• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
New England Nordic Ski Association

New England Nordic Ski Association

The Home of Cross Country Skiing in New England

  • About
        • About NENSA
        • NENSA Club Directory
        • Board of Directors
        • Awards
        • Staff
        • Committees
        • Contact Us
  • Membership
        • Join or Renew
        • Clubs & Teams
        • Member Benefits
  • Support Us
        • Donate
        • Donor Recognition
        • Become a Member
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Sponsorship
        • NENSA Hats for Purchase
        • Follow Us
          • Instagram
          • Facebook
          • YouTube
  • Programs
        • Youth
          • BKL
          • Nordic Rocks
          • Youth Resources
        • Adult
          • Women’s XC Ski Day
          • Popular Racing
          • Marathon Series
          • More
        • Competitive
          • Popular Racing
          • Marathon Series
          • Eastern Cup Series
          • Rollerski
          • More
  • Events & Results
        • Calendar
        • Season Poster
        • Results
        • Rankings
        • Championship Events
          • BKL Festival
          • Eastern U16 Championships
          • Eastern High School Championships
          • New England Junior National Team
  • Resources
        • News
          • NENSA News
          • Kickzone
          • Instagram
          • Facebook
          • YouTube
          • Ski Community News
        • Youth
        • Coaches
        • Officials
        • Event Organizers
        • Clubs & Teams
        • Insurance
        • Volunteers
        • Job Opportunities
        • Policies
          • NENSA Code of Conduct
          • Event Cancellation Policy
          • NENSA Wax Policy
          • Equality and Diversity Policy
          • BKL/Youth Gender Policy
        • More
  • Search

Search Results for: primer

Eastern Cup Primer

Justin Beckwith · November 24, 2022 ·

NENSA is proud to present the 2022-2023 Eastern Cup Series, a set of eight U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned  competitions.  Each year, venues bid and are elected to host these prestigious events, balancing regional locations and collaboration with collegiate and SuperTour competitions.  We are extremely fortunate in the East to have many robust venues with incredible physical and human infrastructure.  Eastern Cups are open to all U.S. Ski & Snowboard and NENSA members (NENSA 1-Day memberships are available on all registrations.  Athletes under 20 years of age are scored to the Junior Ranking List (JRL), which is the basis for qualification for the New England Junior National Team.

Each year NENSA committees review our competition guidelines — athletes, coaches and parents should be familiar with the Race Rules document.

This year features some major changes, the most notable that all events feature equal distance for male and female competitors.  All NENSA races remain fluoro-free, and testing could occur at any event.

NENSA is also introducing two new TEAM Oriented Competitions this year for all to be involved in! Whether you are a junior racer new to the Eastern Cup, or come from one of the more established clubs in the East there is something for everyone to get on board with:
1) Club Cup – Season Long Club Points Tally
2) Eastern Cup Club Score – For Juniors for each Eastern Cup Competition

We are poised for a successful season, starting in just over three weeks, with many areas already seeing natural snow — and temperatures that have allowed venues to get a strong start snowmaking.  Eastern Cup’s are built to be spectator friendly events, with inspired action and a festival atmosphere — we so look forward to seeing the Eastern skiing community soon!

The first stop on the tour is the Rikert Nordic Grand Prix – Eastern Cup Opener on December 17th & 18th in Ripton, Vermont. The Rikert Outdoor Center is a storied race venue with iconic mountain views and winding wooded trails.  The historic Bread Loaf Inn is available for housing for the first time, offering trailside lodging with meal package options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  You can find out more about these options on the registration page under Merchandise Options — book early as these rooms will likely fill quickly and all reservations must be made by December 6th.

Rikert Nordic Grand Prix Registration Page

On January 14th & 15th, we travel to Black Mountain of Maine for the Chisholm Ski Club Eastern Cup and Bates Carnival in Rumford.  This unique event overlaps with an EISA Carnival this season on Saturday — which will likely be one of the largest and most competitive races in the East this winter.  Registration will open shortly.

After several years of hosting the Opener, the Roy Varney Memorial Quarry Road Eastern Cup will be hosted on February 4th & 5th in Waterville, Maine.  Quarry Road Trails puts on a beautiful event and continually invests in the Quarry Road Recreation Area, which is owned and operated by the City of Waterville Department of Parks & Recreation.  Registration will open shortly.

