Justin Beckwith

 

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!

Team New England returned to Junior National competition in Minneapolis, Minnesota this week with gusto.  After a two-year hiatus all ten U.S. Ski & Snowboard regions reconvened for this celebrated event, with a few of the strongest divisions sights set on the coveted Alaska Cup.  The Alaska Cup not only rewards individual performances, but rather the depth of the full team.  After two days of excellent competition, Team New England (717 points) has a sturdy lead over the Midwest of 218 points.  Alaska sits in third with 438.

Alaska Cup Point Tallies

Team New England arrived in Minneapolis after a very successful Eastern Cup season that saw venues in four different states: Maine, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.  This schedule allowed for a balanced, yet extremely competitive regular season including two SuperTour events.  The final weekend of Junior National qualification, hosted this year by the Dublin School, tends to be a junior-centric event — providing head to head competition amongst the top juniors in the region.  This exciting weekend really highlights the depth of our region and allows for some last minute adjustments to the Junior National team based on who is skiing fast at that moment.  While there is a finite number of athletes that can make the trip — it is the whole of the energy and resources of our region that make Team New England so strong!

Team New England was greeted to a beautiful Opening Ceremonies in downtown Minneapolis over a stone arch bridge.  All teams marched with pride and the excitement of returning to National level competition was evidenced by a goodhearted snowball fight!  New England looked sharp and focused in their well known blue and yellow snowflake Swix uniforms.

Monday saw the first competition, with freestyle interval start races.  Team NE came out of the gates hot with eight podiums and 14 top-ten All Americans.  While our veteran skiers performances were outstanding there were many amazing results by first time Junior National skiers too!

Highlights included: U20 Women Nina Seeman🥇 and Cat Stow🥉 — U18 Women Ava Thurston🥇 Hattie Barker🥉 Sofia Scirica 5th and Evie Walton 6th — U16 Girls Beth McIntosh 5th and Annelies Hanna 9th — U20 Men Aidan Burt🥉 Jack Young 9th — U18 Men Jack Lange🥈 Sam Gallaudet 8th and Fin Bailey 9th — U16 Boys Tabor Greenberg🥇 Micah Bruner🥉 and Quinn McDermott 4th.

As always it takes a total team effort including athletes, coaches and amazing wax techs!

Wednesday saw classic sprint competition and Team NE crushed it again.  With conditions teetering on the line between hardwax and klister our skiers and techs felt right at home, not to mention some help from premixes that were born back East.  An amazing stat: three-quarters of the team qualified for the afternoon heats.  The second day of races saw 16 top-ten All Americans and five podiums, including three National Champions — Congrats to Fin Bailey🥇for U18 men, Ava Thurston🥇for U18 women and Nina Seeman🥇U20 women. Jack Young took🥈for the U20 men and Ellis Slover got🥉for the U16 boys.

Action continues on Friday with Mass Start Classic races — you can view Livestreaming here.

Full results available here.
NENSA’s IG account for more pictures and video.

Returning to a normal Eastern Cup season was not a given at the beginning of the year.  And despite some challenges with Mother Nature, our venues, fortified with manmade snow, created a landscape that brought joy to everyone involved in this competitive sphere.  Taking a jog back to Quarry Road and the Roy Varney Opener it was almost surreal to see entire population of New England’s juniors back together racing at a high  level, but perhaps most importantly enjoying each others company, albeit on a 1.6 kilometer loop.  A spell of deep winter was perfectly timed for the back to back SuperTour/Eastern Cup weekends in Lake Placid and Craftsbury.  Despite frigid temperatures these weekends saw near record participation and our first international races since the start of the pandemic.  To bookend the season Dublin was prepared for  an unseasonable meltdown less than two days before the races — bolstered by a preemptive snowmaking session and accommodations to courses and training times —  the show went off in style!

The 2022 Dublin Double took on new form this year with two days of racing versus the two-start one-day event of the past.  Saturday was the debut of head to head sprints at the Eastern Cup level on the Dublin School Trails.  Firm and fast conditions were sporting for the competitors as they charged onto the serpentine loop six abreast.  While there might have been a few bumps and stumbles along the way — the level of skiing and excitement for spectators was high all day.  There was a top-30 round as well as additional rounds of 12 for U18/U20 and U16 athletes.  Discussions have already begun about what the best way to maximize skiing time for more competitors as our fields continue to grow.  Of note, the U16 fields have nearly doubled in size over the past 5 years.

