Kait Miller

The Women Ski Coaches Association (WSCA) celebrates all women who coach, including volunteers who work so hard to keep programs running. To honor all this hard work, the WSCA is extending free membership to all volunteer women ski coaches. If this is you, reach out HERE. If this is not you but you’d like to support the work of the WCSA with a membership, you can sign up HERE.

A little bit about the mission of the WSCA (from their website):

The Women Ski Coaches Association (WSCA) works to develop, retain, and advance women in ski coaching leadership.

DEVELOP EXEMPLARY WOMEN SKI COACHES QUALIFIED FOR LEADERSHIP POSITIONS BY

1. Recruiting female athletes that exhibit coaching potential

2. Sharing knowledge, experience, and expertise within WSCA network

3. Funding professional development opportunities to ensure all coaches have access in lieu of employment status

RETAIN WOMEN SKI COACHES BY

1. Collaborating with existing organizations to share research and stories that demonstrate why women coaches matter and facilitate a conversation around this challenging topic

2. Supporting strong female leadership at all levels of sport (local, regional, national, international governance)

3. Promoting professional standards in ski culture and attempting to change workplace norms that prevent equal opportunity

ADVANCE WOMEN SKI COACHES BY

1. Connecting women coaches and encouraging mentorship through the WSCA network

2. Educating employers on the bias women face in the hiring process by teaching people to hire women based on potential

3. Discussing career goals and providing experience based career counseling within the WSCA network

4. Stewarding career pathways for qualified women candidates in skiing leadership at all levels (local, regional, national, international) and advocating for women to fulfill crucial decision making positions when hired

Read more about the WCSA and their meaningful work HERE.

NENSA is truly honored that the Bill Koch Youth Ski League earned 4th place in the 2022 FIS SnowKidz Award announced at the FIS Congress on May 25th. This international award is presented every second year and “aims to recognize and promote the best examples of bringing children to the snow, in varying national circumstances.” This honor is truly a testament to the vision and dedication of Bill Koch himself, the tireless work of our member clubs and past NENSA staff members, and the support of our partners in Eastern ski community who have made the program what it is today.

Congratulations to the top-3 award winners: Shred Kids (Germany) in 3rd, Lumilajit Liikuttavat (Finland) in 2nd, and Alla på snö (Sweden) in 1st. Check out the FIS SnowKidz website to learn about the many wonderful organizations around the globe who are getting youth.

NENSA and The Maine Outdoor Wellness Center are thrilled to host the 4th annual Roy-llerski and fundraiser this year during the month of July 2022. The event, originally created by Jenny Wilbraham, was created in memory of Roy Varney to bring together the nordic community for support and to enjoy the sport they all shared.

This year, the event will have both virtual and in-person options, we encourage anyone that can participate with a group and make the most of it! Using the date of Roy’s passing (7/1/19), the challenge is to ski, run, or ride 71.19km OR for 71:19 (1h:11m:19s), spread over a couple of days,  weeks, or the entire month if need be. If you are in the Turner (ME) area, you can reach out to Dustin Williamson ([email protected]), Tash Varney ([email protected]), and Jenny Wilbraham ([email protected]) about in-person offerings. Folks can also reach out via the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center instagram HERE. 

There is a $10 entry fee that will be donated to Maine Outdoor Wellness Center.

Have fun, stay safe, and take the spirit of the journey with you! Sharing photos or GPS tracks over social media is highly encouraged (tag the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center and NENSA and use #forRoy).

Registrant Categories:

Rockstar: For those aiming to ski 71.19 in one shot – for time or challenge.
Speedy Repeater: Combine multiple skis to reach 71.19km.
Bill Koch/Recreational/Time Trial: Ski 7.119km non-stop or use the event as a time trial.
Art for Roy: Design the coolest fitness tracker art file to honor Roy! #forRoy
1:11:19: Ski as far as you can in 71 minutes and 19 seconds.

Register HERE and submit your activity HERE!!!

