Amber Freeman

Please join NENSA in honoring Nancy Jean Steffen for her 47 years as the treasurer and lollipop leader at Prospect Ski Club with a Lifetime Bill Koch League Leadership Award. Nancy brought so many young people along, being the first coach they came into contact with, gently teaching them the ways of Nordic Skiing, through fun activities and thoughtful, well organized practices.

“Nancy epitomizes the backbone of the Bill Koch League- volunteers who spread the love of XC to new generations of skiers. People like Nancy show that cross country skiing is a lifelong passion!” Bill Koch

Nancy Jean was known for getting to practice early to set up fun activities such as ski orienteering or the very memorable Valentines Day ski. Nancy would set up pinwheels along the trail, one for each skier with their names on one for them to keep and bring home with them, as well as handwritten personalized valentines day cards. For a first timer, she would bring them out to candy cane lane, a flat area great for learning, and while they skied the loop, Nancy would follow behind them placing candy canes. On the next loop through the lane, skiers would delightedly find candy canes to collect from the trees.

“When I think of Nancy Jean, I think of my childhood. She was my first coach at Prospect Mountain Ski Club and has been the lollipop coach there forever!  Nancy Jean has taught countless youth to cross country ski and has shared her love and passion for the sport with all who come in contact with her.  She has always been full of fun stories and tales of lollipops growing out of trees, and shares that magical wonder with her young charges. Nancy Jean made learning to ski FUN – which is the heart and soul of the Bill Koch League here in New England.  Having fun, playing on skis with your friends, enjoying winter in Vermont – Nancy Jean captured that beautifully as a coach of young children, and for that, we THANK YOU, for all you have done for so many of us growing up in Vermont, and who learned to ski from you at Prospect Mountain.  You are the best!” Amie Witten Smith, NENSA Executive Director (and Bennington native).

Nancy has a innate sense of what children need, and at practice, with basic safety and a good practice plan in place, she would let kids be free and play. It was always obvious how much she loved being with children, and they responded to her casual comfortable teaching style.

“When I think of Nancy, I think of a quiet, steady, capable leader. Someone who is always there to make sure that things go smoothly and well. She’s like hot chocolate at the end of a long day…you see her, and you feel good.” Sverre Caldwell, Stratton Mountain School Head Coach.

“There are few people out there in the nordic community that I respect more than Nancy (and also her husband Tom) for the gifts she has bestowed upon the sport of cross-country skiing. There aren’t many people anywhere who have turned on more children to the joys of xc skiing than Nancy. For nearly five decades she has nurtured, taught and introduced kids to the beauty of a lifetime sport and while she did it she taught us more than the basics of the sport, she taught us of humanity, love and kindness and the value of teamwork. She did it unselfishly and reliably for years. The sport owes Nancy a huge debt of gratitude for showing so many the way and teaching us how to be outside in winter. For her and the program it was never about simply just developing racers, she cared for the beauty of the sport as a lifetime pursuit and a fine way to enjoy winter.

Her legacy is huge and will be carried on forever in every skier lucky enough to have had her for a mentor. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Peter Graves, Bennington native, Former US Ski Team Coach and 11 time Olympic Broadcaster

Thank you Nancy Jean Steffen for your dedication, and for instilling the love of Nordic Skiing into the hearts of many skiers over the years. 

Anna Schulz grew up with skis on her feet. She learned to ski on her great-grandparents old farmland in Johnson, VT with her brothers, cousins and family in the back fields and woods around their home. Anna was in the New England ski world early on and joined the Bill Koch Youth Ski League when her parents worked at the Trapp Family Lodge. “My first BKL festival was at Trapps when I was in 6th grade, and while I don’t remember much about it, I remember that I had a killer outfit!”

Anna in another killer outfit at the 2018 BKL Festival (photo: Audrey Mangan)

From then on, Anna was hooked on skiing and continued as a junior skier in the Craftsbury Outdoor Center program with with Pepa Miloucheva, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center Head Coach. Anna ski raced while at college at Harvard University, and then after graduating volunteered for AmeriCorps. In 2011, she headed out to Bend Oregon to coach at the Mt. Bachelor Education Foundation, to return in 2013 to earn her Master’s Degree from UVM. It was then in 2015, that she headed back to Craftsbury as the Head Bill Koch League and Junior Coach, where she has been for the past 3 years.

