Justin Beckwith

Summerlike weather has inspired lots of folks to join the fun of #25kinmay for the third year in a row.  This challenge was originally a way for our community to be together when they couldn’t due the pandemic.  Luckily the immediacy of a virtual challenge is not as pressing these days — yet the catchy nature of “K’s” in “May” might just be here to stay!  It’s also a way to get folks stoked for another year of rollerski races and Learn to Rollerski clinics — which will be rolled out at the end of this month.  If you take a look at our calendar you will see the summer is already full of opportunities to plug into in-person cross country skiing events.

Read on to learn more about few highlighted programs:

Eastern Regional Camp (REG)

Forty two athletes have confirmed their attendance at the Eastern Regional Camp to be held at Craftsbury July 2-7.  This U.S. Ski & Snowboard development project hosted in conjunction with NENSA and Mid Atlantic and will be supported by US Ski Team coaches Greta Anderson and Matt Whitcomb.  We are also excited to be hosting the Lost Nation Roll (an open rollerski race) as a part of this camp.

Confirmed Athletes:
Men: Ellis Slover, Micah Bruner, Tyler Watt, Benjamin Jenkin, Gordon Fagan, Anders Linseisen, Tabor Greenberg, Quinn McDermott, Sam Gallaudet, Jack Lange, Luke Rizio, Braden Bellizzi, Caden Cote, Fin Bailey, Janne Koch, Wyatt Teaford, Tzevi Schwartz, Andrew Scanio, Lucas Palcsik, Joe Graziadei, Elvis McIntosh
Women: Emma Page, Anika Leahy, Virginia Cobb, Amelia Circosta, Clara Lake, Emelia Jordan, Sofia Scirica, Cat Stow, Evelyn Walton, Hattie Barker, Emma Charles, Sophia Kelting, Aggie Macy, Julia Thurston, Ava Thurston, Quincy Massey-Bierman, Catherine Anzellotti, Isabelle Serrano, Francesca Kitch, Maggie McGee, Liza Bell

Regional Development Group (RDG) Camp:
RDG is a NENSA project that provides New England’s developing junior skiers with the opportunity to come together for several days of training, learning, and camaraderie. In addition to providing the obvious benefit of gathering motivated athletes in a shared setting, we strive to offer high-level coaching at excellent training venues as a means of introducing athletes to the next level of training and racing. RDG camp is meant to complement the longstanding Regional Elite Group (REG) camp and expand the number of athletes invited to attend summer regional development opportunities.

Athletes are selected to attend RDG based on the NENSA U18/U20 ranking list; NENSA U16 ranking list; New England Eastern High School Championship overall results, and New England U16 Championship overall results.

This camp will also take place at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center from July 29-31.  Initial invitations were sent on May 16th – and a second round of invitations will be sent on Friday, May 20th based on acceptances.

U16 National Camp:
This U.S. Ski & Snowboard development camp is being redesigned post pandemic.  There will now be two camps: one in the West and one in partnership with the Central and Eastern divisions.  The top eight U16’s on the Junior Ranking lists (8 male and 8 female) will be invited to this project when the final details are confirmed by the US Ski Team.  The hope is to host the camp at the end of July or beginning of August and it will be supported by Bryan Fish, USSS Cross Country Development Director.  The proposed location is Lake Placid, NY with a backup of Marquette, Michigan.  NENSA is hopeful the dates and location will be confirmed the week of May 23rd.

NENSA Rollerski Clinic at Gould Academy: June 11
Join NENSA and Gould Academy for the second annual Bethel-area rollerski clinic! All clinic participants will use NENSA’s Swenor Rollerskis, but remember to bring your own boots, poles, and helmet! We can accommodate SNS and Prolink/NNN bindings. Following the clinic, participants and their families are encouraged to explore the surrounding trails on foot or bike.

NENSA Learn to Rollerski Clinic at The Lost Nation Roll: July 3
Geared towards folks who have on-snow ski experience but little to no rollerski experience. Rollerskis provided. Bring your own helmet, boots, and ski poles!

U.S. Ski & Snowboard L100 Practicum and NENSA Technique Clinic: July 7
This is the first opportunity of the summer for coaches to gain USSS L100 certification.  We will also have a general registration for folks not seeking certification.

