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NENSA Announces December Club Challenge

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While we don’t know what the beginning of this season is going to look like NENSA is working hard to try and keep our population enthused, excited to ski, and provide some incentives for your clubs to work together as a team!  We’ll be unrolling our Popular race schedule next week – which will include Virtual Events so people can participate in BKL, Club and Zak Cup racing regardless of where they live.  Our Club Cup rankings have taken on new meaning this season with the gracious support of Marty and Kathy Hall – with a carrot of $5000 going to the top ranked club at the end of the year, $3000 to the second place club and $1000 to the 3rd place club/school.  This ranking will be based on rollerski races we hosted, Eastern and Vermont Cup races, and the Popular Race calendar (which will include Virtual events).

To kick us off and get teams together we created the December Club KM Challenge – it’s designed to be simple and driven by the leaders and coaches of our awesome NENSA clubs.

Current Club Cup Champions. Mansfield Nordic poses at Sleepy Hollow, Vermont.

December Club KM Challenge  #DCKC

Join NENSA clubs of all walks for an inclusive kilometer logging challenge.

Club points will be awarded to 2021 Club Cup rankings – A Hall Mark of Excellence Award.

The team with the most kilometers skied (or rollerskied) will net 300 points, 2nd – 200, 3rd – 100, 95, 90, 85…

REGISTER HERE

NWVE winning the 2018 Club Cup Championships. Craftsbury, Vermont.

The goals of the Challenge are to:
– Bring some certainty to the beginning of the season.
– Unite teams and clubs that might be physically separated during this period.
– Log some of your first kilometers of the year.
– Get clubs psyched to ski and boost club participation.

CSU Juniors at a training with special guests Jessie Diggins, Sophie Caldwell, Julia Kern, Ben Saxton and Simi Hamilton.

How it will work:
– NENSA coaches or club leaders register their team / club on SkiReg
– Challenge runs from December 1 to midnight December 31
– Clubs are encouraged to report kilometers weekly:  add photos / videos and share notable moments – impressive skis, beautiful scenery.
– No cost for NENSA clubs.

St. Lawrence Ski Team at the 2019 Climb to the Castle. Whiteface, New York.

What do you get:
– Winning club will get #25in20 branded Skida headbands (until our supply runs out)
– Clubs score points toward the yearlong A Hall Mark of Excellence Award  of  $5000 1st place, $3000 2nd place and $1000 for the 3rd place club/school.
– Get stoked and fit for the 2021 Season
– Add your club’s kilometers to our season long goal of logging 250,000 K as a community!!

BKL’ers with folk hero’s Ida Sargent and Bill Koch.  Great Glen Trails. Gorham, New Hampshire.

49 Pineland Drive, New Gloucester, Maine 04260 | (207)688-6503 | Fax: (207) 688-6505

Swix and LL Bean NENSA Sponsors

One Full Month of Racing: Zak & Club Cup Community Series Update

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The Mens Masters Podium at the Kendall Memorial Classic at Rikert Outdoor Center (Photo: Courtesy Image/Ben Theyerl)

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

The 12th Annual Quarry Road Opener (Photo: Steve Fuller/Flyingpointroad.com)

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.”

Rankings Page HERE

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

Ford Sayre’s Ollie Hanna at the Rodrigues Sprints (Photo: Courtesy Image/Ben Theyerl)

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)

Fin Bailey and Sage Grossi go head-to-head at the Cheri Walsh Memorial Sprint Eastern Cup (Photo: Daryn Slover)

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

Speaker Series – The Beaver Dam Model of Club Development with Isabel Caldwell

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When: Wednesday, December 17th, 2025 from 7:30-8:30pm
Where: Zoom
Title: The Beaver Dam Model of Club Development
Cost: Free for NENSA members (purchase or renew membership here)
Registration: Register HERE

Description: Isabel will present on how to build the foundations of a successful club that can serve all community members. The presentation will encourage people to play to their strengths and work with co-leaders whose strengths complement their own. Isabel will then delve into volunteer recruitment and how to make your volunteers feel useful and valued. And because her favorite animal is the American Beaver the presentation will be in the model of a beaver meadow!

Speaker Bio: Isabel’s roots run deep in the New England ski community. Through West River BKL and Stratton Mountain School, she developed a love of sport that led her to Dartmouth College, where she studied Earth Science and was a varsity member and captain of the ski team. She went on to earn a Masters degree in Teaching at UVM and has since taught math and science at the middle and high school levels, most recently at Sugar Bowl Academy in Norden, CA. Throughout her career, Isabel has been committed to the growth and development of young people far beyond the traditional classroom as a ski coach, wilderness trip leader, drama teacher, and dorm parent.

In her coaching roles, Isabel has worked with diverse programs and skiers of all ages and abilities. She has served as Youth Ski Club Director and Head Coach at Frost Mountain Nordic, Head Coach at Burr & Burton Academy, and U8 Coach with the Sugar Bowl Ski Team. Additionally, she has served on the Executive Committee of Far West Nordic, coordinated regional opportunities, and contributed to a strategic planning process.

This offering is part of our virtual educational series which expands opportunities for learning beyond our in-person conferences, symposiums, and clinics.

2024 NENSA Club of the Year: Dublin XC

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Lindsey Masterson, the long-time leader of Dublin XC’s BKL, says that one of the most magical moments of every ski season in Dublin, New Hampshire, is a two part act.

First, the set up: “we start the season with a trail day before the snow comes in,” says Masterson. Then, the payoff: “the adorable moment when we’re out there on skis for the first time, and the kids say things like ‘it looks so different with snow,’ or ‘wait is this the same place we cleaned up!’ Something about the whole experience of trail day transition to snow time is magical.” 