Anna is the embodiment of the Bill Koch League and is one of those torch bearers of the philosophy of the league. While working for a club with a strong development and racing program, Anna sticks to the BKL philosophy to ensure that the Craftsbury Outdoor Center BKL skiers are getting enough play time on skis, fun, multi-sport development and learning about living an outdoor, active lifestyle. In the past few years, there is been growth in participation, enthusiasm  and community around her programming because of her leadership. That is why NENSA is pleased to announce that Anna is this year’s recipient of NENSA’s Bill Koch League Leadership Award.

Nordic skiing teaches so many life lessons, and great youth sports coaches think beyond a race, or a practice. Anna does this by not focusing not on wins and losses but on the core values and principles we want our kids to take from sports. Craftsbury Outdoor Center Assistant Junior/BKL Coach Audrey Mangan, said “stop by the Craftsbury Outdoor Center on any given winter day and you will see hoards of kids in green spandex zooming around the trails. Some are as young as six years old and have likely been there all day, starting with BKL practice in the morning followed by another few hours of building jumps with their friends after lunch. This is skiing at its most magical, and Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club head BKL/junior coach Anna Schulz is the mastermind behind it. There is quite possibly nothing Anna loves more than showing kids how to have fun being active outside, and that enthusiasm has created something special in Craftsbury starting with her BKL programs and carrying through the junior race team. Anna’s skiers are happy, caring, and confident skiers; that they are often quite fast is almost secondary.”

Audrey is a 1/3 of the “dream team” coaching squad along with Jake Barton at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, and as assistant coaches for both the BKL and Junior skiers they are all a part of the success of those programs. “Anna gives the kids so much more than just the joy of skiing—which is a lot in itself—keeping it fun and rewarding.  She also interweaves such life skills as the importance of good communication, teamwork, sportsmanship, being on time, taking care of your equipment, and volunteering… Craftsbury is lucky to have her along with the rest of her terrific “Coach Squad”.” Judy Geer, Craftsbury Outdoor Center.

Jake Barton, Craftsbury Outdoor Center Assistant Junior/BKL Coach, says “I have known Anna for most of my life. She is an amazing person and, even if she wasn’t a great coach, our young athletes would still have tons to learn from her. But, she is a great coach. I have been privileged to work with Anna at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center for the past 2 years. In that time, I have seen our BKL and junior programs thrive because of the environment that she has shaped. I have seen kids come out of her programs who are self confident, empathetic, well rounded and appropriately sassy. Anna’s tireless support and commitment to these kids has helped them grow into better people with the tools to pursue a lifetime of skiing.”

Anna organizing the final event of the BKL season, an all club, goofy relay (photo from Audrey Mangan)

Kids and parents alike see the impact that Anna has had on their young skiers and community. The NEVT BKL District Chair and parent of skiers in the Craftsbury program, Victoria Von Hessert said that “Anna meets our kids where they are in their lives not just as skiers, but as kids.  She encourages them and supports them, and at the same time sets a high standard for good sportsmanship, being a good teammate, and having a good work ethic. They know that she believes in them and she helps them feel empowered, not just in their skiing, but in the other activities we do all year at the Center.  We feel so blessed to have Anna and her coaching team as the positive – and fun – adult role models our kids need. It’s this kind of coaching that has helped our kids love the sport.”

Anna models the behavior she wants to see in her skiers, and uses skiing, practice and racing to teach lifelong lessons through sport. When asked about her favorite part of her job she said, that “ seeing kids try something new, come up short, and go back for more. When we have stormy winter days and build jumps, I love watching the kids who totally eat it, come up smiling, and try again until they nail it. I love seeing kids try racing, finish last, and come back to try again. Kids can just have this incredible fearlessness and resilience, and skiing seems to both bring that out and cement it into their consciousness.”

“No matter if it’s a cold wet run up Elmore Mountain in early May, a bluebird 20 degree day skiing Ruthie’s in February, or an agility obstacle course in the Fall, Anna makes skiing and training a fun adventure.  Anna personifies enthusiasm, camaraderie, intelligence and fun and we feel so fortunate that Callie and Jack have her as a coach. We couldn’t ask for a better role model to bring out the best in our kids’ racing as well as their personal development.” Meredith and Chris Young, former New England District Chairs and parents of skiers in the Craftsbury Outdoor Center program.