Prizes:

The first 10 registrants, 8 raffled registrants, and 2 randomly selected social promoters will win an event bag with swag from The MOWC and LL Bean.

Saturday, June 11, 2022 | Gould Academy | Bethel, ME

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.

Register HERE

Schedule:

8:45am: Gather and hand out equipment
9:00am-11:00am: Youth/BKL Rollerski Clinic * and High School Clinic **

Lunch time TBD.

* Youth/BKL Rollerski Clinic
This two hour learn-to-rollerski clinic is open to skiers 8-13 years of age and their parents/caretakers/coaches. We will go over some basic skills in both classic and skate technique before focusing on agility, including the ramp bumps, and games.

** High School Clinic
This two hour learn-to-rollerski clinic is open to skiers 14-19 years of age. Previous rollerski experience not required. We will review some basic technique before focusing on agility, including the ramp bumps.

Please direct any questions to [email protected] or [email protected].

 

NENSA is pleased to announce that the 2023 Women’s XC Ski Day will be hosted by JacksonXC in Jackson, NH on Sunday, January 22nd. This event was last held in Jackson in 2016 and we are excited to return to this fun venue. 

New England Women’s XC Ski Day was started in 2002 by former Olympian Trina Hosmer of Stowe, VT. Trina was inspired by her “Sisters in Skiing” in Anchorage, Alaska, who started the Alaska Ski for Women in 1997. Like the Alaskans’ original event, Women’s XC Ski Day chooses a non-profit women’s organization to benefit, and gathers as many participants as it can for a day of cross country skiing which includes lunch and a raffle. The highlight of the day is learn-to-ski clinics with women instructors; the emphasis being on relaxed, fun learning in a supportive and encouraging environment. All ability, skill, and experience levels are welcome. In addition to this event being open to all women, we also encourage and support the participation of nonbinary people who are comfortable in a space that centers the experience of women. NENSA hopes that Women’s Day helps bring more folx together to enjoy this wonderful sport.

Full event details and registration to follow this fall. Stay tuned to our event webpage HERE for updates.

NENSA is excited to share that the Bill Koch Ski League is a finalist for the 2022 FIS SnowKidz Award. This international award is presented every second year and “aims to recognize and promote the best examples of bringing children to the snow, in varying national circumstances.” This honor is truly a testament to the vision and dedication of Bill Koch himself, the tireless work of our member clubs and past NENSA staff members, and the support of our partners in Eastern ski community who have made the program what it is today. 

The top-3 award winners will be announced live at the FIS Congress on May 26th so stay tuned!

This past winter, young skiers all across the east from Buffalo, NY to Moosehead, ME participated in NENSA’s second annual virtual XC Ski Bingo game completing activities ranging from night skiing to backcountry skiing to three-legged skiing. This year, with open borders, everyone participated on one card although participants could get Bingo by completing a row or column of activities without leaving their home state or their own backyard! Participation grew this year with 71 unique participants skiing in 6 states (MA, ME, NH, NY, VT, and WI) in 2 countries (US and Canada) at 64 different ski areas! The smiles and stories shared by participants were inspiring and heartwarming, and we were truly excited to see how many young people got outside to play on their skis. 

Like last year, we think the participants and their families tell their stories better themselves. So without further delay, here is some of what they had to share: 

“Our backcountry ski was right out our front door and to some tree farm trails we have never explored before! It was so much fun and felt adventurous even though we were close to home.”

“​​Love racing my sisters up the hills!”

“I loved playing ‘Fire In The Forest’ with my friends in Bill Koch club!  I made pizza for a snack when I went backcountry skiing with my sister. I like cold pizza and cold snow.”

“So exciting trying night skiing for the first time, we loved it!!!”

“We had fun building jumps with our BKL club after the big snow storm!”

“Saw a horse and cows while skiing!!!”

“I am lucky because I get to ski two or three times every week. My grandma let me use her trail tracker app to log how many miles we ski.”

