Kait Miller

This December we were psyched to see Bingo submissions from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont! We even had a few skiers complete multiple Bingos. Collectively, Bingo players skied at Sleepy Hollow, Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Smugglers Notch, Great Glen Trails, Great Brook Ski Touring Center, Weston Ski Track, and Notchview and we wanted to share a few of their wonderful photos.

Speaking of photos, we LOVE the activity photos we’ve received so far but are no longer requiring them on the Bingo Entry Form. Do include them if you have photos and want to share. Otherwise, no worries!

Another important update… we have 5 lucky winners from our December raffle who will be receiving an LL Bean Pom Hat or Gift Card in the mail very soon. We’ll have raffles all winter long so there’s plenty of time to play and send in a card! Visit our website to print your own MA, ME, NH, NY, or VT Bingo card!                     .

 

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 Fred Griffin as our deserving 2020 John Caldwell Award recipient.

Fred has been involved in the New England ski community for over a quarter century and served as NENSA’s first executive director, a position he held for 8 years (1996-2004). Fred also coached Northeast Nordic for 20 years, coached BFA Fairfax (both running and skiing) for 23 years, led numerous U16 and Eastern High School Championship teams for Vermont and New Hampshire, and he has been teaching English for the past 23 years, and worked as a special-needs coordinator at the Galen Center.  In addition, during the winter of 2002-03, Fred co-founded the technical delegate program with Jim Rodrigues. Fred’s friend and former athlete, Jennie Bender, describes Fred as a life coach, a master gardener, an adventure guru, an ultimate frisbee coach, and a loving husband among many other things.

While Fred’s resume is impressive, what stands out most is who he is as a person and how he impacts those around him as he moves through life in the many spheres he occupies.  Fred has touched the lives of so many people in the ski world and beyond that I could fill pages with why he is deserving of this award. However, as my freshman and sophomore English teacher, Fred taught me that more is not necessarily better so I will try my best to be concise.

Fred is a dedicated, inspiring, and motivating individual who leads by example and galvanizes those around him into action. As Jennie described, “Fred sparks the fire in hearts wherever he goes because his inner fire for maximizing life burns strong and steady. He has a knack for making hard work fun, and guiding kids to find their grit, all the while genuinely connecting with people.” Fred challenges those he works with to grow as people and not just as athletes. Jennie shared that Fred kept those around him on their toes and taught hundreds of kids the value of confidence, being true to yourself, and believing in your abilities. Fred held his athletes to a high standard and enabled them to tackle more than they thought possible challenging them with 8 hour canoe trips, backcountry ski adventures, 2am crust cruises under a full moon, and 6am camp yoga sessions. As Jennie notes “you either thought he was a little crazy, or amazing, or both.”

Another friend and former athlete of Fred’s, Julia Snyder, shared similar sentiments about Fred making special note of his inclusive nature. “Fred truly believed that every member of the team contributed equally to the success of the season and on bus rides, Fred would walk the length of the bus and stop at each seat to talk to every person on the team. He saw his athletes and students as people first.” Julia noted that Fred reinforced his belief that being fun, team-oriented, kind, and supportive is what defines you, not your ability in the sport. Through this culture of inclusivity, Fred turned many non-athletes into life-long athletes.

The culture Fred fostered on his teams has had significant and long-lasting impacts on those he worked with. Jennie noted that Fred has developed hundreds of high schoolers into well rounded, kind, adventurous humans. Another former athlete of Fred’s, Heather Peatman, reflected that “Fred takes in kids from all walks of life and renovates them into individuals that are mature, free-thinking adults with strong leadership and team skills.” Jennie says that she tries to harness Fred’s energy in her own coaching and life, because “giving it your all is truly the best way to live. Fred will always be my inspiration.”

In addition to being inspiring, motivating, and inclusive, Fred is also a generous and adaptable man. Every year 20 to 30 of Fred’s skiers participated in the sport on loaned equipment thanks to a team gear recycling program organized by Fred. Friend and coworker, Dan Warner (Mouse) shared that “Fred always gives his time to make things better for everyone. A true leader!”

