics that will be discussed include: the potential of further wax protocols in the future, optimizing training for a High School team, engaging your team and motivating them to train in the off- season, and how all levels of development share common themes.
At 7:00pm we welcome the community to share a pre-debut of Alaskan native, now Ford Sayre skier, Art Copoulos’ movie, “Why We Ski.”
Tentative Detailed Schedule:
| Saturday, September 30th | |||
| BKL | L100 | L200 | |
| 9:00 AM | Introductions, Welcome and Course Overview | ||
| 9:30 AM | Arrive, get equipment ready | Engaged Portfolio Questions | |
| 10:00 AM | Classic Technique Work | Engaged Portfolio Questions | |
| 10:30 AM | Classic Technique Work | Gear up for skiing | |
| 11:00 AM | Drew Gelinas – Swix Sport | Skate Technique Work | |
| 11:30 AM | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
| 12:15 PM | Drew Gelinas – Swix Sport | Skate Technique Work | Drew Gelinas – Swix Sport |
| 1:00 PM | Classroom Time, Presentation | Skate Technique Work | Agility |
| 2:00 PM | Grass Skiing/ Dryland Section | Clinic Wrap-up | Small Group Assessments |
| 2:30 PM | Portfolio Discussion | The “Games Approach” for Classic Skis | |
| 3:30 PM | Wrap up | ||
| 4:30 PM | Zach Caldwell – Ski selection for juniors, and fleet management through growth and development | ||
| 5:00 PM | Forum | Forum | Forum |
| 6:15 PM | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner |
| 7:00 PM | Film Debut – Why We Ski – Art Copoulos / Continued Forum Discussion | ||