For the second year we will conclude the Eastern Cup season with the Dublin Double Eastern Cup,
February 18th & 19th in Dublin, New Hampshire.  The Dublin Nordic Center and its undulating trail network provide a fantastic weekend of fast paced racing, with the collaboration of the Dublin School and the Dublin XC Club.  Of note the New England Team is named at the conclusion of the races Sunday. Registration will open shortly.

NENSA also promotes and supports a diverse set of Popular Races.

 

Striding into the Future: Winter Competition Primer 2021 – 2022

Justin Beckwith · December 1, 2021 ·

A skier headed out at Craftsbury. 12/1/2021.

  Only two weeks after Rollerski season, the snow is coming in on command — with the aid of heroic snowmaking efforts by venues across the Eastern region.  This weekend the Popular Races start at the Quarry Road Opener — with races for all ages.  These 24 competitions are designed to bring skiers of diverse ages and abilities together to celebrate skiing.  Two weeks later we return to Quarry Road for the first Eastern Cup of the Season, the Roy Varney Memorial.  The Eastern Cup Series features a balance of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS sanctioned events, and a few additional Popular racing opportunities.

 Popular Calendar
Eastern Cup Calendar

  NENSA would like to highlight that Club Cup Standings will include all Popular and Eastern Cup races for the winter of 2021-2022.  The goal is to bring the entire community together across our competitive programming and provide an overall ranking of Club participation and performance.  Eastern Cups will also be scored as individual events.

Eastern Cup Race Rules
Race Support at US Nationals

Covid Guidelines
(please note vaccination is required for U16, EHSC and JN programs)

 

We look forward to seeing many of you this weekend in Maine, whether you might be a BKL’er in your first race, a junior prepping for the Eastern Cup, or a Master seeking valuable Zak Points.  We are also stoked that Rikert Nordic Center and the Middlebury College Snowbowl are hosting the Grand Prix — a three-day mini tour to put a cap on final events of the NENSA Popular Race calendar with season-end awards and celebration on Sunday.  The event is designed to provide something for every level of skier.

Zak and Club Cub Scoring Rules
Printable Popular Race Poster

  NENSA is excited to partner with Pastimes, the Outdoor App.  Download the App and connect with friends by joining NENSA.  Find all of our events listed and connect with others who you might meet at competitions or just get out skiing together.

  Finally, NENSA is confident for an awesome winter of outdoor activity, yet cognizant that we are conducting events during an ongoing pandemic.  Please read our most recent Covid Guidelines and be safe in your daily lives and travel.

  We look forward to reuniting with skiers from across the East Coast and beyond this winter and spring-boarding the enthusiasm of Rollerski into the Winter.  Ski you out there.

 

2020-21 Eastern Cup and Vermont Cup Primer

Justin Beckwith · November 1, 2020 ·

Eastern Cup & Vermont Cup Primer – 2020-21 Season

Eastern Cup Sprint at Rumford 2020. John Bernard photo.

Resilience, ingenuity and compliance will be the mantras for the winter of 2020-21.  NENSA, alongside venues throughout the East are committed to making the Eastern Cup Series happen by providing safe competitions.  State and institutional guidelines will continue to shift throughout the winter and the proposed Eastern Cup and Vermont Cup is designed to give us the best chance for success.  Athletes will need to be resilient as challenges arise, and use ingenuity to stay focused on the overall goal of development through the season.  Perhaps the keystone in the puzzle is compliance to Health Protocols – we ask that athletes, coaches and parents adhere to the high standards we have created to insure the health of not only participants, but the communities we visit throughout the season.

Vermont guidelines dictated the creation of a “Vermont Cup” within the traditional Eastern Cup framework.  All 15 races listed on the proposed schedule will be run to the same high standards of a typical Eastern Cup and used to score points for the Junior Ranking List.  We encourage athletes and clubs to be judicious in their planning and travel – giving priority to race starts in close proximity to their homes.  Athletes will be ranked on their “Best 3” races this season to help support this guidance.  As the final details and disciplines of our newly calendared races occur we will publish guidelines on qualification for Eastern Regional Championships, scheduled to happen at a similar time to Junior Nationals.

Read on below to learn how the 2020-21 Eastern Cup season will be conducted.

