Heidi Lange

One of NENSA’s finest traditions is presenting the John Caldwell Award.  This award annually recognizes a single individual, or entity, which embodies the spirit, dedication, innovation, and pride of John Caldwell. NENSA is thrilled to announce that Roger Arsenault of Chisholm Ski Club is the recipient of the 2023 John Caldwell Award.

Roger hails from the River Valley in Maine, a community firmly rooted in the history and tradition of skiing in the United States. An alpine skier in high school, he left to attend Maine Maritime Academy, but returned and has been deeply invested in the community since. A board member of Chisholm Ski Club since 1985, Chairman of the Black Mountain of Maine board of directors, and CSC Race Director, Roger has played an instrumental role in the operations of the venue, the programming, and innumerable events ranging from a Bill Koch League festival to Junior Olympics to U.S. Nationals and NCAA Championships.

NENSA Competitive Programs Director Justin Beckwith shares, “When something needs to be done at Black Mountain you will likely hear, “Where’s Roger?” over the radio.  A humble guy who can and does seemingly do everything — when running events in Rumford you will talk to Roger from start to finish.  Last winter the folks at Chisholm pulled off a miracle, hosting the largest Eastern Cup of the year despite minimal snowmaking and a lousy forecast.  They did so with belief in their plan and a little luck — pulling off the races with an unconventional trail arrangement.  In doing so they provided an experience for a new generation that harkens back to the roots of cross country skiing, rather than wide and perfectly groomed corridors they are becoming accustomed to, something that I’m sure John Caldwell would appreciate.  They also provided a festive atmosphere with the local community present and a budding Bill Koch club there to take in the magic.  It was a real honor and experience to help set tracks with Roger before the sprint race with a trying surface, one I won’t forget.”  

“My favorite part about Roger is that he embodies the spirit of building a community,” says Justin Easter, FIS TD and long-time community member. “His company has community in its name, but I honestly think Roger wholeheartedly believes in the amazing things possible when you start together. I am so happy this award is his this year, and I’m confident he will be helping inspire another recipient down the road.”

Erin Haynes, board member of the Chisholm Ski Club and beloved Bill Koch coach shared in her nomination, “Roger goes above and beyond for CSC and BMOM.  He attends meetings, works behind the scenes, coordinates many events, and times and even grooms and sets tracks for our youth development program every Sunday morning.  He is an advocate for community, making programs accessible, and works tirelessly on supporting and improving outreach and programming.  He was recently inducted into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame and our club is proud to call him one of our own, and best.”

Over her 29 year tenure as Head Coach of Bates College Nordic Ski Team, Becky Woods worked with Roger in hosting many EISA Carnival events. “Roger has been a steadfast supporter of cross country skiing in Maine for as long as I can remember,” shares Becky. “His calming presence and can-do attitude was always a comfort when it came to making sure the races were going to go off as planned, weather or no weather! His partnership with the Bates team is something I am forever grateful for. The team continues to be so excited to bring the EISA teams to race on their home course and compete on what we consider to be one of the best courses in New England!”

“Roger Arsenault is like the Energizer bunny. He just keeps going, and going, and going,” writes Chisholm Ski Club Secretary, Terry Richard. “On race day, he is usually the first one at the mountain and the last one to leave. He has single handedly made an enormous impact on the economy in the River Valley area through his leadership and commitment to Black Mountain Ski Area. In addition, his tireless efforts ensure the continuation of the rich skiing history on the Maine ski scene.” 

From their website, Chisholm Ski Club is located at Black Mountain of Maine Ski Area in Rumford, Maine. The Club has a rich tradition which dates back to the early days of the 20th century at its Spruce Street location and its mid 1900’s days at Scottie’s Mountain. Over the years the Club has hosted several world class nordic skiing events, including the 1950 World Championships, 1976 NCAA Cross Country Skiing Championships, 1991 National Biathlon Championships, 1993 US Cross Country Skiing Championships, 1992 USSA XC Jr. Olympics, 1993 U.S. Masters Cross Country Skiing Championships, the first ever US/ North American Womens Ski Jumping championships in 1996, 1996 National Junior Olympics, 1996 Chevy Truck U.S. Nationals, the 1999 NCAA Cross Country Skiing Championship, the 2003 Chevy Truck US Cross Country Championships, the 2004 Chevrolet US Cross Country Championships, the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Skiing Championships, the 2010 USCSA National Championships, and the 2011 and 2012 US Cross Country Championships.

