New England Nordic Ski Association

The Home of Cross Country Skiing in New England

Donorship & Fundraising

NENSA Winter Drive ’25 is Live!

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Dear NENSA Community,

Thank you for being a part of the New England ski community! Our work is made possible and our community vibrant through your participation, volunteerism, leadership, and engagement. As we head into winter, we are kicking off our annual fundraising drive and asking for your support to help NENSA continue to grow and thrive.

winter drive ’25: donate here

Last year, thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we achieved remarkable milestones:

  • Our Nordic Rocks program introduced skiing to over 6,000 elementary students, sparking a lifelong love for winter sports.
  • The BKL Festival welcomed 730 children and their families, creating unforgettable memories and fostering a strong foundation for lifelong skiing.

These efforts lay the groundwork for incredible achievements on the national and international stage:

  • At the Junior level, New England has won the prestigious Alaska Cup, awarded to the top division at the U.S. Cross Country Ski National Championships, 16 out of the last 20 years.
  • On the global stage, 30% of U.S. Cross Country Olympians in the last two Olympic cycles grew up in NENSA’s youth and junior development programs.

With membership and program revenue covering less than 50% of our operating needs, annual giving is critical to sustaining the year-round programs that make cross-country skiing in New England accessible to all — from young lollipoppers to Olympic champions.

This year’s Winter Drive ‘25 is live through the end of the year, and we’ve set an ambitious goal to ensure NENSA’s continued impact. Your gift — in any amount — helps us keep our community Skiing Better Together and brings the joy of skiing to thousands across New England.

On behalf of the NENSA team, Board of Directors, and the community itself, I thank you – sincerely – for supporting NENSA!

With gratitude,
Heidi Lange
Executive Director

Donations to the Annual Fund Drive directly support NENSA’s year-round programming, help subsidize low- and no-cost initiatives, and ensure our New England ski community remains vibrant and inclusive. These operating funds enable critical programming and services, including:

  • Introductory programming including learn-to-ski clinics and NENSA Nordic Rocks, an elementary school-based program targeting underserved communities
  • Community focused events such as Women’s XC Ski Day, the BKL Festival, the Zak/Club Cup, Marathon Series, and Rollerski Series
  • Coaches education
  • Bill Koch League curriculum and club support
  • Technical Delegate education and coordination
  • Event Organizer support and education
  • Venue and event consulting
  • Club development and support
  • Championship opportunities such as the Eastern Cup Series, U16 Championships, Eastern High School Championships, and the New England Junior National Team
  • Athlete development projects such as invitational Regional Elite Group and Regional Development Group summer camps
  • Year round programming through rollerski clinics, training opportunities, camp visits, and a race series
  • Weekly newsletters that publish and share the content that connects our community

John Ogden Endowment: NEW Matching Challenge!

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We are delighted to announce a NEW matching challenge for the John Ogden endowment campaign!

A generous donor has offered a 3:1 match on any new contributions up to a total of $50,000 raised for the campaign by March 8.

At $573,677, we are just over 75% of the way to our 2023-24 season goal of $750,000

This will get us over the finish line!

This is a historic season in so many ways. The World Cup has just returned to N. America and to U.S. soil for the first time in over 20 years and features SEVEN skiers who got their start in the New England Bill Koch Youth Ski League: Julia Kern, Ben Ogden, Brian Bushey, Will Koch, Alex Lawson, Ava Thurston, and Jack Young. 

At the Junior level, Tabor Greenberg recently returned from the Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, S. Korea. Amelia Circosta competed at the U18 Nordic Nations Cup in Falun, Sweden. New Englanders Jack Lange, Sofia Scirica, Ava Thurston, and Evie Walton represented one-third of the U.S. team at World Junior Ski Championships in Planica, Slovenia last week. Across these events, these New England BKL alums posted several top 10 and podium results!

These pinnacle achievements are rooted in something much deeper: foundational programming and a culture that inspires joy and engagement. John was a passionate advocate for a welcoming, healthy, and fun youth sport culture. The values he championed are the pulse of the New England ski community from children making their first tracks at school or BKL practice to top World Cup and Olympic skiers. 

Please help us reach our goal!