 

 

NENSA’s first Virtual Rollerski Event is back for the 3rd year!

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRIES HERE

Back by popular demand, this is the event that gets people thinking about rolling every spring.  We want to shift the paradigm of rollerski from being just a training mechanism — reach out to friends or connect with new ones to plan an adventure.  Ever see a road that was just calling for a ski?  Or maybe there is a bike path that you had always wanted to check out.  We want you to challenge yourself and utilize rollerskis as a fun tool and build the social energy of our summertime programs.  We love the stories we’ve shared for the past two years!

#25KinMay is free  – simply get out there and report your ski (or ski walking or biking) data to us here.  The event is for everyone and based primarily on participation.  There will be raffle prizes and awards for fast times, exceptional routes and reporting.  The number one rule remains: BE SAFE out there.  Skiers must select terrain suitable for their skill level.

//Rollerski Safety Rules//

NENSA’s mission is to provide excitement to our broader cross country skiing community and continue the momentum of NENSA’s Rollerski Programming.   We look forward to unveiling our 2022 Rollerski Race Series this month and visiting clubs throughout the East this summer!

Recruit friends to join you – use #25KinMay for motivation to get rolling!

As part of the Challenge we encourage you to develop your network on the Pastimes app (https://www.pastimes.io/). Download the app, join the NENSA Group, or create your own.

Entries can be submitted at any point between May 1st and May 31st.  NENSA will display and showcase activities throughout the challenge — videos and pictures are encouraged with each event submission as well as tagging @nensa_nordic and #25KinMay on your own socials.  Skiers can enter multiple times.

Again there is no cost for #25KinMay
but we are encouraging membership by continuing the promotion we started last year
ALL NENSA MEMBERSHIP
in May is $25 ! ! ! 

As an added bonus each entry will receive one raffle ticket (two tickets if you have renewed your 2022 NENSA membership) towards a growing prize pool. Membership renewal HERE.

Our 2022 categories will be:

Rockstar: For folks who want to ski the full 25km in one go.  Participants will be listed by pace per K.

Speedy Repeater: For someone who wants to break up 25km into more manageable pieces. We’ll track your K’s through the month.

My Own Pace or “Let’s Walk”: This is the touring class or for folks who might not be comfortable on rollerskis and want to ski walk (or bike).

BKL: rollerski (ski walk or bike) 10k in May whether in one go or split up into multiple segments

Keep Up With Beckwith: This category is geared towards masters skiers to keep pace with our Competitive Program Director as he challenges himself to 250km of skiing throughout the month

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRIES HERE

Be creative and share your story.  The training season has begun – Let’s Have Fun!!

#25KinMay

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Questions: [email protected]

Every spring NENSA nominates an Elite and Development Team to honor the achievements of New England athletes.  The winter of 2021-2022 featured the return of open sanctioned U.S. Ski & Snowboard racing in the East.  Races were highly competitive and well attended, with 2885 racer starts in eight Eastern Cup and Super Tour events.  NENSA is proud to celebrate the athletic accomplishments of this winter by introducing the 2022 Elite and Development Team nominations and give you some updates looking towards summer.  The basis for Elite and Development Team naming is the U.S. Ski & Snowboard National Ranking List – which includes all sanctioned races held throughout the last twelve months.

2022 Elite Team
2022 Development Team

The criteria set forth to name the NENSA Elite and Development Team represent a pathway to regional, national and international success.  The number of athletes named to these teams each year demonstrates the depth of the Eastern region in cross country skiing.  Athletes named to these teams are invited to regional training camps and rollerski races, and part of a broader team that continues to excel at all levels.  Further Elite Team / Development Team information.

The Eastern Regional Camp (REG) will take place at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center July 2-7th, which will include an open rollerski race on July 3rd.  The camp will accommodate 40, U16 through U20 skiers and be supported by coaches from throughout the East.  The first nominations come from the above lists and the first round of invitations has been sent to athletes and coaches.  On July 7th we will host our first Level 100 Cross Country Coach Certification Program with U.S. Ski Team representation.