2018 New England wax team, left to right, Steve McCarthy, Anna Schulz, Jake Barton, Colin Rogers, Justin Beckwith. (photo: Amie Smith)

The New England Nordic Ski Community is fortunate to have Anna on the ground working with Bill Koch ages, but also in the development pipeline with our junior skiers. “Anna is a  ambassador to our community- her varied skill sets make her an asset on any team she joins. Her work with the Craftsbury Outdoor Center ranges from creating inclusive BKL programming to facilitating high level race support for some of the top junior skiers in the country.  In 2018 Anna was an outstanding member of the New England wax staff at the Junior Nationals in Soldier Hollow – she wore many hats with ease, including coach, wax tester, applicator and generally created a positive atmosphere for her four male counterparts in the wax trailers.  Although Anna is receiving her award as a BKL coach it is truly the sum of the parts that makes her contributions so powerful. Thanks ANNA!” Justin Beckwith, Competitive Program Director, NENSA.

Every year NENSA honors leaders in the New England skiing community with traditional annual awards. This chance to formally recognize the energy, effort, and engagement of some of our community leaders is one of the highlights of the year for the NENSA staff. Please join us in thanking these great folks and celebrating their accomplishments for our community.

NENSA is excited to to announce the inaugural Wendall “Chummy” Broomhall Award. This award is named after Chummy, who was the Chisholm Ski Club leader for 70 plus years, 2 time Olympian, and builder of the Olympic race courses for Squaw Valley, Lake Placid and Black Mountain. Chummy was a man who was able to enlist the best people to carry out the tasks needed to run ski races. He embodied the spirit of being a volunteer as he was a man who gave his time to generations. It is in this spirit that this award be in his honor for the unsung heroes of ski racing. This year the award is going to Herbert L. Adams, a Chisholm Ski Club member, ski racer, coach, and long time volunteer.

From left are Chummy Broomhall, youth program director for the Chisholm Ski Club; Liz Chenard, state girls’ champion; Greg Fisher, state boys’ champion; Herb Adams, Stephens High School coach.

“No man on the planet has started more races than Herb Adams!  Herb Adams has been a credit to nordic sport forever.” Fred Griffin

If you have started a race at Black Mountain of Maine in the past 50 years, it’s likely that Herb Adams was there with you at the start. “5,4,3,2,1 go! Herb has said that phrase more than anyone. A starter for the better part of 50 years he starts around 1,000 skiers a winter, sometimes 2,000. Herb and his crew of Paul, Doc, and Terry run a tight ship in Rumford at the start line at Black Mt. A well oiled machine with Herb in the lead as he has at the Olympics or a middle school race for a long time. Herb, makes a fine person to receive the Chummy Broomhall award” says Dan Warner, a member of the Chisholm Ski Club.

The crew at Chisholm

A Rumford native, Herb Adams learned to ski early on at his local hills and trails. He attended Gould Academy where he continued his ski racing career as not only a nordic skier, but a ski jumper and downhill skier. During his time at Gould, he excelled in all events, and in his final year in 1954, Adams led his team as Captain to the State Championship winning all four events and was named State Ski Meister.

Terry Richard, a Chisholm Ski Club member who has been working as a team at the start line with Herb, says that “Herb Adams and his love of skiing have come full circle, from growing up in Rumford and eventually returning to the River Valley area to share his passion for the sport through coaching and officiating.  Herb skied for UNH in his college years and went on to have a lifetime of illustrious nordic ski adventures, both on the national and international level. Through 60+ years of coaching and officiating. Herb has shared his experiences and instilled the love of skiing in the hearts of many. A few have gone on to compete at the national level; most have become lifetime skiers.   Well into his 80’s, Herb continues to infect others with the love of the sport as the Chief Starter for the Chisholm Ski Club. Herb’s dedication and volunteerism has him starting the beginner middle school aged racer to those striving to make the US Ski Team. Age and ability make no difference to Herb; he is happiest at the starting line repeating 5,4,3,2,1 go.”

After Herb’s success in high school, he earned a scholarship to the University of New Hampshire. He was also invited to the Olympic ski jumping tryouts in 1960, and although he did not earn a spot on the team, he was then asked to be the ski coach at Lake Placid High School from 1961 to 1964. In 1965 he returned home to coach skiing at Stephens Memorial High School in Rumford until 1967, and during that time his team won the New England Championships.

