NENSA's 30th Anniversary

When I ask longtime Holderness coach Peter Hendel what has kept him involved with NENSA through the entire 30 years of our existence, he provides the pitch perfect answer, “The kids. The motivation has always been the kids, even if I enjoy the administrative stuff.”

The kids, the kids, and admin. It’s proved to be a perfect three-beat for Hendel to waltz through thirty years in the ski community, in what amounts to a momentous contribution to the sport. Alongside John Caldwell, Scottie Eliassen, Joe Walsh, and Fred Griffin, Hendel founded NENSA in 1995. Thirty years in, he has never left his position advising the organization as a member of our Board of Directors.

That accomplishment is just a humble note in his contributions to the NENSA community. Hendel succeeded Steve Gaskill as coach at the Holderness School in the early 1990s while managing Math teaching duties, and quickly took to developing the sport. He found another math teacher, a like-minded, ambitious colleague in John Caldwell, “JC” as he continuously refers to him, and kindled the spark which led to NENSA’s formation in the early 1990s.

“There was a build towards the idea of NENSA,” says Hendel when I caught up with him. “We had decided a few years earlier to start the J2, now U16, Championships because us coaches felt there wasn’t a good pipeline to keep skiers active for the entire ski season.”

Hendel was athlete-minded then, and is now, saying that “the transition between Middle School and High School skiing made that a natural point where we were spending a lot of energy thinking about what would keep skiers involved in the sport. I was leading the Junior Olympics trip at the time, and thought it was a little ridiculous we were sending skiers across the country at that age to validate that they were competitive. Performance at that age is not predictive of future performance.”

When the then US Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) experienced budget cuts following the 1994 Olympics, Caldwell started to move fast on incorporating an organization that would keep membership revenue in the East, rather than sending it out West.

“USSA at the time had swings from wanting a centralized national approach to a decentralized approach for skier development. Having been through many of those swings, JC was the most willing of us to put forward that we could stop being caught in those philosophy changes if we had a clear, defined, successful approach of our own.”

That approach became NENSA. Hendel signed the articles of incorporation and agreed to take on some Treasurer duties. Thirty years later, he is still keeping the books in every sense of the word.

Working with Peter is perfectly perched position. A question on operating budgets is liable to become a rich history lesson. Those at NENSA are all the luckier for it.

“It’s been slow and steady progress,” he says on the progression of NENSA to the active community it is today. “From my perspective, I distinctly remember when Volvo agreed to a sponsorship grant in 1996. It was the moment of relief. We, and mostly our employee at the time, [Zach Caldwell], went from the focus having to be on keeping this fledgling organization solvent to running ski programming.”

Hendel also marks out that shift as one which allowed creativity to flow towards athlete development. “[Holderness] had a strong team in 1997…and we were up at Sugarloaf for the first JNQ,” he relays. “We hadn’t yet convinced the college teams that it worth racing with the juniors like we do at Eastern Cups today, so they started before the NENSA field, but they were in the same race, and same course. I was standing with Bud Fisher (retired Williams College coach) and Cory Schwartz (retired University of New Hampshire Coach) when the Holderness girls passed. I asked Bud, ‘how do they look?’ And he goes, “like they’re beating our college girls!” They did, and Cory went, ‘it’s healthy that they see this,’ and I mark that as a beginning where we came around to the idea that athletes in the same field meant they all pushed and developed at their own pace.”

Through fads, philosophies, and lots of ideas tried and scraped, Hendel remains committed to the idea that a healthy NENSA means a healthy ski community in New England:

“I think there is a wonderful sense of community and that wasn’t always present thirty years ago today, I do feel that skiing in New England is stronger than it has ever been, and I think that is because of the community belief in NENSA.” – Peter Hendel

As for Hendel, he continues to dance along with the organization he has humbly served for thirty years. Last weekend, in preparation for the Cheri Walsh Memorial at Holderness School next weekend, he sent a video of the snowmaking operations, along with a text “I took a ski around the 2.5 k, and the snowmaking looks awesome. Tremendous amount accomplished.”