As many skiers begin their 2022 training season next week we are excited and hopeful that skiers of all abilities will join us to share their first rollerski experiences in the third edition of #25KinMay.  While there is always friendly competition – whether that be in distance skied or by a measure of speed – the intention is for skiers of all abilities to engage with others in the broader skiing community and get out there, have FUN, and share their stories, pictures and videos.

NENSA is again scheduling a Rollerski Race Series that will provide opportunities in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont starting with the Lost Nation Roll in Craftsbury July 3rd and ending with the Mt. Greylock Hill Climb on November 6th.  The full calendar will be released in May.  Races will utilize NENSA’s fleet of Swenor Rollerski made possible by Enjoy Winter.  This fleet will be used not only for races but also for coaches education and club visits.  There are many summer camps on our calendar already — please reach out to the Competitive Program Director if you have camp opportunities or have interest in NENSA bringing rollerski programming to your club.

It’s always an exciting time of year after a break from competition and now preparation for the upcoming training year begins.  Congratulations to athletes named to the Elite and Development teams and we look forward to seeing you at the many camps and events happening throughout the East this summer.

 

Our first ever NENSA Virtual Rollerski Event is just around the corner!

Stay tuned for updates on the third edition of #25KinMay.  Originally designed to bring our community together during the isolation of the pandemic, this ongoing program has grown to connect folks across the East and the world.  Rollerskiing is a fun way to challenge yourself and access beautiful places in a new way!  #25KinMay is the perfect way to build towards the positive social energy of our summertime programs.  In 2020, many folks returned to rollerskiing or tried it for the first time due to the excitement around #25KinMay.  2021 drew solid participation numbers as well and together we have skied nearly 20,000 kilometers together!

NENSA will once again offer two tiers of Popular Race calendaring for 2022-2023.  Last season, with increased NENSA support and media we saw the highest number of individual participants since our data began in 2011-2012.  The ongoing pandemic and a low snow year did seem to reduce the number of races each person attended.  Our goal for 2022-2023 will be to incentivize participation in more races. We will again place the Popular Races Series as the core of the NENSA calendar.

Venues interested in having their event(s) named to NENSA’s Zak Cup, Club Cup, and/or New England Marathon Series should complete this form by July 1st. Early submissions are encouraged so we can help shape a calendar that minimizes event overlaps.

Link to detailed Popular Race information. (Zak/Club and Marathon)

Direct link to Popular Race Bid Sheet.

Detailed information for Event Organizers including anticipated dates for major events.

 

Please note Eastern Cup and SuperTour bidding is open and closes on May 2nd.  Eastern Cup events will be determined during the NENSA Board Meeting by the Athletic Development Committee the weekend of May 15th.

Direct link to Eastern Cup Bid Sheet

For those intending to host an Eastern Cup or Major Championship NENSA requires sending a representative to attend the TD / Event Organizer Clinic, typically held during September or the first weekend of December.  All other race organizers are encouraged and welcome to attend.  We will be make this date public in the coming weeks.

For Eastern Cup, Zak/Club and Marathon questions: [email protected]

Thanks for making your bids early and we look forward to planning next years events with you!

NENSA along with U.S. Ski Team staff will be hosting the 2022 Eastern Regional Camp (REG) at Craftsbury from July 2 through July 7.  Athlete invitations will be sent out after the posting of U.S. Ski & Snowboard List 10 (listed as valid April 7th).

Coaches who are interested in being a part of this development opportunity should email [email protected]

2022-2023 Eastern Cup Bid Sheet

The winter of 2021-2022 was a “Great Restart” and our venues created a spectacular Eastern Cup Series despite an ongoing pandemic and a low snow year. The venues preparation, knowledgable staffs along with robust volunteers, and snowmaking systems made for a memorable season that boasted one of our largest annual participation numbers with nearly 3000 competitors. There was a beautiful blend of junior, collegiate and international skiers in our fields — which provided awesome experiences — whether athletes enjoyed their first nationally sanctioned race, or went on to represent the New England at Junior Nationals (where NE was the strongest division), or the US Ski Team in World Cup competition — and everything else in between. Eastern venues continue to raise the bar and are HUGE component to the strength of our region.

Last season two Eastern Cups were hosted in conjunction with SuperTours and one with an EISA carnival. Those balanced overlaps are always welcome, boost field size and the level of competition.