His successes led to his being named Eastern junior National Jumping Coach at Duluth, MN, where his eastern team won the title. Herb coached many skiers along the way, many who skied in Junior Nationals, Junior Olympics or the Olympics. When Herb retired from teaching and coaching, he continued to volunteer at events throughout the country, serving in timing, starting, hill preparation, jump marking, course preparation and stadium set up, ranging from Middle and High School races to the 1980 and 2002 Winter Olympics.

Those who have been coached by, worked with, or met Herb always remark about Herb’s character. Greg Poirier, Olympic Ski Coach, and Chisholm Ski Club member said that “there are so many wonderful volunteers in our ski world and for sure Herb is one of those. But Herbie ‘one ups’ many. Not only is he a coach, a mentor, a friend, he is the glue that binds volunteers together. His demeanor, dedication and love of skiing are contagious and I dare say the primary motivator for others to follow in his footsteps.”

Craig Zurhorst, Chisholm Ski Club member and announcer remarked that “Herb is a true gentleman and it’s an honor to work with him. I’ve learned more from Herb about running Nordic ski races than I can begin to express. Herb is meticulous in his attention to detail and absolutely professional, but he also has a wonderfully wry sense of humor. Herb’s background as a coach and an educator make him the perfect person to serve as Chief Starter. He takes great pains to teach younger racers…and volunteers… about protocols and rules while treating each one with the utmost respect and encouraging them. Herb’s experience at all levels of Nordic competition makes him a fabulous resource and he is the embodiment of the mindset and mission of the Chisholm Ski Club, that we strive to provide the same excellent racing experience for all, regardless of whether the event is for middle school racers or national-level competitors.”

 Herb at the start of the Eastern HS Championships in 2018

This year at NENSA’s Eastern High School Championship race weekend was no different, “As I approached the start area of the Eastern High School Championships this year in Rumford, I was happy to see Herb at the start line. The first thing Herb did was give me a hug and tell me a joke, but then he got down to business. Herb is one of the most delightful and experienced volunteers I have ever worked with, and it’s because of people like Herb that our ski community events, and races in New England are strong and thriving.” Amber Freeman, Youth Program Director at NENSA.

Thank you Herb for all you have done and continue to do for our ski community!

 

Every year, NENSA has the distinct honor of recognizing deserving members of our community for their energy, efforts and community engagement. The NENSA annual awards include the John Caldwell Award, new this year is the Wendall “Chummy” Broomhall Award, the Bill Koch League Leadership Award, the Club of the Year, and Coach of the Year. Please feel free to write in candidates that you feel deserve recognition for each of the specified awards.

Click here for the nomination form open until April 18th

Click here to view last year’s recipients

Click here to view past award recipients

NENSA is busy planning for the 2018-19 season, which includes getting bids from venues and event organizers to host our Eastern Cup race weekends, Zak Cup & Marathon races, and the U16 & EHS Championship weekends.  Bid Sheets are now available for venues and event organizers to bid. We hope you will consider hosting one of these great race events for our New England Nordic community.

Please click here for more info, and to submit a bid.  All bids due by May 1st.  Thank you!

The last day of the Eastern High School Championship weekend started off the same as the two days before, cold and calm. The “Black Mountain Breeze” started up mid morning, with wind gusts continuing throughout the day. The last day of the Championship weekend was the 4 x 3.3 km mixed medley relay, which started with a slight delay due to circumstances with a team bus. This year the women started the race with a 3.3 km classic leg, handing off to the male skier for another classic leg, followed by a 3.3 km women’s skate leg, and ending with a male skate leg.

After the mass start, the first woman to ski in was Sophia Laukli from Maine with a time of 8:41, tagging teammate Liam Niles. Laura Appleby from team Massachusetts was close behind Sophia with time of 8:45, and tagged Jacob Jampel to head out on his classic leg. The third woman to come in was Phoebe Sweet on Vermont team #1 in 8:49, tagging teammate Ben Ogden, followed by another Vermont skier, Charlotte Ogden skiing the first leg, coming in at 9:12 to tag Will Koch.

Ben Ogden was the first skier from the second leg to ski into the stadium with a time of 7:15, to tag Callie Young. Jacob Jampel came in second with a time of 7:49 handing off to Shea Brams, with Will Koch skiing into the stadium next with a time of 7:46 to tag Rena Schwartz.