While Fred has recently retired from teaching and coaching, he has poured his energy into other outlets. Julia notes that Fred isn’t one to mourn losses. Rather, he pivots and adapts turning each loss into a new avenue for adventure. This sentiment is reflected in NENSA Board President, Carol Van Dyke’s observation that Fred’s “maniacal enthusiasm is ever vigorous as he is currently focused on the innovative Farm to School project at BFA Fairfax where the gardens are prolific, beehives are buzzing, compost is moldering, free-range chickens are laying their eggs and his renowned garlic heads gloriously grow.”

Fred fully embodies the spirit, dedication, innovation, and pride of John Caldwell, and we truly cannot think of a more deserving candidate for this award. While it is difficult to describe such a complex and multifaceted person in one sentence, I’ll end with this very fitting attempt by Carol: “Fred cares about all people holistically, and humorously goads them to be their best. He is the consummate teacher of all: from how to read and write, how to ski and run, how to coach and be coached, how to be a TD, and most importantly how to be a good and kind person with pizazz, aplomb and a bombastic dash of shock and awe.”

 

 

 

This past Sunday, a strong field of Mainers toed the line at Quarry Road Trails for an individual start classic race. The course was in fantastic shape thanks to the hard work of the snowmakers and groomers. All event attendees complied with NENSA, state, and venue COVID regulation in addition to completing pre-event and morning-of screening processes to ensure the event was as safe as possible. Below are the results highlights with links to full results. Stay tuned for a lengthier recap, including photos, later this week. Thanks to the Quarry Road crew for putting on a fun event and to Bullitt for the excellent timing!

 

Top-3 U16 Girls (full results here)
1) Kayley Bell, Caribou High School
2) Elise Creagan, Agamenticus Ski Club
3) Annie Bergeron, Yarmouth High School

Top-3 U16 Boys (full results here)
1) Ellis Slover, Quarry Road Ski Club
2) Luke Streinz, Quarry Road Ski Club
3) Benjamin Condit, Quarry Road Ski Club

Top-3 Open Women (full results here)
1) Abigail Streinz, Fort Kent Outdoor Center
2) Emma Charles, Quarry Road Ski Club
3) Hannah Chipman, FKOC/Ford Sayre

Top-3 Open Men (full results here)
1) Daniel Streinz
2) Andrew Siegel, Bethel Outing Club
3) Caden Cote, Quarry Road Ski Club

 

This race is one of the many events counting towards club standings for A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. Stay tuned for more events to come, including virtual options. Club standings will be updated soon! Thanks to Marty and Kathy Hall for this exciting incentive.

Video recap and full rankings (Junior Ranking List, Club) coming for your Christmas pleasure!

We have moved Women’s XC Ski Day from Sunday January 24th 2021 to Sunday February 21st 2021. Our priority is keeping everyone as safe and healthy as possible, and we believe we will have a better chance of hosting the whole event in each state, and that our events will be safer, if we postpone by a month. We are also keenly aware that such an event is not possible right now in Vermont and we are waiting to see how those regulations change. We appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we navigate this uncertain winter!

We still have space available for Vermonter’s in the Woodstock event, and if you’re based in Massachusetts, Maine, or New Hampshire, you can add yourself to the event-specific waitlist under registration.

We also want to let registrants and future registrants know that, thanks to UnTapped, we will be offering pre-packaged Maple Chai Waffle snacks at Women’s Day this year! And don’t forget about the fuzzy LL Bean flannel shirt also included in registration…

 

Click HERE for full event details and reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions!

 

NENSA is thrilled and honored to be a 2020/21 Share Winter Foundation Grantee. The Share Winter Foundation is a grantmaking organization working to improve the lives, health, and fitness of youth through winter sports, and their generous support funds our Nordic Rocks and other youth programming.