We are also hopeful that more NENSA involvement with designated Popular events will become an attractive option for venues in years they might not host an Eastern Cup. Bids for Popular races and Marathons are also open.

The East does not currently have any proposed SuperTour bids during the Eastern Cup season, although Craftsbury has a bid for SuperTour Finals at the end of March. The SuperTour schedule will be finalized at U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress in early May. Venues that might be interested in hosting a Super Tour in 2022-2023 should submit a Request for Proposal immediately.

Eastern Cup bids will be reviewed throughout the month and presented to the Athletic Development Committee (ADC) prior to NENSA’s Board Meeting the weekend of May 14th.

Please find U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress sanctioning fees and head tax info included on the bid sheet, and additional event fee responsibilities.

We look forward to receiving your bids, and working with you throughout the year to make your event and New England’s premier races the best they can be.

Bids are due by May 2nd. Please direct questions to [email protected]

2022-2023 Eastern Cup Bid Sheet

In June, Barney Hodges, the Director of the Rikert Nordic Center and Andrew Johnson, the Head Coach of the Middlebury College Ski Team brought forth a plan to create a festival to end the 2022 ski season.  Their idea was to utilize the amazing resources of the Middlebury College facilities, its staff and connections within the local and broader skiing community to celebrate the winter.  The plan included making this the first edition of an event that will grow into the future.

The 2022 format of the Rikert Grand Prix was a 3-day race event hosted by both the Rikert Nordic Center and Middlebury College Snow Bowl in Ripton, VT.  Preparations for the late March event were part of the vision of snowmaking throughout the winter — regardless and unbeknownst that we would have one of the lowest Vermont snowfall totals in recorded history.  The efforts at Rikert and the Bowl paid off for the some hundred brave souls who were not ready to hang up their skis!

Video of the Hill Climb.

Full Results.

Utilizing an a-la-carte-mini-tour-format, racers could test themselves in a freestyle prologue, a 10 kilometer classic mass start, and a final stage pursuit-start hill climb.  The largest field of the weekend was drawn to the hill climb, which utilized a closed alpine mountain for a fast but, grueling climb up the Lang Trail after a brisk assent and descent on the bottom pitch of the Ross.  Post race, competitors drew together to celebrate the masters skiers who braved the elements, and perhaps the most robust prize table and best attended awards of the season.  Every competitor received something, with generous donations from Fischer, Toko, Enjoy Winter, Boulder Nordic Sport East, and Caldwell Sport.  There was also $2400 in prize money that was spread between the days, rewarding the top skiers.

The Grand Prix offered something for every level of skier, with men and women racing the same distances.  With U.S. Ski & Snowboard and New England Nordic Ski Association sanctioning, the event was as much geared towards elite athletes hoping to take home a cash prize as it was for junior and master skiers looking to challenge themselves on entertaining courses.  While the strength 0f University of Vermont and other collegiate skiers was undeniable — all skiers were very much a part of this celebratory event.  As we begin to reflect on the “Great Restart” that the 2022 ski season was, race organizers should continue to think outside the box like Hodges and Johnson did by creating new formats and making a total race experience.

The second half of Junior Nationals put Team New England to the test — with mass start classic racing and a perennial favorite event, team relays.  After two days of New England dominance in the freestyle and sprint events it would be a hard charging Midwestern team that would take the win on the day in the classic races.  One of the huge factors heading into the Championships was to keep everybody healthy, with strict protocols to limit potential exposure to Covid.  Throughout the week New England athletes and staff did a superb job of accommodating and responding to any potential health concerns — trying to limit any unneeded stress on the athletes.  The mass start races also proved to have a fair share of spills and equipment breakage — both factors that held some athletes back from their top performances on the day.

Despite these challenges three skiers dug deep and came out as National Champions in the classic races: U18’s Fin Bailey (SMS) and Ava Thurston (Mansfield) and U20 Nina Seeman (Dartmouth).  It’s a pretty remarkable statistic when you have one division win half of the races at such a highly competitive event.  Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that Thurston and Seeman won all three of the individual events for their age group!  At the end of Friday’s races New England claimed six podiums and nine top-10 All  American results 🇺🇸.  U20M Aidan Burt (UVM)🥈; U20W Nina Seeman (Dartmouth)🥇 Cat Stow (Gunstock)🥈; U18M Fin Bailey (SMS)🥇; Jack Lange (SMS) 7th; U18W Ava Thurston (Mansfield)🥇; U16M Tabor Greenberg (GMVS)🥈; U16W Annelies Hanna (Craftsbury) 4th and Julia Thurston (Mansfield) 10th!