Callie Young had the fastest time on the women’s skate leg, coming in first on that leg with a time of 8:14 to keep the Vermont #1 team’s lead, and tagging Greg Burt. Shea Brams skied in next with a time of 8:37 tagging Massachusetts skier James Kitch, with Mae Chalmers from Vermont’s #3 relay team skiing in at 8:17, Rena Schwartz on Vermont’s #2 relay team in 8:26, and team Maine skier Abigail Strienz skiing in at 8:27.

It was Vermont’s #1 relay team winning the gold at the end, with Greg Burt skiing in with a time of 6:31, second place went to team Massachusetts with James Kitch with a time of 6:15, who had the fastest time on the mens skate leg. Third place went to Vermont team #2 with Joshua Valentine finishing with a time of 6:37. Fourth place went to the Maine relay team, with Caleb Streinz skiing in at 6:37, and Fifth place went to Vermont’s #3 relay team with Zander Martin finishing with a time of 6:46. Full relay results are found here.

In the team standings New York had 8,465 points, Maine in fourth which had 10,613 points, third place was New Hampshire with 12,041 points following closely behind Massachusetts who took second place with 12,254 points. Team Vermont had the overall win with 16,540 points to be awarded the Graham Taylor Cup. Graham awarded the cup to Vermont Team Leader Adam Terko.

Find results from all 3 individual races, the relay, individual overall points and the team scores here.

Thank you to all the skiers, coaches, Team Leaders for a fantastic weekend of racing. Thank you to every parent for all your support of these New England skiers!

Thank you to the Chisholm Ski Club members for their dedication to our sport, and for hosting a great event, and thank you to NENSA’s Associate Sponsors L.L. Bean, Swix and Nokian Tyres for making this all possible.

It was another cold morning at Black mountain for day 2 of Eastern High School Championships. Coaches were out there early skiing the course and finding the right kick wax for the morning 7.5 km Classic races. The women started at 10 a.m. and with a mass start, to complete the 2 lap racecourse. Sophia Laukli skiing for Maine came into the stadium on the lap next to Vermont skier Rena Schwartz and Massachusetts skier Laura Appleby, closely followed by Vermont skiers Phoebe Sweet and Callie Young.

Coming into the finish it was Phoebe Sweet and Sophia Laukli sprinting to the line, with Phoebe taking the win and Sophia coming in 2nd. There was a group of skiers who came in next, and Callie Young came in 3rd, Laura Appleby took 4th, and Rena Schwartz skied to 5th place. In 6th place was Abigail Streinz from Maine, Charlotte Ogden from Vermont in 7th, Perrin Milliken from New Hampshire coming in 8th, Shea Brams from Massachusetts skiing to 9th, and Adrienne Remick from Vermont in 10th place.

The men started at 11:00 a.m. to complete the same course, and Ben Ogden skiing for Vermont had a commanding lead on the lap. The next group to lap through was Will Koch from Vermont, his teammate Greg Burt, James Kitch from Massachusetts, Joshua Valentine skiing for Vermont, and Jacob Jampel from Massachusetts.

It ended up being Ben Ogden coming into the finish with a minute lead to take the win, with James Kitch placing second and Will Koch in 3rd. 4th place was Joshua Valentine, 5th was Greg Burt and 6th was Jacob Jampel. New Yorker Scott Schultz placed 7th, Sam Hodges from Vermont came in 8th, Isaac Freitas-Eagan from Vermont placed 9th, and Finn Sweet also from Vermont rounded out the top 10.

The afternoon was set up for the sprint course, and the girls started at 2:00 p.m. in waves. The wave start is a chance for skiers to go head to head in the same seed skier from the other states, making it an exciting race to watch. Abigail Strienz from Maine came in first in the sprint, with three Vermonters following, Mae Chalmers came in 2nd, Phoebe Sweet came in 3rd, and Callie Young skied to 4th place. Laura Appleby from Massachusetts was 5th, Olivia Skiings from Maine skied to 6th, Vermont skier Rena Schwartz placed 7th, and her teammate Charlotte Ogden was in 8th place. Lillian Bates from New Hampshire placed 9th, with Maine skier Steph Nichols coming in 10th.