“We made a family human slalom course and didn’t use our poles all day! It was hard work but really fun.”

“I was able to ski with Gretchen the Grouse at Prospect.”

“Had a blast at Alleghany winter cabins this year on open trails to skijour with the dog!”

“My brother and I would “compete” at our Bill Koch practices to see who could complete the most items on our Bingo list. This is my first time skiing and I really love my Bill Koch friends. I even raced for the first time at the Festival this weekend and had a great time!” 

“I kept asking Mom to bring me to the lantern ski at Great Brook, but there was no snow when we were able to go. I was so determined to night ski that I took my skis and hit the trails behind my house.”

“Zeke knew that he needed to ski to the high point to get Bingo, so it provided the extra encouragement to push a little farther on a beautiful day. The reward was a super fun downhill where he squealed with delight and finished with a huge smile on his face. And his 3.5 year old brother, who was being pulled in a chariot, also loved the fun and fast downhill. Family memories to cherish and finish the ski season on a very high note!”

“My favorite bingo activity was the 3-legged race! My friend and I did it and tried to skate! Classic would’ve been a better choice, but it was so fun! We laughed so hard the whole time! I thought we were going to fall over from laughing.”

We are grateful to the families and ski areas that supported participants in their many activities. And we are also grateful our NENSA sponsors for providing fantastic Bingo raffle prizes.

Click below for an album with more Bingo photos to see what the players have been up to all winter and happy spring!

PHOTOS

Even in the face of challenging and changeable conditions, the athletes at Eastern U16 Championships this past weekend in Jackson, NH showed determination, strength, camaraderie, team spirit, and support. Eastern U16 Championship is the premier event for U16 cross country ski racers in New England and New York. The goal of the Eastern U16 Championships is to provide the highest quality competition for U16 athletes to learn and develop as skiers and people. Eastern U16 Champs (U16s) began modestly in 1992 and has grown into one of the highlights of the season for junior athletes. This past weekend one moment in particular stood out as a moment that exemplified what U16s is all about. As the last relay racer finisher in the final race of the weekend entered the stadium, the athletes who had already finished lined up along the finishing strait to cheer him in and a group of competitors from another state ran along the fence yelling encouragement all the way to line. 

This past weekend’s even hosted by JacksonXC was a slightly shortened version of the typical event and featured a 5k wave freestyle race Saturday followed by a 1.2k freestyle sprint and a mixed gender classic relay Saturday. Below are the top-10 results for the individual races and the top-5 for the relay as well as the top-3 overall individual standings. While we are highlighting these finishes, we want to take a moment to acknowledge every athlete who stepped onto the start line this weekend and tried their hardest out there on the race course.

Girls 5k Freestyle
1. Ava Schneider, VT
2. Nyla Scott, ME
3. Reese Furneaux, ME
4. Addi Englund, NH
5. Hannah Petersen, MA
6. Frances Tucker, MA
7. Rowan Tanguay, ME
8. Sarah Glueck, NH
9. Ruth Krebs, VT
10. Vienna Mahar, MA

Boys 5k Freestyle
1. James Underwood, VT
2. David Northcott, NH
3. Abrahm Geissinger, ME
4. Oliver Swabey, MA
5. Oliver Wilson, NH
6. Charlie Kehler, VT
7. Alexander Scopinich-Burgel, MA
8. Henri McCourt, ME
9. Sam Currie, MA
10. Baxter Harrington, VT

Girls Sprint
1. Nyla Scott, ME
2. Frances Tucker, MA
3. Sarah Glueck, NH
4. Ava Schneider, VT
5. Sara McGill, VT
6. Ruth Krebs, VT
7. Ella Ronci, NH
8. Sadie Bell, VT
9. Reese Furneaux, ME
10. Sylvia Harvey, ME

Boys Sprint
1. Niko Cuneo, VT
2. Oliver Wilson, NH
3. Alexander Scopinich-Burgel, MA
4. Quinn Uva, VT
5. Oliver Swabey, MA
6. Charlie Kehler, VT
7. James Underwood, VT
8. Teo Steverlynck-Horne, ME
9. Andrew Krieger, MA
10. Matthew Clarner, NH