Previous Chisholm Ski Club recipients of the John Caldwell Award include the Chisholm Ski Club itself (2006), Ray Broomhall (2011), and Dan Warner (2016). Another of NENSA’s annual awards is named for Chummy Broomhall, a 70+ year leader of the Chisholm Ski Club, honoring the spirit and dedication of volunteers in our community.

It is a privilege to partner with Roger and all of the wonderful folks in Rumford, continuing the traditions and the legacy the Chisholm Ski Club holds in our sport. Justin Beckwith concludes, “I’m excited to go back to Black, October 22nd for the Maine Event — hope to see you there!”

Roger will be presented with the NENSA 2023 John Caldwell Award at the event.

Congratulations Roger and thank you for the indelible mark you have made on Nordic skiing in New England – and beyond!

General Liability coverage for clubs under the NENSA Master policy is back. We have worked closely with our provider and are thrilled to be able to restore this community benefit.

A Master policy aggregates coverage for the community, offers better coverage than what clubs may find individually, and saves our clubs the costs of these separate policies. It is a member benefit that we are proud to offer and that we believe will benefit our community directly through the local savings it offers to clubs.

This was officially announced at the turn of the membership year and enrollment activity is now picking up as the fall/winter season approaches. All details can be found at the link below.

Some FAQs

Are clubs required to enroll?

No, certainly not.

What is the cost of this coverage?

NENSA made the decision to cover the cost fully from membership revenue rather than assess clubs an additional insurance premium. It is a member benefit that we are proud to offer and that we believe will benefit our community directly through better Master policy coverage at lower costs; local savings that can be passed along to club members.

How does a club enroll?

The policy requires everyone regularly involved in club activities (skiers, coaches, and volunteers) to be a current NENSA member. Clubs electing coverage must complete a short enrollment form and submit a bulk membership upload.

Is there a deadline for enrollment?

There is no firm deadline and enrollment is happening on a rolling basis. Please keep in mind that processing a bulk NENSA membership upload could take up to a week and this step will need to be completed before the coverage is bound. If you wish to have coverage in place before the start of a new programming season, please keep this processing period in mind.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 4, 2023

The New England Nordic Ski Association is proud to announce our new partnership with Nordic Skater for this upcoming 2023-24 season at the Gold level of sponsorship.

Nordic Skater has provided racers from New England and beyond with high quality equipment, excellent customer service and great prices for over 23 years. As a centrally-located and online New England retailer and exclusive North American distributor of Nordic ice skates, Nordic Skater is well positioned and has a passion for serving your gear needs for every season.

“Nordic Skater’s emphasis on customer service and commitment to growing our sport aligns seamlessly with our mission at NENSA. Our partnership provides essential support for ongoing and expanded offerings this year across the entire spectrum of programs, introductory to elite. It has been a sincere pleasure to work with AJ and to partner together in meaningful ways that support the growing base of our sport in New England,” says Heidi Lange, Executive Director of NENSA. 

“We are excited to be a part of the NENSA family once again and to continue growing the sport with you all,” says AJ Parks, Owner of Nordic Skater. “Our store is located in Newbury, NH and we provide the best products, fittings, tech work and more. We look forward to seeing you this upcoming season and beyond!”