Sunday racers tackled a “working” distance course on a 2.5km loop in the classic technique.  Dublin’s trails provide excellent spectating and the courses were lined with parents, volunteers and fellow athletes rooting on their favorite skiers.  U16’s skied 5km on the figure-8 loop while U18/U20 skiers completed a 1okm.  Coaches seemed to really enjoy waxing for a true klister day and skiers had fast skis with great kick — making for a really fun and fair final day of Eastern Cup competition.

Dublin, like all four of the Eastern Cup venues, have not only improved their infrastructure each year, but continued t0 cultivate communities that love to ski and host events.  We all owe a huge thank you to Quarry Road, Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Quarry Road and the Dublin for pulling out the stops and making the Eastern Cup what it is — one of the best race series in North America.

RESULTS

Some racers were laying it all on the line to try and earn a spot on the Junior National Team and all were out there to perform to their personal best.  Again the camaraderie amongst teams but also across programs is so heartening to see — skiers and clubs are embracing the team aspect.  We are seeing constant improvements that reflect and emulate the successes of our National Team’s success on the world’s stage — indeed several  of our current Olympians were racing in this circuit just a year or two ago.

As we head into the post season there are still many options for racing — juniors will focus on Junior Nationals,  U16 and Eastern High School Championships.  The Popular Series continues this weekend with the Stratton Terrain Challenge.  The series culminates with the Rikert Grand Prix where we will host end of the year Zak and Club awards, March 18-20.

 

 

This summer NENSA announced increased emphasis and support of our Popular Race Series — with the the intention of increasing participation, bringing continuity to the Series, and highlighting member clubs throughout the East.  We also committed to adding Club Scoring to Eastern Cup weekend’s to better see the depth of clubs across all levels of NENSA’s competitive programs.  On the Popular side, twelve of the eighteen events are completed on the calendar — including Eastern Cups we are just over halfway through the season with fourteen of twenty six events held to date.  The first tab of Club scoring reflects the Eastern Cups and the second tab breaks out the Popular Races (which is similar to the historic club scoring).

 

If you look under Eastern Cup race tabs you can see breakdowns of the top five clubs by age group and gender for each race.

NENSA Ranking Pages
Scoring Rules

Popular events are the backbone of our racing community — while often low key affairs — you needn’t look too far to find spirited competition throughout the Series.  Most events have opportunities for any age of skier and we have updated Zak Cup scoring to include Senior (ages 20-29) as those our of future masters skiers!

To date 221 men and 86 women have competed in the Series — any skier who has a NENSA number is included in scoring.

There are a lot of great events in the second half of the calendar (listed below with clickable links to registration pages).  The Popular Series will wrap up with the Rikert Grand Prix hosted at the Rikert Nordic Center and Middlebury College Snow Bowl.  The Grand Prix organizers are excited to create a special three-event weekend that culminates with a hill climb and social scene at the Snow Bowl.  NENSA will be hosting year end awards for Zak and Club Cup and there will be the best raffle table of the season on Sunday, March 20th.  Stay tuned for an exciting lodging option on site at Breadloaf for the weekend!

Hard’ack Challenge – 2/19/2022 – Hard’ack Recreation Area

Craftsbury Marathon Ski Festival – 2/ 26-27 /2021 – Craftsbury Outdoor Center

New Old School Terrain Challenge – 2/27/22 – Stratton Nordic Center and Stratton Mountain School

47th Annual Mt. Washington Cup – 3/5/2022 – Bretton Woods Nordic Center

Lake Placid Loppet – 3/5/2022 – Mt. VanHovenberg

Rangeley Marathon and Burt Kettle Classic – 3/5/2022 – Rangeley Lakes Trails Center

Mansfield Nordic Club Relays – 3/12/2022 – Craftsbury Outdoor Center

Long Hall Loppet – 3/13/2022 – JacksonXC

Rikert Grand Prix – 3/18-20/2022 – Rikert Nordic, Middlebury College Snow Bowl