When this Eastern Cup season kicks off next weekend, we might all be able to echo the same about the steady, hard-working coach who has been part of it for over thirty years; Peter Hendel.

A version of this article will appear in the forthcoming Cross-Country Ski Magazine, 45.1

By: Ben Theyerl

John Caldwell didn’t exactly stand up in Faneuil Hall and shout, ‘Give me klister, or give me death,’ but it was something close.

The old issues of taxation and representation flared in the frozen world of cross country skiing following the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. In Norway that year, US Skiing surprised itself. After a decade-long Olympic drought, the Alpine Team netted four medals. For the Cross Country team though, the Games were a nadir. The then US Ski Association (now US Ski and Snowboard, USSS) faced budget cuts, and now had a direction to aim them. Rumors of the national association dropping the Cross Country discipline entirely started to creep.

New Englanders cradled another revolution. Instead of looking to Boston harbor though, they turned up to the Green Mountains of Vermont. The region had produced a host of world-class skiers a generation earlier including Martha Rockwell, Tim Caldwell, and Bill Koch, a 1976 Olympic silver medalist. John Caldwell and a cadre of coaches felt they had never lost the blueprint.

“Those coaches stubbornly believed that ‘yes, you can produce world championship medalists right here,’” says Fred Griffin, a Vermont coach who was present at 1995 Stratton Mountain School meeting where the articles of incorporation (or independence if you like) were signed for the new New England Nordic Ski Association, NENSA.

At its outset, NENSA had a barebones directive. Organize races, then take the revenue from those races, and re-invest them in New England, rather than sending them to Utah. Griffin, who would serve as the organization’s first Executive Director, saw the historic rhythm playing out, “the conversation turned from head taxes to declarations on the rights of all skiers pretty quickly.”

John Caldwell and his nephew Zach Caldwell, hired as NENSA’s Program Director, took stock of the region. New England didn’t lack races. Those races though, lacked direction. Griffin remembers, “There was Masters racers tucked in pockets and the Bill Koch League (BKL) was moving on its own…high school racing though, was a wasp’s nest!”

John Caldwell was already a grizzled veteran of the ongoing debates: “I want us to think big, BIG picture…not argue about whether the U14s should race 2k or 3k, or whether the season should end on March 3^rd or March 4^th” he wrote to his new Board of Directors in the Fall of 1995 – a group containing Caldwell, Griffin, Scottie Eliasson (Ford Sayre), Joe Walsh (Ford Sayre), and Peter Hendel (Holderness).

The solution was to organize a common touchpoint where whole region could race together at onc. It would also regularize Junior Olympic (now Junior Nationals, JNs) qualifying. NENSA called the new series the Eastern Cup.

“Early on, [the Eastern Cup] imparted that there were entire worlds beyond high school skiing” says Peter Hendel, the last remaining NENSA founder still serving as a NENSA Board Member today. “You could go to [JNs] in Alaska, or the Olympics, or just up to Maine for a weekend, but it all branched out from the Eastern Cup.”

Zach Caldwell, keeping the books, noted that there was enough revenue coming in from the Eastern Cup races to start re-investing in programs beyond races. NENSA camps, clinics, and teams emerged. Existing programs, namely the BKL, Eastern High School Championships and J2 (now U16) Championships, were folded in. Skiers formed clubs, and through NENSA, those clubs started working with other clubs. Emerging talents spoke to the belief that the resources for producing world-class skiers existed in the forests and fields of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Kris Freeman, Liz Stephen, Ida Sargent, and Andy Newell highlighted a first generation of skiers who were distinctly NENSA skiers.

Thirty years on, NENSA is the only independent regional sport development organization in American cross country skiing. Last year, around 9,000 skiers participated in one of NENSA’s year-round races, clinics or camps. The NENSA program has grown to encompass a lifetime of skiing, from the Bill Koch Youth League all the way through to Masters community races.

