Winter in New England came in fast this year, and that had New Englanders ready to go fast too!
Save for a very windy and warm Friday we’ve all erased from our memories, the first NENSA Community Races of the season have had an extra glow this season, as a community full of people who’s hearts flitter at winter have gotten to beat fast and full.
Two full Opener weekends at the Quarry Road Opener, and the Rikert Rodrigues Sprint/Kendall Memorial Classic weekend, plus the Cheri Walsh Memorial Fischer Eastern Cup, made this December a fun one to remember, as NENSA’s community gathered around the season we love best!
The start to the season also marked the annual time when more of our community is racing together in one place – with upper level BKLers and the NENSA Masters Community starting alongside the EISA and USCSA College skiers prepping for their season, and junior ski clubs.
As much as we can proselytize about a ski community for all ages through KickZone and in articles like this one right here all year, the lived joy of a community in community out in the winter is best experienced through the little moments on a race day together. Junior skiers cheering on their parents, groups of Masters going out for a ski after the race just because, and a wax trailer door that will keep coaches on their toes not knowing exactly who is wandering in.
All of it amounts to a ski community headed headlong into the heart of winter better, together.
Zak and Club Cup Update
If you’re looking to pull those ephemeral feelings of community a little closer to the snow, NENSA (and SISU Timing) have numbers for you! Specifically, the Zak Cup and Club Cup rankings have been updated for all the races in NENSA’s make-shift “Period I.”
A reminder that these rankings score active NENSA Members (Zak) and active NENSA Clubs (Club Cup). Renew your membership HERE. A guide to the new scoring system is available in our season Primer HERE.
Rankings are processed by NENSA Board Member Chris Naimie in partnership with the Staff, and are being updated weekly following each weekend’s Zak and Club Cup races. Unofficial results are posted by Tuesday, with a protest period until 12pm on Thursday, at which point, the rankings become finalized.
Club Cup Update
Top 3:
1st) Ford Sayre
2nd) Middlebury College Ski Team
3rd) Mansfield Nordic Club
Led by a large, competitive junior cohort and augmented by a base of Masters, the Upper Valley has the upper hand after a month of racing, with Ford Sayre in 1st place. Meanwhile, the strong participation at this year’s opener races from the EISA College circuit meant a strong presence in the early season Club Cup standings, with the Middlebury College Ski Team leading the pack after strong showings at their home Rikert Opener races, and a 1-2 punch atop the Eastern Cup Classic podiums with Shea Brams and Quincy Massey-Bierman.
Mansfield Nordic Club, in 3rd place, is in a strong position to challenge Ford Sayre’s lead going into the start of community racing in earnest as the calendar flips to January. The reason? Masters. The northern Vermont-based club had a presence from all ages, but is particularly well-placed to score points as junior and senior skiers split to their circuits this month. That will likely be the story for a number of clubs as well, with the Craftsbury Ski Club (6th), Holderness Nordic (10th), and Nonstop Nordic (11th) and others all poised to see their Masters contingents contribute to Club Cup totals at Community races across the region.
Zak Cup Update
Overall Women:
1st) Mica Bodkins (Middlebury), 2nd) Shea Brams (Middlebury), and 3rd) Kristen Helland (UVM)
Overall Men:
1st) Fin Bailey (UVM), 2nd) Sage Grossi (Craftsbury Ski Club/Bates), and 3rd) Luke Rizio (UVM)
December is the month where the Seniors shine in Zak Cup competition. Robust collegiate participation in the Rikert Openers and first Fischer Eastern Cup helped Middlebury’s Mica Bodkins and UVM’s Fin Bailey gain the Overall lead with two wins apiece to their names in the month of December.
While college racers start to turn their attention to other rankings lists, the Masters are poised to begin their ascent of the Zak Cup rankings, starting at the Bogburn Classic and Gunstock Freestyle this weekend.
Notable age group battles include a pitched, crowded field in the Mens M4 Age Group, where Damian Bolduc (Northwest Vermont Endurance, NWVE) leads Justin Freeman (Holderness Nordic) and Evgeny Ivanov (EMXC), while Eli Enman (NWVE) hangs just off the top three. Likewise, in the Womens M4 Cipperly Good (NWVE) and Jessie Donovan (Frost Mountain) remain tied with a win apiece to their names.
The highest point total battle though, goes to the Mens M2 field, where Ace Serriani and Owen Lenz (Mansfield Nordic Club), both share a 1st and 2nd place apiece total.
With the full calendar of community racing ahead, the Zak Cup action begins again this weekend with the Bogburn Classic and Gunstock Freestyle. Head to the NENSA Calendar for registration and more info!
What’s This All Mean?
As NENSA has been re-vamping our rankings for the season, we’ve received a number of inquiries on the mechanics of our Community Race Series. So, a quick brush up on the basics of the constructs that skiers are competing in this season:
- Zak Cup – Tracks Individual performance for Senior (20-29 year old) and Masters (30-100+ year old) skiers across community races, both against the entirety of the community, and within 5 year age groups.
- Club Cup – Tracks club performance for NENSA Clubs by aggregating Junior (14+ year old), Senior, and Masters performances at Community and select Eastern Cup races.
- Marathon Series – Tracks Marathon participation across races of 25k or more. Marathon Challengers complete 3 or more Marathons in a season. The first NENSA Marathon Series race is upcoming at the White Mountain Classic in Jackson, NH!
Active NENSA Membership makes skiers and clubs eligible for scoring.
Awards for the Zak, Club, and Marathon Series will occur in conjunction with the NENSA Club Relay Championships at Craftsbury Outdoor Center on Sat. March 28th. More details forthcoming.
Sights from a Full Month of Racing