Dublin BKL out for a ski (Photo: Dublin XC)

From the youngest members to their Masters then, the guiding spirit of Dublin XC is true. Down in the hills of southern New Hampshire, there’s a group of skiers that work with wonder and creativity year-round; the set-up, so that the pay-off; winter, is full of those things for us all. With that dedicated spirit, Dublin XC has grown from a couple families to a regional hub for everything from Coaches Symposiums to Eastern Cups and College Carnival racing. They are also all contribute to the reason why NENSA is proud to announce that Dublin XC is 2024 club of the year.

Dublin XC started as the extension of cuts and juts through the woods on Beech Hill surrounding the Dublin School, both literally and figuratively. Literally, there was a long-existing set of old-school trails (in style, and in that they dated back to the Dublin School’s founding in the 1930s. Figuratively too, nordic had already cut tracks. Dublin school had a competitive nordic program in the late 40s through the 60s, coached by Nathaniel “Buddy” Bates. In the late 2000s, Nathaniel’s son Brad Bates became the Head of School, and with a generous grant from Dublin School founder’s son Michael Lehmann, who had been part of those Bates-led Dublin School nordic teams, the pair started dreaming big. The full story of how the result, an FIS-homologated 5 k course, came together was reported on by FasterSkier upon its completion in 2016, and can be found here.

Along with a new course came a new community-oriented Nordic Center, founded in 2014, and a group of long-time nordic skiers coalesced into the beginnings of Dublin XC. Early Dublin XC youth programming started with two pairs of siblings, the Bates (Calvin and Lilly), and the Macys (Aggie and Clint), and quickly blossomed to include a Competitive Team with a full BKL club in tow.

Aggie Macy and Lilly Bates out racing for Dublin XC (Photo: Courtesy Image/Brad Bates)

Through the club’s growth, a steady presence of leadership has been provided by Coach Kathy Maddock, who set out with a vision to tap into the existing energy around competitive nordic skiing that already existed in Southern New Hampshire, and in turn, “hoped not only raise the level of competitive skiing in the Monadnock area, but in New Hampshire as a whole.”

For Maddock, that included fostering an excellent culture within Dublin XC, but also looking for the opportunity for the club to become the key ambassador for competitive skiing in the region. She developed the popular Dublin XC Summer Camp, looking for opportunities to host New Hampshire high school races and Eastern Cups. The growing snowmaking capabilities matched a base of volunteers that was eager to continue the trend they saw every December, when the large groups of skiers from nearby high school teams like Keene, and farther-flung like Eastern Mass XC, chose to make Dublin their first stop for snow. All of the steps taken to make Dublin a community hub for skiers from across the region has culminated in some special moments. In particular, Maddock indicated that she was proud of how New Hampshire became team champions at the 2023-24 NENSA Eastern High School Championships “not only because many of the racers were DXC skiers, but also because other New Hampshire skiers had been to DXC camps, or used the Dublin Nordic Center as their training grounds, and several of the coaches had coached at our camps, and gone to coaches clinics at Dublin.”

Last year’s Dublin Dryland camp (Photo: Dublin XC)

Throughout the process of nominating for Club of the Year, Brad Bates has expressed that “it felt weird nominating our own club.” That Dublin XC seemed a little too new, and a little too small. Ultimately, NENSA is proud to recognize Dublin XC because they are a testament to how strident energy and passion overcome metrics like time and size. Lindsey Masterson wrote that these days in Dublin, “when you stand in the stadium area after the BKL skiers leave the stadium and look up the trails all you see are little ones skiing behind the coaches like little ducklings, falling, and laughing, it echoes through the woods.” A ski program that’s grown from four to seventy skiers means that the chorus of laughs is louder these days, and it’s that scene, more skiers, enjoying more skiing, that is ultimately the lasting impression. 

When you are on the long climb up Beech Hill towards Dublin Nordic Center, and catch a first glimpse of the sweeping trails, you can’t but feel it is the kind of place in New England that was just meant to have a ski trail. Thanks to the hard-work of those at Dublin XC, New England is getting to have that quintessential experience more often than ever before.

Quarry Road Ski Club & Quarry Road Trails to host 2025 Bill Koch Festival

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The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is excited to announce that the 2025 New England Bill Koch League (BKL) Festival will be hosted at the Quarry Road Trails in Waterville, ME with the Quarry Road Ski Club on March 1-2, 2025. The BKL Festival is the marquee event of the Bill Koch Youth Ski League whose mission is to introduce young people to the lifelong sport of cross-country skiing, and the many associated health, fitness, and social benefits, in a fun, inclusive, and safe environment.

Once a year children, families, coaches, and caregivers from ski clubs from all over New England and New York come together at the annual Festival for a weekend of fun on cross country skis featuring racing as well as a wide range of winter activities for skiers of all ability levels from kindergarten up to 8th grade. For 2025, NENSA is thrilled to be working with the Quarry Road Trails and the Quarry Road Ski Club on this fun and inclusive event featuring relay and individual races by age group, as well as an engaging, fun, and educational mix of non-racing activities that all can enjoy. Quarry Road Ski Club “aims to provide accessible and fun ski programming for all ages and ability levels”. They have achieved this in their local community and beyond by hosting BKL events including Maine’s 2021 BKL Mini-Fest and the NEBKL Festival in 2022. We look forward to returning to Quarry Road for the festival and can’t wait to experience all the “Wicked Winter Weather” themed activites for all festival-goers!

All Festival information will be posted on our website HERE and lodging information can be found HERE. You can also sign up for our Trail Tales newsletter HERE to get updates delivered directly to your inbox. Registration will open in mid-December. General questions about the Festival can be directed to mackenzie@nensa.net. 

Thank you to our valued NENSA Partners