Throughout its history, the NENSA approach to athlete development has relied on a simple mechanism. With New England’s clubs enmeshed into one community, there is a multiplier effect on the coaching and racing resources a skier interacts with throughout their development. Julia Kern, for instance, from suburban Boston, not only received support from her home club Cambridge Sports Union, but traversed Dartmouth College, Stratton Mountain School T2, and a whole host of regional club coach support throughout her development with NENSA. Current World Cup podiumist Ben Ogden, from Landgrove, Vermont, has a similar trajectory. The pair are the latest speaking to a proven approach. New England forms one of US Skiing’s ten divisions nation-wide, and yet, has accounted for one in three of the Olympians who have represented the USA in cross country skiing this century.

When asked what those early ideals of grassroots athlete development have turned into on snow, most in the NENSA community cite one unique fixture of the annual New England ski calendar – the Bill Koch League (BKL) Festival. The capstone to NENSA’s youth program, the Festival has grown to annually include around 600 skiers aged 6-14 for two days of skiing, racing, costumes, and face paint. Skiers are regularly seen skirting their start times to make snow cones with new friends from two states away. Among the throngs of people, the festival’s namesake Bill Koch, along with his wife Kate, stand with quiet smiles ready to sign any and all hats, gloves, and race bibs. 50 years on from Koch’s Olympic medal, and 30 years on from the revolution his Coach John Caldwell helped start, generations of New England skiers have all gone through the BKL Festival as a rite of passage and emerged with a common ethos dipped in winter joy.

“My first couple of years on the job, John Caldwell would say, ‘don’t answer any phone call from a Utah area code,’” says Fred Griffin. “Tell them Craftsbury [Vermont] doesn’t really have phone service, sorry.” Griffin reflects on this on a hot July summer day at the end of a Craftsbury NENSA Regional Development Group (RDG) Camp where thirty high schoolers from Bangor to Burlington have just completed a rollerski sprint simulation workout together. In 2025 Craftsbury does, indeed, have phone service (or at least, WiFi). NENSA’s relationship to USSS too, is more in touch, symbiotic even, then in those early years. “The focus hasn’t changed though,” says Griffin, “it’s all about the kids – they’re here making new friends, will go for a swim now, and push each other on the same trails this winter.” Given NENSA’s history, odds are that one of them may push on to the Olympics. Many more to all the trails that skiing blazes for a person, out in the winter snow and beyond it.

NENSA is celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2025. As part of the occasion, we’re gathering reflections from skiers across New England on the people, moments, and values which have defined the NENSA community. This week, we are featuring lifelong skier, athlete, and Bivo co-founder, Carina Hamel.

Your connections to NENSA and years involved?

Carina Hamel (CH): I grew up in the Bill Koch program in Western Massachusetts at Hickory Hill, where my parents started a local chapter for my older sister, Mariah, so she could find more friends to ski with. What began as a small effort quickly grew into a program of nearly 350 kids, fueled by an incredible group of parent volunteers who made skiing fun for everyone. I stayed connected to the NENSA community throughout my ski career and deeply value the childhood it gave me.

What has skiing in New England meant to your life or your community?

CH: Skiing in New England shaped who I am. Some of my best memories are from those early days racing and playing on the trails with friends from across the region. The community taught me the value of perseverance, connection, and joy in the outdoors. These are lessons that have stayed with me long beyond my racing years and are now something I am excited and proud to pass along to my kids as well.

Can you share a moment that embodies the spirit of New England skiing?

CH: I distinctly remember a run we did with our ski club when I was around 13 years old – the Seven Sisters in Western Massachusetts. We had a huge group of kids, ranging in age but all welcoming and ready for an adventure. The Seven Sisters is a popular route, but people typically stop on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. Not us. We had plans to cross the river (no, there was not a bridge to run over) and finish our day by running Mt Tom on the other side. So the river…. It’s not small. It would be a solid swim. We didn’t have canoes stashed, and we knew it wasn’t safe for such a large group to swim across without support. The plan? Ask for a ride. The river is a popular boating area and we figured someone would be willing to take us across.