About Nordic Skater

Nordic Skater is a Newbury, NH and online retailer with a full array of Nordic ski, rollerski, and ice skate products with a passion for gear and a commitment to providing the best customer service experience in the industry. For more information, visit https://nordicskater.com/

About NENSA

The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the umbrella organization for Nordic skiing events in the region. We are a member-supported service organization that promotes the culture of cross-country skiing by creating opportunities for youth, athletes, coaches, officials and skiers of all levels. NENSA provides the support structure necessary to bring cross-country skiers to their highest potential at regional, national and international events.

NENSA’s vision is to be a vibrant cross country skiing organization that inspires and empowers lifelong learning, development and community-building through the sport of cross country skiing. NENSA shares the joy of gliding on snow through educational, recreational, introductory and competitive programs to nurture and sustain an active cross country ski community for all ages and levels throughout the East.

By John Koziol, Union Leader Correspondent
Aug 13, 2023

WARNER — An accomplished cross-country ski racer, Art Copoulos traveled from Anchorage, Alaska, to finish near the bottom of the field in Sunday’s third annual Rollins Roll rollerski race on Mt. Kearsarge.

And he loved it.

A Massachusetts native who recently came back to the East Coast, Copoulos is the director of a documentary — “Why We Cross Country Ski” — that asks and answers that question.

In his opinion, the question has three answers: to improve health and fitness, to bring families together and to experience happiness and joy.

Those reasons, as well as the chance to do some off-season training, are why the Lyme-based New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) holds rollerski races, including for the third year, the Rollins Roll that saw 47 competitors, ranging in age from 13 to 66, tackle the 3.5 mile long course that has an 8.7% average grade and rises 1,738 feet.

“I think I was last,” joked Copoulos, “but I enjoyed it.”

The Rollins Roll was founded after Kevin Lee, the head Nordic skiing coach at Kearsarge Regional High School for the past 18 years, called his friend, Justin Beckwith, competitive programs director and rollerski race series director at NENSA, to announce that in his backyard, in Rollins State Park on Mt. Kearsarge, “there’s a cool road, we should have a race” on it.

That race, Beckwith told racers and supporters on Sunday after the competition, has grown into the Rollins Roll, which in 2023 saw 50% more rollerskiers than last year, some from as far away as New York and New Jersey.

Lee and Beckwith said several things fell into place to make the third Rollins Roll possible, the first most important being the decision by the NH Department of Natural & Cultural Resources to repave the auto road that goes to within a half-mile of the summit of Mt. Kearsarge.

The second thing was the kindness of Mother Nature, who was expected to blast much of New Hampshire on Sunday with powerful thunderstorms, that were nowhere in sight at race time.

Lee said he has long used rollerskiing as a training tool for his co-ed team at Kearsarge High School, adding that some of his skiers view races like the Rollins Roll as a personal challenge, while others deem it as a prelude to the competition they will see next winter.

Like cross-country skiing, in rollerskiing, “You get the sense of your body pushing up and gliding down a hill, of working hard,” said Lee. Rollerskiing shortens the time when cross-country skiing starts, he said, and it brings together a community of people who enjoy “adventures and the outdoors.”

Rollerskiing expands the season for cross-country skiers, he said, and offers a challenge for skiers of all ages, while also stoking the interest of what could be future U.S. Nordic ski team members.

The Rollins Roll is part and parcel of what NENSA is about, said Beckwith.

The nonprofit’s goal is to be “a vibrant cross-country skiing organization that inspires and empowers lifelong learning, development and community-building through the sport of cross-country skiing.”

NENSA, according to its website, is the “umbrella organization for Nordic skiing events in the region” and it strives to provide “the support structure necessary to bring cross-country skiers to their highest potential at regional, national and international events.”

Ellen Chandler, who chairs the NENSA board of directors, said the Rollins Roll was blessed to have fresh pavement.

“We call it black powder,” she joked. She said rollerski races help get more people interested in cross-country and “the more people in the sport, the more (American) champions we’ll have.”

This story was written by John Koziol and published by the Union Leader August 13, 2023: https://www.unionleader.com/news/human_interest/rolling-into-cross-country-ski-season/article_cb838c4a-24a6- 5c04-8908-40ecb15508dd.html