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It was a fun weekend of learning at the Dublin School! Educational offerings included a BKL Coaches Training as well as the US Ski & Snowboard’s L100 and L200 coach practicums. The goal of this weekend was to bring coaches and aspiring coaches together in a welcoming environment so we can learn from each other and better serve the athletes in our respective communities so skiing is a fun and positive experience for them. Our hope is that youth and junior skiers develop many skills through sport and are inspired to be active for life whether they follow a competitive or recreational pathway.

The BKL Coaches Training included a presentation covering a variety of topics including an introduction to the Bill Koch League; BKL Philosophy; a case study on youth sports today; models, methods, and best practices for coaching; and coaching for long term development and success. We had many thought-providing discussions throughout the presentation thanks to the engaged participants who were willing to ask questions and also share their knowledge and experience. Following the presentation we migrated to a wonderfully scenic soccer field where we jumped on real skis and “skied” around on the grass. After an ice breaker in which we all shared our individual opinion on whether crocs are running shoes, we covered some basic drills and exercises for building general comfort on skis and then played a variety of games to further develop those skills. The clinic wrapped up with an optional rollerski session for those curious to try out the summer version of skiing.

This weekend also served as the in-person practicum for the US Ski & Snowboard (USSS) Level 100 and Level 200 coaches certification. The USSS is the national governing body of cross country skiing in the US and their education department delivers high-quality education programs and resources for coaches of all levels in the United States. The USSS coaches certification program is a tiered system with each level building on the previous. The Level 100 program is designed for new coaches working primarily with younger, developing athletes while the Level 200 focuses on coaches working with athletes starting to compete at the national level. Saturday featured the L100 clinic lead by Kathy Maddock of DublinXC and Sunday featured the L200 clinic lead by Bryan Fish of USSS. Click HERE if you’re curious to learn about the USSS coach certification pathway.

We want to extend a big thank you to the Dublin School for hosting us! If you’ve never skied there before, we highly recommend you check out their trails this winter.

Below are some resources for those curious to explore some of the content covered over the weekend.

Bill Koch Youth Ski League Manual (2022 edition)
NENSA Video Library (includes basic instructional videos and drills from the USSS L100 clinic)
BKL Philosophy & Long Term Athlete Development Presentation (from the 2020 virtual NENSA coaches symposium)

The leaves are starting to change and that means its time for our masters population to start thinking about ski specific training, including rollerskiing!  This weekend marks a full weekend of rollerski action in Lake Placid — which includes the historic Climb to the Castle.  The Climb is also the second event of our 2022 Allagash Brewing Masters Cup — based on skiers (ages 30+) best two placements of the three hill climbs in this years Rollerski Series.  Most years the Climb boasts the largest participation by our adult skiers — although the final race up Mt. Greylock on November 6 is likely to be big this year too.

Lake Placid Weekend Registration (Keys and Climb to the Castle)

We hope to see increased adult competition and camaraderie out there this weekend — after all it’s more about the experience of doing something challenging and fun and the socialization that comes with great events!  There is lots of opportunity to watch, learn and participate this weekend in Lake Placid.  This includes sprints, a kid (and adult) friendly agility course, and a biathlon event Saturday at Mt Van Hoevenberg.  Followed by early bib pickup and socialization (with beverages provided by HPC) from 4-7pm at High Peaks Cyclery — the store will remain open during this time for last minute needs and sales on goods for competitors.

Sunday’s Climb offers several categories to accommodate all skiers, including for the first time a “short course” of 3 miles vs. the typical 5 mile.  For the Masters Cup we will score the classic and freestyle “long course” together.  While we totally support the use of race wheels you must use regular (or medium) speed wheels for ranking.

Current Standings:

Women:
1) Rosalie Brown – Ford Sayre

Men:
1) Victor Feofilaktov – EMXC
2) Rob Riley – Gunstock Nordic Association
3) Nathan Richer – Team Pinnacle
4) Robert Rothe – Hopkinton Nordic
5) Rob Bradlee – Freedom Trail Nordic, LLC
6) Brian Dooley – Ethan Allen Biathlon Club
7) Landon Vom Steeg
8) Simon Rakov – Freedom Trail Nordic

 

This past weekend 114 hearty humans braved the wet weather at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, VT and competed in Sunday’s Free Fall Rollerski Race!

The FreeFall has become a staple of NENSA’s roller series and always draws a competitive and fun crowd. Open racers were slated for a 15km and juniors a 5km — both utilizing the same full 5km race loop which includes some sporty downhills.  Minutes before the men’s start it began to rain and the track became slick.  Racers took the challenge in stride and navigated downhills, and slippery ups, with varied tactics.  At the finish there were unfortunately more DNF’s due to falls than we have ever experienced — but the overwhelming feedback was that was “wild fun” and “really hard.”  Before the women’s race the Jury made the decision to eliminate the furthest loop and eliminate the most technical downhill on the course for safety reasons.  The women contested an 11.5km course.  Both races saw a really awesome overlap of juniors, collegiate and elite level skiers.