All Eastern Cup (EC) & Vermont Cup (VC) race registrations are hosted by SkiReg.com and will be open by December 1st.  Please note all competitors who intend to attend multiple EC, VC or FIS races should purchase a bib and rent a chip – this page is open now and will close December 1st.

  1. All racers must have valid NENSA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) membership to race – please note a $10 daily NENSA membership is available on individual race registration pages.
  2. **Due to our expanded calendar there are several EC’s and VC’s that will not require a USSS membership –  EC’s: January 24, February 7.  VC’s: January 24, February 6-7. 
  3. Purchase or renew your your NENSA membership here.
  4. Purchase or renew your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership here.
  5. Foreign membership options updated (11/26/2019).
  6. Purchase both your NENSA & U.S. Ski & Snowboard memberships early to ensure proper validation at registration.
  7. All EC & VC racers will be listed in the overall race results, regardless of your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership type ($20 general or $115 competitor).  If you want to be listed on the National Ranking List (NRL) you need to purchase a U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitors membership.  Competitors 17+ (who will turn 18 during the 2020-21 season need to purchase a Competitor membership to comply with SafeSport regulations.
  8. For the 2020-21 Season all junior competitors from New England will be ranked to the NENSA Junior Ranking List (best 3 races for both U16 and U18/U20).  This list will serve as the qualification list for the Eastern Regional Championships.
  9. You can upgrade to a U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitors license later in the season (points may not retroactively apply to previous races).
  10. Each Eastern Cup has a Virtual Team Captain’s Meeting (VTCM) an information page for updates: on venue, times changes, and important racer/coach information.
  11. Registration will close at 5pm on the Wednesday before each Eastern Cup weekend.  Please note all competitors must also fill out a Health Screen Form on this day in order to compete – the form will be sent via SkiReg to all competitors and coaches on Wednesday.
  12. Seed lists will be posted on Thursday (using points from the current NRL / FIS lists)
  13. Start lists will be posted on Friday by 6pm for Saturday and Sunday races.
  14. Final Eastern Cup race results can be found here.  Live results links will be made available on the EC event pages.
  15. Eastern Cup and Vermont Cup races will be scored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard (except for the 5 races listed under #1 above), and updated to the NRL.  Races marked as (FIS/NRL) are also scored by FIS.
  16. NRL and FIS listing dates can be found in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Nordic Competition Guide. 
  17. SEEDING:  All racers will be seeded by their best of either, NRL or FIS points.  If you have a U.S. Ski & Snowboard general membership, or have 990 points you will be seeded randomly at the end of the field.
  18. U18/U20 Junior Ranking List:  Best 3 EC or VC races.  Scored by USSS points **see 2. Junior Ranking List Points.
  19. U16 JN Junior Ranking List:  Best 3 EC or VC races.  Please note for the 2020-21 season U16 will be scored by USSS Points – the same way as U18/U20.

2020 Eastern Cup Primer

Justin Beckwith · December 3, 2019 ·

NENSA is proud to highlight the 2020 Eastern Cup Series after a snowy start to winter across New England!

photo @flyingpoint

In just three weeks the East’s premier race circuit kicks off at Sugarloaf, Maine for the first time since 2006.  Sugarloaf is opening for skiing this week and excited to put on an innovative event that will honor the life of Roy Varney.  The second Eastern Cup — The 2020 Lost Nation Cup — is combined with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard SuperTour Series in Craftsbury, Vermont January 25th & 26th.  This unique opportunity combines the highest level regional and national series with the University of Vermont Carnival.  On February 8th & 9th the Series visits Rumford, Maine for the Chisholm Eastern Cup and Bates Carnival.  Again the combination of an EISA event and the top regional field ensures inspired competition.  Eastern Cup Finals will be hosted in New Hampshire by the Dublin and Holderness School February 15th & 16th.  On Saturday the exciting Dublin Double will offer two fast paced freestyle events with a 3km and 1.5km aimed to boost New England athletes into post season racing.  The Series, including Junior National team selection concludes Sunday at the Cheri Walsh Memorial where skiers will experience the classic trails of the Holderness School.

Look forward to pre and post event press releases for these exciting events.  Complete details on the Eastern Cup Series can be found on the NENSA website.  Please read the updated Eastern Cup Primer below for important information regarding race details, seeding, scoring and Junior National Qualification.