Vermonter Ben Ogden won his 3rd race of the weekend, with Scott Schultz from New York in 2nd. James Kitch from Massachusetts placed 3rd, Greg Burt from Vermont came in 4th, Oliver Snow from Massachusetts skied to 5th place and Joshua Valentine from Vermont was 6th. Caleb Strienz from Maine came in 7th, Matthew Bassette from Vermont was 8th with teammate Will Koch in 9th place. Brian Beyerbach from New York skied to 10th place today.

The dinner and awards banquet were held at the Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Maine tonight. One of the first things at the ceremony was the announcement of the Wendall “Chummy” Broomhall annual NENSA Award. This award is named after Chummy Broomhall, who was the Chisholm Ski CLub leader for 70 plus years, 2 time Olympian, and builder of the Olympic race courses for Squaw Valley, Lake Placid and Black Mountain. He was always able to enlist the best folks to carry out the tasks needed to run ski races, and he himself dedication countless hours to generations. It is in his spirit that an award in his honor be awarded every year for the unsung heroes of ski racing. This may be the groomer, bib checker, or starter at races who works behind the scenes with little recognition. NENSA will be taking nominations in April for this annual award. Graham Taylor also spoke some kind words about his friend Chummy.

The top 10 for each individual race were then recognized:

Top 10 Women in the 5 km Skate race: click here for full results

Top 10 Men in the 5 km Skate race: click here for full results
Top 10 Women in the 7.5 km Classic: click here for results
Top 10 Men in the 7.5 km Classic: click here for full results
Top 10 Women in the 1.2 km Freestyle Sprint: click here for results
Top 10 Men in the 1.2 km Freestyle Sprint: click here for resultsTop three overall individual points leaders were Abigail Strienz in 1st, Sophia Laukli in 2nd and Phoebe Sweet in 3rd.
Top three overall individual points leaders were Ben Ogden in 1st, James Kitch in 2nd and Scott Schulz in 3rd.

The team scores were announced with New York in 5th, Maine in 4th, New Hampshire in 3rd place, and Massachusetts is in 2nd place with Vermont in the lead heading into tomorrow’s 4×3.5 mixed relay!

In the past week, Rumford Maine has received over a foot of snow, on top of a previous storm. Many times in the past, the snow conditions for the March Championship events has been difficult, but mother nature came through this year with a home run. The Chisholm Ski Club which is hosting NENSA’s Eastern High School Championships (EHSC) has a rich tradition and has hosted many ski events over the past 70 years or more. Today was the first day of competition for EHSC and it started with the 5 km Freestyle race.

Racers, coaches and parents began to trickle in to Black Mountain of Maine midmorning to set up their wax cabins, find uniforms and sort skis for the weekend of races. The women’s race started at 3:00 p.m. in 15 sec intervals. The race course was Ray’s 5 km, a course that many skiers have raced on before, which included the infamous High School Hill!

Olivia Skillings from Maine placed 10th today with a time of 12:44 just behind Vermont skier Ingrid Miller in 9th with a time of 12:43. Phoebe Sweet also from Vermont came in 8th with a time of 12:33, her teammate Charlotte Ogden was 7th with a time of 12:29. Laura Appleby from Massachusetts placed 6th in 12:26, Vermonter Mae Chalmers was 5th in 12:20.9, and another Vermonter Rena Schwartz came in 4th with a time of 12:20.3. Abigail Strienz skiing for Maine placed 3rd with a time of 12:11, Callie Young from Vermont was 2nd today in 11:56, and Sophia Laukli came in first with a time of 11:55.

The men went out at 4:00 p.m. skiing the same 5 km course, and placing 10th today was Caleb Streinz from Maine with a time of 10:51, Zander Martin skiing for Vermont placed 9th with a time of 10:50, Brian Beyerbach from New York was 8th in 10:46, and Will Koch skied to 7th with a time of 10:39. James Kitch placed 6th in 10:31, and his teammate Oliver Snow was 5th with a time of 10:30.2. Joshua Valentine from New Hampshire was 4th in 10:30, Scott Schultz from New York placed 3rd in 10:20, Greg Burt from Vermont was 2nd in 10:10 and Ben Ogden also from Vermont won today with a time of 9:55.

More action tomorrow with the morning 7.5 km Classic race, and the 1.2 km Freestyle sprint in the afternoon. The overall individual leaders heading into tomorrow are Sophia Laukli for the women, and Ben Ogden for the men, and Vermont is in the lead for state points.