RACE VIDEO

In the men’s race the top of the field included a rematch of US Ski Team athletes, Johnny Hagenbuch (Dartmouth) and Ben Ogden (UVM).  Although Ogden had just returned from impressive international races at Toppidrettsveka, it was Hagenbuch who prevailed for the second year in a row with a time of 34:20.  Johnny described his tactic to fend off Ogden as starting faster than he usually would and then treating each lap as a six minute interval in the hardest part of the course.  Times were nearly two minutes slower than 2021 due to heavy rainfall and a wet track.  Also of note was UVM freshman, Petter Bakken (son of the legendary Thorodd Bakken), who placed third, less than a minute behind Ogden.

The women’s race was equally talented at the top end featuring a fun rivalry between the US Ski Team’s Julia Kern (SMS T2) and US Biathlon’s Deedra Irwin (National Guard Biathlon).  Kern missed the 2021 event and came to 2022 psyched to visit the Ethan Allen venue for the first time in ten years, a place she noted she has fond memories of.  Kern left the gate first and used her powerful technique to log the fastest splits for all three laps.  We were thrilled to have Irwin join our race, and she was “really redlining” to show her fitness on her home track and push her limits against the cross country specialists.  Kern covered the course in 27:55, just shy of a minute faster than Irwin.  U20 Haley Brewster (UVM) put in an impressive performance to take the final spot on the podium.

While NENSA races draw some of the best skiers in the country, every event is intended to accommodate all levels of skiers and development. Due to the slippery conditions, both the juniors and recreational or masters skiers were treated to a dual start 6km course that eliminated the trickiest of downhills on the track.  Despite increased rain, the stoke of the juniors and masters was contagious.  USST World Cup Coach Matt Whitcomb was present throughout the junior race and remarked how impressed he was with the skiing he saw, and how similar NENSA rollerski events are to what he just witnessed in Norway.

Congrats to everyone who competed in this event, and a big thank you to the Adam Terko and the Mansfield Nordic Club, the Ethan Allen firing Range, and all the awesome volunteers that came out to help. We are also very grateful to Bullitt Timing for their exceptional services.

In addition the incredible support we receive from our NENSA associate sponsors – Salomon, LL Bean, Swix, and Fischer – we are also grateful to Enjoy Winter and Swenor Rollerskis for supplying NENSA with an awesome fleet of rollerskis so the top-seeded athletes in all our events have matched skis. All women and juniors, and 35 men raced on matched skis.  And no NENSA rollerski race would be complete without the exceedingly tasty support of Cabot who has generously donated cheese for this season’s podium finishers! Full results and top-3 highlights below as well as a photo album courtesy of Paul Bierman.

PHOTOS

 

The Free Fall was the third race of our seven race series. Next up we head to the Castle Conquest New York for an exciting double header weekend in Lake Placid featuring the Keys to the Castle Freestyle Sprint on September 24th and the legendary Climb to the Castle freestyle hill climb on September 25th.  There is also a biathlon race and free BKL learn-to-rollerski opportunity on Saturday at Mt Van Hoevenberg. Details and registration HERE. You can view our full 2022 rollerski line up HERE.

FULL RESULTS

Open Women:
1. Julia Kern, SMS T2 / US Ski Team
2. Deedra Irwin, National Guard Biathlon / US Biathlon Team
3. Haley Brewster, UVM Ski Team

Open Men:
1. John Steel Hagenbuch, Dartmouth Ski Team / US Ski Team
2. Ben Ogden, UVM Ski Team / US Ski Team
3. Petter Bakken, UVM Ski Team

Junior Women:
1. Emma Reeder, Dartmouth
2.Ava Thurston, Dartmouth
3. Camille Bolduc, University of Vermont

Junior Men:
1. Luke Allen, Dartmouth
2. Cooper Camp, Dartmouth
3. Alexandre Cormier, Fondeurs-Laurentides

Junior Girls:
1. Nyla Scott, Gould Academy
2. Kate Carlson, Mansfield Nordic Club / EABC
3. Ruth Krebs, Craftsbury Nordic Club

Junior Boys:
1. Taylor Carlson, Mansfield Nordic Club
2. Brady Morigeau, EABC
3. Lucas Barstow, Gould Nordic

Master Women:
1. Jocelyn Sommers, SMC Ski Team

Master Men:
1. Landen vom Steeg

New Gloucester, ME – September 19, 2022

New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) in partnership with the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF), will host a trifecta of Nordic events open to the public from September 24-25 at venues around the Lake Placid Olympic region.

On Saturday, the weekend kicks off with Mt Van Hoevenberg’s Keys To The Castle. Athletes will battle for a spot on the podium to earn the “Keys To The Castle” by roller skiing the World Cup trails at Mt Van Hoevenberg in an epic race of endurance and speed. After a highly competitive Sprint competition last year — this year the event will be more inclusive with a Court style format — meaning all competitors get to ski in the rounds!