I was young enough to not think this was that big of a deal, but looking back, I laugh at my dad, who was our coach and master planner of this activity. And I laugh at all the parents who knew the “plan” and just accepted that their kid would eventually end up on the other side. And we did just that. We found a guy, clearly not into running or hiking himself, yet ultimately impressed by the route and our adventure. He was beyond happy to take us to the other side. We hopped in, enjoyed the breeze and the break from being on our feet. Jumping out on the other side, we laughed and kept going.

My childhood was filled with days like this. Full days out with a whole bunch of kids cross country skiing, only to come in for some quick snacks before heading back out to play on the snow mounds and race down hills. We skied down the back side of Wild Cat Mountain in NH, breaking skis and losing poles in the powder. I just remember smiling and thinking it was so cool to be out with my friends. Sure, I raced, but my big memories from sport growing up aren’t from my race days. They were from my adventures.

What does NENSA mean to you?

CH: To me, NENSA has always meant a community of adventure and camaraderie, where childhood days were filled with laughter, exploration, and the joy of sharing the trails with friends and supportive families.

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We want to hear from you! Send in your NENSA 30th reflections using this form HERE.

NENSA is celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2025. As part of the occasion, we’re gathering reflections from skiers across New England on the people, moments, and values which have defined the NENSA community. This week, we are featuring Farmington Area Ski Team (FAST) coach, Tony Ramsey.

What has skiing in New England meant to your life or your community?

TR: Coaching has been the best! Fred Griffin gave a clinic session about 20 years ago where he stated, “it’s not enough to be better than your athletes… you have to be working on your OWN game, too!” This has been the core of my coaching, especially as I came to skiing late (in my 20’s) and missed a lot of the rapid early-age learning that I see happen in the young skiers every year. In the early spring I am the fittest of any time of year, and while enjoying longer days and the warmth of spring, lament the loss of good daily skiing.

Can you share a moment that embodies the spirit of New England skiing?

TR: Skiing is JOY. Happy kids being outside and active in winter… Quarry Road hosts a relay race every February that we attend, dressed Hawaiian and whatever other costume quirks pop up. The joy is in being goofy together more than any results could give.

What does NENSA mean to you?

TR: Winter Friends! People I rarely see for 9 months of the year, we catch up as we cross paths on the trails, ski together, or meet in the lodge.

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We want to hear from you! Send in your NENSA 30th reflections using this form HERE.

NENSA is celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2025. As part of the occasion, we’re gathering reflections from skiers across New England on the people, moments, and values which have defined the NENSA community. This week, we are featuring Technical Delegate, Ted Hall.

Your connections to NENSA and years involved?

Ted Hall (TH): I first got involved with NENSA when our two sons started with BKL in southern NH and we attended the BKL Festival at Titcomb in the late 90’s. When we moved to Maine in 2005, I got involved and became a district chair and was co-chair of the BKL Festival that was originally supposed to be held at Pineland Farms but was moved to Stark’s Hill in Fryeburg. Our family continued membership in NENSA as our sons raced in high school and college. Now, I am a TD and work at various races across New England.

What has skiing in New England meant to your life or your community?

TH: The cross country skiing community in New England is very close. Every spring, I realize that I won’t be seeing my skiing friends for several months, but once the snow flies, I can count on running into someone I know wherever I ski in the northeast. I love to ski on groomed trails and in the backcountry. One of the things I love about Nordic skiing is that you can be a spectator and a skier at the same time, moving around the course on your skis and testing the course once the race has been completed.

What does NENSA mean to you?

TH: I am so thankful for all of the wonderful people I have met over the years in all aspects of what NENSA does.

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We want to hear from you! Send in your NENSA 30th reflections using this form HERE.