Registration for all Eastern Cup races are open on SkiReg.com — before you register make sure your NENSA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard memberships are current and you update your team/club affiliations in your NENSA profile.
Also note that Sugarloaf early registration fee ends 12/5.

We look forward to an awesome winter and seeing you on the trails soon!!

  1. All racers must have valid NENSA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership to race – please note a $10 daily NENSA membership is available.
  2. Purchase or renew your your NENSA membership here.
  3. Purchase or renew your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership here.
  4. Foreign membership options updated (11/26/2019).
  5. Buy both your NENSA & U.S. Ski & Snowboard memberships early to ensure proper validation at registration.
  6. All EC racers will be listed in the overall race results, regardless of your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership type ($20 general or $115 competitor).  If you want to be listed on the National Ranking List (NRL), and be ranked for New England Junior National team (best 4 races for both U16 and U18/U20)  you need to purchase a U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitors membership.
  7. You can upgrade to a U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitors license later in the season (points may not retroactively apply to previous races).
  8. Each Eastern Cup has a Virtual Team Captain’s Meeting (VTCM) an information page for updates: on venue, times changes, and important racer/coach information.
  9. Registration will close at 5pm on the Wednesday before each Eastern Cup weekend.
  10. Seed lists will be posted on Thursday (using points from the current NRL / FIS lists)
  11. Start lists will be posted on Friday by 6pm for Saturday and Sunday races.
  12. Final Eastern Cup race results can be found here.  Live results links will be made available on the EC event pages.
  13. All Eastern Cup races will be scored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and updated to the NRL.  Races marked as (FIS/NRL) are also scored by FIS.
  14. NRL and FIS listing dates can be found in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Nordic Competition Guide. 
  15. SEEDING:  All racers will be seeded by their best of either, U.S. Ski & Snowboard or FIS points.  If you have a US Ski & Snowboard general membership, or have 990 points you will be seeded randomly at the end of the field.
  16. U18/U20 JN qualifying:  Best 4 EC and/or OOR races.
  17. U16 JN qualifying:  Best 4 EC races, and no OOR races using SuperTour Scoring (see page 26).
    Tie-breaking mechanisms:
    ~Best single finish in a selection race
    ~Second best single finish in a selection race
    ~Third best single finish in a selection race
    ~Fourth best single finish in a selection race
    Note: All U16 races at NENSA Eastern Cups are scored; for sprints, the final results for the top 12 come from the heats/finals, and from the qualifying for places 13 and higher.

Note: distances and techniques are listed here as scheduled.  If conditions mandate changes to distance/technique, the race that is held will be scored.

2019-2020 Races Scored to the NENSA JNQ Ranking Lists:   

NENSA Eastern Cup Series Races:

Sugarloaf Eastern Cup Opener – EC WEEKEND #1
Sugarloaf, Maine
Hosted by the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center  (NRL)

December 21-22, 2019

Saturday December 21 – Free Sprint (1.5km)

Sunday December 22 – Classic (5km U16 and women / 10km men and Citizen)

The Lost Nation Cup: Craftsbury Super Tour / UVM Carnival & Eastern Cup – EC WEEKEND #2
Craftsbury, Vermont
Hosted by the Craftsbury Outdoor Center – (FIS/NRL)

January 25-26, 2020 (ST Classic Sprint only 1/24)

Saturday January 25 – Free Interval (5km U16 & Women / 10km Men and Citizen)

Sunday January 26 – Classic Mass Start (5km U16 / 10km Women / 15km Men)

Chisholm Eastern Cup / Bates Carnival – EC WEEKEND #3
Black Mountain Ski Resort, Maine
Hosted by the Chisholm Ski Club (NRL)

February 8-9, 2020

Friday February 7 – Please note Bates Carnival races in AM – Official Training 1-4pm

Saturday February 8 – Free (5km U16 and Women / 10km Men)

Sunday February 9 – Classic Sprint (1.2km)

Dublin Double Eastern Cup – EC Finals
DAY ONE – Dublin, New Hampshire
Hosted by Dublin School (NRL)

Saturday February 15, 2020 – Skate Interval Start Prologue (3km all skiers) followed by a Skate Sprint Prologue (1.5km all skiers)

Cheri Walsh Memorial Eastern Cup – EC Finals
DAY TWO – Holderness, New Hampshire
Hosted by the Holderness School Nordic Club (NRL)

Sunday February 16, 2020 – Classic Interval Start (5km U16 / 10km Women and Men)

Out-of-Region Races for 2019-20 season:
US National Championships Michigan Tech Nordic Center – Houghton, Michigan (U18/U20’s only):

Thursday January 2: Freestyle Sprint 1.4km*
Friday January 3: Freestyle 10/15km
Sunday January 5: Classic Mass Start 7.5/10km

Please note the final Sprint on 1/7/20 of US Nationals is not scored to JNQ Ranking List.  