Find all results and start lists here

Coaches were busy prepping skis early yesterday morning for the last event at U16 Championships, the exciting mixed team relays! This event began with a girls leg of a 2.5 km classic loop, followed by a boys 2.5 km classic loop. Then they would tag off to a girls skate 3.3 km skate, and a boys 3.3 km skate would finish the race. The 2.5 km loop was on the same course they had been using for both of the individual races, and the 3.3 km loop was the 2.5 km race course, with an extra loop added at the top of the climb.

The girls lined up by state for the mass start which began at 10 am. After a clean start, they snaked their was around the first turn, and up the long hill.

New Hampshire teammates Elsa Bolinger and Amanda Vansant came in first to the tag zone, with Grace Mattern from New York and two Vermont teams hot on their heels. The boys classic leg took off, with the two New Hampshire teams in front chased by Midwest skier William Nemeth with the fastest time on this leg, Greyson Davis from Vermont with the second fastest time on this leg, followed by Maine skier Carter McPhedran, Massachusetts skier Benjamin Buchheit and New York skier Teddy Warfle.

Greyson Davis for team Vermont handed off first to Camille Bolduc the girls skate leg, closely followed by William Nemeth from the Midwest, handing off to Celeste Alden, and New Hampshire skier Daniel Bandler right behind them tagging teammate Catherine Stowe. The chase was on, and Camille held the lead, with Celeste and Catherine right behind her.

Camille came in with the lead, and handed off to Jackson Young, followed by Celeste Alden tagging Jake Van Hefty from the Midwest. Catherine Stowe tagged Quinn Wilson from team Vermont, Amelia Tucker from Massachusetts handed off to Linden Niedeck, and New Hampshire’s Catherine Bregou was next after a fast leg tagging Samuel Murray. Another Vermont team with Samatha Nolan came in right behind tagging Mathias Boudreau Golfman.

It was a fight to the finish between Jackson Young on team Vermont and Quinn Wilson from team New Hampshire, with Jackson beating Quinn to the line.
Linden Niedeck had the fastest time on this leg to bring team Massachusetts to third place. Samuel Murray finished fourth for another New Hampshire team, followed by Jake Van Hefty from the Midwest (guest teams don’t score team points so this team was not counted), with Mathia Boudreau Golfman skiing for team Vermont coming in fifth.

Things wrapped up after the races with a raffle, and then the naming of the top 5 relay teams.

Then the overall state points were announced, with New York in fifth (they didn’t have a full team), Maine in fourth, Massachusetts in third, New Hampshire in second, and Vermont taking first place! Team Vermont was then awarded the U16 Championship cup.

Congratulations to all the racers on a superb weekend of racing. It’s always great to see skiers getting to know others from their state, and from around the East. This Championship event is a great step in the NENSA development pipeline, but also a chance for educating skiers on FIS racing rules. For some it can be the first time racing as a team, cheering on teammates and rooting for their state.

Thank you to the Gore Mountain Nordic Center, volunteers and staff for putting on high caliber races. Thank you to NENSA’s Associate Sponsors L.L. Bean, Nokian Tyres and Swix for all your support.

Click here for all of results from the weekend.

Temperatures hovered around freezing yesterday morning at the Gore Mountain Nordic Center for the start of the individual classic races at U16 Championships. The individual classic racecourse was the same for this race as it was for the 5 km skate race on Friday, with 2 laps on the 2.5 km homologated course. This course was definitely a challenging course for skiers, with the amount of uphill climbs and fun, but steep downhill corners.

Francesca Kitch from Massachusetts came in 10th with a time of 18:47, and her teammate Eva Bauman placed 9th in 18:41. New Hampshire skier Mae Whitcomb skied to 8th in 18:37, and Malia Hodges from Vermont came in 7th place with a time of 18:22. Amanda Vansant from New Hampshire placed 6th with a time of 18:20.9, and in 5th place was Massachusetts’s skier Amelia Tucker in 18:20.8. Three Vermonters took places 4th-2nd, with Victoria Bassett in 4th with a time of 18:16, Emma Strack in 3rd place in 18:11, and Samantha Nolan in 2nd place with a time of 18:10. New Hampshire skier Elsa Bolinger won the race this morning with a time of 17:59.