Your gift – of any amount – if made by March 8, will be matched 3:1. 

CONTRIBUTE

Our fundraising efforts for 2023-24 are entirely focused on this special campaign and honoring and celebrating the enduring contributions John made to our sport and to our community. 

Announcing The John Ogden Youth and Introductory Program Endowment

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NENSA trustees and the Ogden family are thrilled to announce the endowment of NENSA’s youth programming position, the John Ogden Youth & Introductory Program Director.

Made possible through the legacy John left and the overwhelming response of family, friends, and dedicated supporters, the endowment secures the future of NENSA by supporting the growth & health of youth programming.

In a seminar for BKL coaches, John Ogden proposed this guiding principle, inspired by a Ben and Jerry’s bumper sticker, “If it’s not fun why do it?”. That wisdom and insight guided him throughout decades spent with NENSA as a skier, coach, parent, and board member. John was a loud and passionate champion of FUN youth and introductory ski programming.

He believed that teaching kids how to love sport was infinitely more important than teaching them to excel. His goal was always to develop happy, healthy humans rather than elite athletes. Even so, he ended up fostering an environment within his own home club and throughout NENSA that boasts a community encompassing everyone from top-level Olympic skiers to the thousands of New England kids who try skiing for the first time each winter through NENSA’s Nordic Rocks Program.

Leading by example

John’s contributions to NENSA and specifically to the youth and introductory programming continue to inspire and guide the work happening today.

Through a named, endowed position, we wish to honor John, to keep his insight and vision interwoven in our programming, and to secure the future of NENSA by supporting the growth of our Youth & Introductory programs. The John Ogden Youth and Introductory Programming Director staff position at NENSA will be partially funded through a permanent endowment in John’s name. 

Inspiring festivity and joy at countless BKL Festivals. Great Glen, 2012.

We invite you to join the family and dear friends of John and of NENSA in remembering John as we embark on this exciting project. We have a short-term goal in the first phase of this campaign to raise $750,000 and an eventual goal to fully fund the position. In order to do that, we aim to reach $1,500,000.

We are so grateful to this community and to the Ogden family for their ongoing support and guidance as we work to capture John’s energy and passion, ensuring it remains at the center of our work as an organization. 

Sharing the joy of skiing at West River BKL with so many fortunate kids,
not least of which his own.
A joyous day in Rumford, January 2023.
John (running the show with his company, Bullitt Timing) with (L > R) Charlotte (raising the bar on the EISA circuit at John’s alma mater), Katharine (leading and inspiring the next generation of skiers at her local club), and Ben (taking the world by storm on the World Cup).

So, get out and ski when it snows, maybe take some kids with you,

and please help us to seed this endowment

and memorialize John’s legacy. 

contribute
share a memory

Thank You!

Much gratitude and art, photo, and video credits to (in the order included):
John Ogden Youth & Introductory Program Director Mackenzie Rizio, Grace Rizio, Steve Fuller,
Tamra Mooney, Grant and Jill Braddish, Heather Mooney,
Heidi Lange, Alex Jospe, and Tim Van Orden.

The 2023 NENSA Winter Auction is Live Through December 3

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NENSA’s annual Winter Auction is LIVE and features over 150 items. Check out all of the wonderful offerings…art and handcrafted items, vacation rentals, special experiences, delicious treats, ski gear, clothing, and accessories…and watch for new arrivals. There is something special for everyone and we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters for their generous contributions.

2023 NENSA WINTER AUCTION

Funds raised in NENSA’s annual auction are crucial for advancing our mission and directly support daily operations beyond what membership and entry fees cover.

The auction runs for two weeks only through December 3. Please keep an eye on the site for new items and thank you for supporting NENSA!

2022 NENSA Auction is Live

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NENSA’s annual Winter Auction is LIVE and features over 170 items. Check out all of the wonderful offerings…art and handcrafted items, vacation rentals, special experiences, delicious treats, ski gear, clothing, and accessories…and watch for new arrivals. There is something special for everyone!

We will be highlighting individual items along the way, but would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters for their generous contributions. All proceeds directly support our year-round programming and keep membership and entry fees low.

Thank you for supporting NENSA!

Thank you to our valued NENSA Partners