*US Nationals races will be scored to the NENSA JNQ Ranking Lists using U.S. Ski & Snowboard points for U18 & U20’s (sprint re-scored with distance points).  An athlete must be a U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitor member to compete at the US National Championships.

THERE ARE NO OOR RACES for U16’s

6.  Eastern Cup Scoring:

All Eastern Cup races are scored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard to the National Ranking List (NRL), usually by no later then the Thursday after the race weekend.  NENSA ranks JNQ lists as soon as possible.  Athletes with U.S. Ski & Snowboard General Memberships are not scored to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard NRL or JNQ lists.  All competitors are listed in results.

To determine the overall Eastern Cup Champions (the Gallagher Cup winners) at the end of the season (one male/one female) – the best of 7 out of 9 of the Eastern Cup races are scored to determine the overall winners.

7.     U.S. Ski & Snowboard Nordic Competition Guide

Further information about Race Rules.

Further information about Junior National Qualifying.

Zak and Club Cup Primer – Citizen Racing in New England

Justin Beckwith · January 3, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Despite the downright frigid temperatures hovering over New England skiers of all ages enjoyed excellent conditions over the holiday period.  This weekend our Zak Cup races resume with two events on Sunday the 7th, the Stowe Nordic Crosscut 10km and the Gunstock January Thaw 12km/8km (moved from Saturday due to predicted cold temps).  You can find out more about those races, including registration, by searching our Calendar of Events and learn more about the entire series by looking at the Zak Cup page.  Registration for all events are done through SkiReg.com

Read a fun article about “Why Master Skiers Need to Stay in the Game,” by Damian Bolduc of Northwest Vermont Endurance.

NENSA is excited to work with amazing venues throughout the region to put on this robust series of citizen races.  The Zak Cup was designed to promote masters skiing and highlight the top skiers in all age groups (Master 1 – Master 12) for their season long efforts.  Skiers (current NENSA members) who place in the top fifteen of their respective age groups earn points which accumulate throughout the season.  Scoring will be updated to our Rankings Page in a timely fashion so skiers can see how they stack up against their competition.  Detailed information about Zak Scoring can be found here.

NENSA also scores all Zak Cup races for Club Cup scoring.  Club Cup scoring was designed to promote participation and any skier who designates themselves with their active NENSA club at registration will score points for their club, regardless if they are NENSA members or not.  Club Cup scoring includes all age groups from U16 through Masters 12 with a premium for being in the top-10, with all skiers 11 and on earning one point.  Further clarification is available here.

There are two unique Club events within the Zak Cup Series, the 1 Day Club Championships (1DCC) held in Jackson, New Hampshire (15th year) and a relatively new race, the New England Club Relay Championships (2nd year) which is held at Craftsbury, Vermont.  The 1DCC is an individual race that was designed designed to award age-adjusted skiing excellence across age categories.  The sum of the top 4 men and top 3 women placements in separate age categories determine the 1DCC winning club.  Skiers in this event are also scored to Zak and Club Cup points individually.  The New England Club Relay allows clubs six different options to compose a relay team by combining a broad range of ages into single sex, or mixed teams.  Each team will accumulate World Cup points for their club which are combined to crown the top club of the day.  This race will also be scored for Club Cup points for those teams that are designated as current NENSA clubs at registration.  More information about the scoring of both of these events is found here.

If you are interested in being a part of all this Zak Cup excitement please make sure your NENSA memberships are current before registering for any races.  If you want your club to be represented please make sure your club is active for the 2018 season.  When registering on SkiReg for races, make sure your NENSA number is entered and select your club from the dropdown menu.  With those two steps you are well on your way to a great season of scored racing!

Please direct any membership questions to [email protected] and any scoring questions to [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you out on the track!!

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to Next Page »

New England Nordic Ski Association
P.O. Box 97
Lyme, New Hampshire 03768
(802) 331-0762