Girls Overall
1. Nyla Scott, ME
2. Ava Schneider, VT
3. Frances Tucker, MA

Boys Overall
1. James Underwood, VT
2. Oliver Wilson, NH
3. Alexander Scopinich-Burgel, MA

Mixed Classic Relay
1. NH 1: Sarah Glueck, Oliver Wilson, Addi Englund & David Northcott,
2. VT 1: Ava Schneider, Charlie Kehler, Ruth Krebs & James Underwood
3. ME 1: Nyla Scott, Abrahm Geissinger, Reese Furneaux, & Henri McCourt
4. VT 2: Sadie Bell, Quinn Uva, Sara McGill & Niko Cuneo
5. MA 1: Frances Tucker, Alexander Scopinich-Burgel, Sarah Kirincich & Sam Currie

Congratulations to Team New Hampshire on the overall win in a tight competition! The points spread between teams was one of the closest in years.

Full Results (including team scores) | Event Photos

Additional event photos courtesy of Tom Bartol:

Girl’s 5K Freestyle | Boys’s 5K Freestyle | Girl’s Sprint | Boy’s Sprint |Relay | Awards

We want to take a moment to thank JacksonXC for preparing amazing courses this weekend and for hosting a fun event. We also want to thank our NENSA sponsors for their ongoing support of our Championship events, Eastern Amateur Educational Foundation (EASEF) for supporting athletes all across the East in attending U16 Champs, and Bullitt Timing for stellar data management and event timing. And last but not least, thank you to all the athlete and coaches for bringing your energy, enthusiasm, and love of skiing to this event!

After two years of anticipation, the “Soar Over Snow” BKL Festival surpassed all expectations! With well over 500 participants, this was the second largest Festival in over 6 years with children traveling to Maine from as far away as Rochester, NY. The host District, Maine, set a participation record for their District with over 160 Maine children taking part in the festivities. The BKL Festival had something for everyone with live birds presentations from Chewonki featuring two rehabilitating owls, laser biathlon with US Biathlon, an obstacle course, a Bump Jump, a Mini-Marathon with a bird search, a club parade of skiers, and races. And to top off the weekend, a real live Bald Eagle soared over the stadium for all to see!

On the racing front, Saturday featured the relay event which kicked off under bluebird skies and Sunday saw the individual start races.  Spirits were high the entire weekend and even a bit of rain on Sunday couldn’t wipe the smiles off skiers’ faces.

Camaraderie, community, and joy were omnipresent at this celebratory youth ski event and photos speak louder than words to convey that.

We are so grateful to Quarry Road Trails and the City of Waterville for being incredible hosts. The BKL Organizing Committee dedicated considerable time, energy, and expertise to the planning and implementation of this event and the number of volunteers who stepped in to help was inspiring. We are also incredibly grateful to all the NENSA sponsors who support this event and we were honored to have Fischer and Skida join us in-person.

And last but not least, a huge thank you to all the participants, parents/caregivers, and coaches who joined us in Waterville, Maine. We hope to see you all again next year!

Race Results | Photos from Flying Point Road

 

We are honored that US Ski and Snowboard chose our NENSA Bill Koch Youth Ski League as the 2022 USA nominee for the FIS SnowKidz award! The vision of FIS SnowKidz is that “All children between the ages of four and fourteen should have the chance to experience the fascination of snow.” Other nominated programs include “Ski School Education Program” in Andorra, “Snow Moves!” in Finland, “Shred Kids” in Germany, “Moe’s Wintersport Club” in the Netherlands, “Mision Sandkids” in Peru, “My First Snow Day” in Spain, “Everyone on Snow” in Sweden, and “Simon Ammann Jump Parcours” in Switzerland.

Stay tuned for the Top 8 announcement from FIS SnowKidz on May 1st, 2022.