The Nordic Rocks program provides elementary school students, regardless of their background, with the opportunity to experience cross country skiing during the school day, with their teachers and classmates, and to learn the health and lifestyle benefits associated with exercise and outdoor fun. NENSA assists each Nordic Rocks school with a ski curriculum and resources, teaching support, and equipment acquisition. This winter, thanks to Madshus, we are testing some new prototype equipment with a hopeful eye towards up-leveling the quality and accessibility of program ski equipment in the future. The goal of Nordic Rocks is not only to introduce more young people to skiing by mitigating potential barriers to entry, but to also provide a pathway for students to continue skiing at local ski centers and within local youth ski leagues. We want to support our Nordic Rocks program participants in becoming lifelong skiers!

NENSA is truly grateful for Share Winter’s support so we can continue offering opportunities for young people to appreciate the many joy of cross country skiing. While we are no longer adding schools for the 2020/21 season, please reach out to [email protected] if you know of a school interested in the program for 2021/22. You can also consider donating to the Share Winter Foundation to help ensure programs like Nordic Rocks can continue serving young people for years to come.

We know many folks are facing challenges with how to run their BKL programs this year during the pandemic. Some clubs are already running practice, some are just starting up, and some have been recently shut down. If you haven’t seen it already, you can check out our BKL COVID-19 Best Practices Guide. To build on the information in this guide, NENSA is hosting a virtual BKL Leader Forum on Tuesday December 1st at 5:30pm so leaders can ask questions, share ideas, and learn from each other. We don’t have to tackle these challenges alone! This forum can also serve as a platform for leaders to connect with one another to plan future events whether in person or virtually. This year will require some creativity and out-of-the-box thinking and we believe our BKL community’s got what it takes.

If you are a BKL leader/coach and want to attend the forum, please email [email protected] for the Zoom link.

 

NENSA is psyched to be partnering with LL Bean and some northeastern Ski Centers in a fun, free, engaging youth cross country ski game this winter: XC Ski Bingo! We realize almost all of you are still waiting for snow… so while you wait you can start planning how you’ll get Bingo. Every few weeks we will raffle off LL Bean US Ski Team Pom Hats and $20 LL Bean gifts cards to players who completed Bingo. Players can submit more than one Bingo throughout the season if each one is unique.

Download and print the Bingo card for your state and get ready for some winter adventuring. Be sure to fill out the BINGO ENTRY FORM when you get Bingo. We’ve got Bingo cards specific to Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont with local Ski Centers to ski at and fun activities to complete. Activity descriptions and info about participating Ski Centers included in the Bingo card downloads below.

Massachusetts | Maine | New Hampshire | New York | Vermont

Rules of the Game:

1. Must be under 14 years of age to play.
2. Game runs from December 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.
3. Get “Bingo” by completing the activities and skiing at the Centers in a full row, column, or diagonal.
4. Document your activities and the Ski Centers you skied at with photos and mark your Bingo card.
5. Fill out the Bingo entry form once you’ve completed Bingo. You will include your activity and Ski Center photos and a picture of your marked Bingo card.
6. Follow all state COVID-19 Regulations: MA, ME, NH, NY, or VT.
7. Get outside and HAVE FUN!!!
8. Direct any questions to [email protected]

We will be announcing our 2020 NENSA Award Recipients over the next month and are kicking things off with the BKL Leadership award. Read on and stay tuned!

The Bill Koch League Leadership Award is given out every year to someone from our ski community who we feel embodies the fun, community minded, lifelong approach to skiing. This could be a coach, a parent, a club leader, a volunteer, or an official; the New England Bill Koch League is sustained by a large group of adults who give their time and energy to the sport that they love. This year we are thrilled to be giving the award to Kate Parrott of Chesterfield, MA and the Berkshire Trails BKL Club.