As the boys took the line, the snow started to fly again. The 10th place finisher today for the boys race was Quinn Wilson from New Hampshire with a time of 16:19, skiing for New York was Teddy Warfle in 9th with a time of 16:17, and in 8th place from Vermont was Greyson Davis in 16:14. 7th place was Daniel Bandler from New Hampshire with a time of 16:05, Makail Tipton came in 6th place in 16:02, 5th place today was William Nemeth from the Midwest team, Mathias Boudreau Golfman placed 4th from Vermont with a time of 15:58, and the 3rd place skier from the Midwest was Garrett Walters in 15:58. The top 2 spots went to Massachusetts’s skiers, Benjamin Bucheit in 2nd place with a time of 15:55, and Linden winning again with a time of 15:49.

After a break for lunch, the Cross Country cross event began at 2 p.m. for the girls with an individual start race every 15 seconds. The course was a 1.25 km freestyle sprint race with various obstacles throughout. The first obstacle was an uphill slalom, and then a downhill slalom. Then there were a few s-turns in the field, and after a climb, the downhill had banked turns. There was a 360-degree turn at the bottom of the downhill before heading to the finish! This was the first time U16 Championships had this event with obstacles in the sprint race. This event was introduced at the Youth Olympic Games in 2016, and is expected to be an event on the World Cup. NENSA was excited to debut this sprint event at U16s because we want to keep progressing our sport, and up the fun factor!

In the Cross Country cross race, Jaqueline Wells from Massachusetts placed 10th with a time of 3:33:72, Vermonter Julia Oliver came in 9th in 3:33.68, and in 8th place was Grace Matter from New York with a time of 3:33.53. 7th place was Amanda Vasant from New Hampshire in 3:33.17 and Midwest skier Sydney Peterson placed 6th with a time of 3:32.71. 5th place from Massachusetts was Amelia Tucker in 3:32.50, and again three Vermonters took places 4th-2nd with Samantha Nolan in 4th place with a time of 3:33.4, Addy Harris in 3rd place with a time of 3:31.74, and Malia Hodges in 2nd place with a time of 3:28.56. New Hampshire skier Elsa Bolinger took the win with a time of 3:28.42.

On the boys side, 10th place went to Greyson Davis from Vermont with a time of 3:08.22, and 9th place was Daniel Bandler from New Hampshire with a time of 3:07.96. Midwest skier Jake Van Hefty placed 8th with a time of 3:07.89, 7th was Adam Carlisle from Massachusetts with a time of 3:06.17, and 6th place was Midwest skier Garrett Walters in 3:05.86.  New Yorker Teddy Warfle skied to 5th place with a time of 3:05. 12, and in 4th from Vermont was Mathias Boudreau Golfman in 3:04.59.  3rd and 2nd places went to New Hampshire skiers Samuel Murray with a time of 3:04.36, and Quinn Wilson with a time of 3:02.76. Jackson Young from Vermont took the win with a time of 3:01.68.

Awards for the top 10 in each gender for each of the three individual races took place after the buffet pasta dinner at the Gore Mountain Base Lodge.

Here are the top 10 girls in the 5 km individual skate race from Friday, click here for full results.

Here are the top 10 boys in the 5 km skate race on Friday, click here for full results

Top 10 in the girls individual classic races, click here for full results

Top 10 in the boys individual classic races, click here for the full results

Top 10 in the girls Cross Country cross race, full results here

Top 10 in the boys Cross Country cross race, full results found here

The top 3 overall individual winners for the girls were awarded with the top 5 being recognized. 5th place was Grace Mattern from New York, 4th place was Amelia Tucker from Massachusetts, 3rd place overall was Malia Hodges from Vermont, Samantha Nolan from Vermont was 2nd overall, and Elsa Bolinger from New Hampshire was awarded 1st overall individual.

The top 5 overall individual winners for the boys were Teddy Warfle from New York in 5th,  Jackson Young from Vermont in 4th, Mathias Boudreau Golfman in 3rd from New Hampshire, Quinn Wilson from New Hampshire in 2nd, and 1st overall individual was Linden Niedeck from Massachusetts.

For overall state points, New York does not have a full team to count for team points, so they are in 5th place, with Maine in 4th place, Massachusetts in 3rd, New Hampshire in 2nd and Vermont in 1st place.

Today is the last race of the Championship weekend with the mixed team relay consisting of 2 x 2.5 km classic legs followed by 2 x 3.3 skate legs, and then the overall state team winner will be announced!

Click here for Team points for far, and here for relay start lists for today’s exciting team relay event!