The Dave Quinn Award is awarded each year to one Junior National athlete.  Each of the 10 divisions nominates one person, and then all 10 divisional cast one vote.  The Dave Quinn Award recognizes that JN athlete who best exemplifies the ideals of the cross country sport that Dave Quinn expressed thought out his life.  In addition to outstanding results, nominees should have special attributes such as love of the sport, leadership, overcoming hardship, worth ethic, which make them unique.  New England nominated Mr. Jack Lange for his leadership throughout the event, including nightly pep talks to the entire team, and his unmatched love of cross country skiing and competition.

After a hard fought day on the classic tracks Team New England woke up Saturday ready to show their very best in the freestyle relays.  For the first time in Junior National history the relays were mixed gender — providing for some really exciting races and showing the true depth of each division.  The first race of the day belonged to the U16’s: Tabor Greenberg(GMVS), Quinn McDermott (Berkshire Nordic), Beth McIntosh (Frost Mountain) and Annelies Hanna (Ford Sayre) put on a show and set the stage for an amazing sweep of all three age groups.  These results would cement the overall team award, bringing the Alaska Cup home to New England for the seventh time in ten years!

Video of U16 Finish

Despite highlighting the top results from the races in Minneapolis — New England’s continued success belongs to the whole region.  The team that traveled to Junior Nationals was shaped by the competition and community we find at training camps, rollerski races, popular races and Eastern Cups throughout the year.  It took a herculean effort to get a team of sixty plus skiers and staff to the event after two years of a pandemic.  The skiers and support staff rose to the challenge, unifying as a team, finding success and new friendships.

Detailed Results

  I moved to New England two years ago and I am so grateful that I did. My experiences with New England racing and training have been amazing. This year, I went to all the eastern cups and met many wonderful people there who made me feel like I was a part of a tight knit and welcoming community of hard working athletes, coaches, organizers, and parents. After traveling to Junior Nationals, I feel even more a part of this great group of people. 

  Out in Minnesota I definitely had my ups and downs. I had a few races that did not go as I had hoped, and yet, I was still able to enjoy my time. I believe that this is all due to the uplifting group of people around me. We all tried to communicate with each other on how our races went. If a race went well, we all congratulated and celebrated with that person. If a race did not go as planned, we worked together to lift that person up and help them get back to having fun. After a few tough races for me, I was revamped by the teamwork of the super fun relay races. One of my best races and most fun races ever was the relay and I heard from many other people that they share the same attitude towards that day of racing. The fact that the relay was so great for so many people on team New England shows that we are not only strong individuals but a strong and uplifting team. 

  This great attitude continued through the fun activities we did as a whole team or as an age group outside of skiing. I had tons of fun playing tag in our afternoon mobility, receiving some snow balls to the face, showing off my terrible bowling skills, and emptying the shelves at trader joe’s of all peanut butter and chocolate milk. I also can’t remember another time that I voluntarily sat in the hallway of a hotel for hours. During our free time, I really enjoyed resting in the hall and hanging out with my new friends. We spent so much time just talking and getting to know each other. It was awesome to meet people from all over New England and the world, with Elsa and Maddie from Sweden and Australia, who I had raced with in the past but had never had full conversations with. Another uplifting routine we got into was the team meetings every night. Everything from sharing thoughts of the day at our U18 girls meetings to the awesome speeches/ pep-talks from our team leaders. Jack Lange truly made me remember how much this team cares about each other and our success as a whole group. I am really going to miss the fun times we had at JN’s and am looking forward to seeing everyone at the end of the season races, camps, and next race season. I think that the immense success that team New England had is all thanks to the amazing coaches, wax techs, organizers, and team mates that we had out there. As a team, we not only succeeded in winning the coveted Alaska Cup but we showed other teams what real team spirit looks like! Thank you so much to everyone who supported team New England and let’s keep the cup for many years to come!