If you’ve been to a New England Bill Koch League Festival in the past few years, chances are you’ve seen Kate in the vicinity of the start corral. Whether helping skiers to get lined up in the correct order, or leading those skiers in a group dance or jumping jacks routine to keep them warm before their start – her calm and commanding presence helps skiers feel at ease in what could be an otherwise stressful situation, and has been a welcome addition to the stadium area.

On top of being a coach and Club Leader for Berkshire Trails, Kate serves as NENSA’s BKL District Chair for Western Massachusetts, a volunteer position that has her serving on a committee with NENSA staff and other chairs from around New England. The committee acts as a sounding board for NENSA’s decisions on BKL philosophy, a decider for the festival location, and a direct link to the coaches within the different districts and clubs. Kate’s voice on the committee is always thoughtful and focused on keeping the spirit of fun alive within the New England Bill Koch League.

When she’s not serving on the BKL committee, coaching, or parenting (Kate’s daughter Sophie will be an 8th Grader this year, and skis for the Berkshire Trails BKL Club), Kate is a middle school science teacher in the Northampton, MA school district. She also runs a farm specializing in sustainably healthy products, with the intent to provide a platform to share agricultural experiences and demystify food production.

We feel lucky to have Kate in our New England Bill Koch League community – congratulations Kate on the 2020 New England Bill Koch League Leadership Award!

We are happy to still be offering Women’s XC Ski Day this year! We are keenly aware of the pandemic and are following all changing COVID regulations. We will continue to be be adaptable, follow all regulations, and adjust to whatever extent necessary for everyone’s safety and wellbeing. We are currently planning to offer five smaller Women’s XC Ski Day events across VT, NH, MA, and ME on January 24th. We ask that participants register for the event closest to them in their home state. If you are not from one of the four states offering a clinic (or if your state’s event is full), please register in a state that you can get to in accordance with COVID travel regulations. We will be vetting registrants for everyone’s safety and we greatly appreciate your cooperation. Please note that there is no day-of registration this year.

We are excited to share that LL Bean is generously providing every Women’s Day participant with a NENSA monogrammed flannel. Women’s Day Skida hats are available for purchase on the registration page and the pre-purchased hats, along with flannels, will be distributed at every venue. Each Women’s Day event will also include a fun prize raffle and tasty bagged to-go lunches. You can read about changes to our clinic offerings for 2021 HERE and learn about equipment rentals at each venue HERE.

Women’s XC Ski Day 2021 Venues:
MA: Weston Ski Track
ME: Inland Woods + Trails (formerly Bethel Village Trails)
NH: JacksonXC & Waterville Valley Adventure Center
VT: Woodstock Inn and Resort

Register HERE!!! We recommend registering sooner rather than later. We believe Women’s Day will be quite popular this year and the registration number is capped to ensure we meet gathering size limits and provide a high quality instructional experience. If the event is cancelled, we will offer refunds. If registration is full, you can email Kait Miller ([email protected]) to be added to a waitlist. This year’s event is different than in past years and we want you to be well prepared so please visit our event website (or read the event notes on SkiReg) for full details including important information about NENSA’s COVID Guidelines and health screening requirements.

 

During a productive Junior Committee Meeting, the decision was officially made to move to a state-based model for U16 and Eastern High School Championships. Many factors contributed to this decision including a desire for as many skiers as possible to be able to partake. NENSA will work with each state to host championship events that fits safely within their state’s COVID guidelines. Plans are in the works for the exact format of these events but will likely include a unique challenge event in addition to racing, with metrics that facilitate competition between the states.  We are actively working towards a concrete plan within this new structure and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we all navigate this new world. Our goal is to offer fun, inclusive, and, above all, safe events this season. We will keep you posted as our planning progresses and we have more details to share!

Please note that Titcomb Mountain in Farmington, Maine is the official 2022 EHSC host and the Fort Kent Outdoor Center in Fort Kent, Maine is the official 2022 U16 Champs host. We are grateful to these two organizations for their flexibility and understanding, and look forward to working with them next winter!