CALLING ALL YOUTH SKIERS! On Saturday, a fun ‘youth’ agility course with ramps and agility features will be set around the lower rollerski loop at MVH.  NENSA and NYSEF coaches will be on hand to help new skiers gain confidence on rollerskis from 12:15 pm – 1:15 pm.  Registration is free — bring your own boots and helmet if you have them, with the option to get outfitted with equipment when you arrive! Find the NYSEF registration tent at the event for more info.

As if that’s not enough, afterward, take to the range with the intense precision of rifle marksmanship in a Biathlon Super Sprint.

On Sunday, race to Whiteface Mountain’s summit during the NYSEF Climb to the Castle race.  Join one of the most anticipated Nordic events of the fall and see if you have what it takes to conquer the castle at Whiteface Mountain’s summit. Ascend 13km of the Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway in Wilmington on rollerskis. The 8% grade provides a challenging climb, but the views are incredible!

Come out and conquer the Castle Long Course, or try the new SHORT COURSE option! Waves start at 8 am.

A big thank you to our NENSA associate sponsors – Salomon, LL Bean, Swix, and Fischer – for their dedicated and ongoing support of NENSA. We are also grateful to Enjoy Winter and Swenor Rollerskis for supplying us with an awesome fleet of rollerskis and Cabot Cheese for providing #theworldsbestcheddar for our Open, Junior, and Masters podiums!

The NENSA Team

#CASTLECONQUEST #CLIMBTOTHECASTLE #KEYSTOTHECASTLE

 

NENSA is excited to support a full weekend of coaching and leadership training for coaches of all ages. This weekend will support U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) Level 100 and Level 200 certification options and offer NENSA Bill Koch League Coach Education. Participants cans also shadow the L100 In-Person clinic, as a technique refresher and earn USSS continuing education credits.

Continued participation in education elevates the quality of our member clubs experience. NENSA also acknowledges the key added benefit of conferences as they bring together a wide range of coaches for collaboration and socialization outside their respective courses.

Register for Bill Koch Coaches Education OR NENSA Technique Clinic (shadow L100 In-Person)

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to creating coaching standards and creating safe environments for athletes via their certification pathway (please note some events already require these certifications to be “inside the fence” and more will in the future). “We are excited to have you embark on your coach certification pathway. Your investment in creating a coaching standard is ensuring that all of our athletes receive the best training experiences and outstanding support during competitions. Thank you for helping U.S. Ski & Snowboard achieve our vision to be Best in the World in Skiing and Snowboarding!”

Please note if you are pursuing L100 or L200 Certification — you register for the the In-Person part of the course through U.S. Ski & Snowboards website — and are expected to fulfill several requirements and a significant amount of Portfolio work prior to your attendance.  Please click the links below for more information.

Registration for L100 is now live through U.S. Ski & Snowboard — CLICK HERE

(Step by Step instructions on how to gain L100 Certification)

Registration for L200 is now live through U.S. Ski & Snowboard — CLICK HERE

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Continuing Education Framework

NENSA will facilitate U.S. Ski & Snowboard L100 and L200 certifications in Dublin, New Hampshire. The L100 in-person practicum / Technique Clinic will be Saturday from 10:00am – 1:30pm. The L200 course will have classroom time on Saturday afternoon and the in-person practicum on Sunday.

L100 will be led by Kathy Maddock, DublinXC and U.S. Ski & Snowboard L100 Coach Developer

L200 will be led by Bryan Fish, Cross Country Sport Development Manager, U.S. Ski & Snowboard

More information on the L100 In – Person / Technique Clinic: This one-day clinic is open to anyone looking to improve their ski technique, and learn ways to teach others effectively. We will cover both classic and skate techniques. This clinic is part of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) L100 certification process but you do not have to seek certification to participate. The clinic will be led by Kathy Maddock, Dublin XC.

To receive USSS L100 credit you must signup through the USSS website, complete the prerequisites and sign up for the in-person assessment. If you cannot complete the prerequisites before the deadline please select the USSS L100 In-Person Assessment category so we can best keep track of attendees.

During the 3 hour technique clinic, coaches on the L100 track will participate in coaching demonstrations.

NENSA membership information, including details about the free “Get Skiing” first time membership, HERE.

Participants are encouraged to rollerski during the technique portion of the clinic. However, rollerskiing is NOT required. We will be staying in the parking lot of Yankee Candle so you can easily stay with the group on foot and learn about how to coach ski technique.

All clinic participants will have access to our fleet of Swenor skis and we will also have Swix poles to demo.

Saturday L100 Schedule:

9:45 a.m. – Arrive, get equipment, get ready.
10:00 a.m. – Classic Technique work – starting on foot and moving to rollerskis
11:30 a.m. – Break for Lunch
12:00 p.m. – Freestyle Technique work – mostly on rollerskis
1:30 p.m. – Clinic Wrap Up

What to bring:
– running shoes
– poles (skate and classic)
– roller skis (skate and classic)
– helmet (mandatory for rollerskiing!)
– water, and snacks
– high visibility vest, shirt, or jacket
– a penchant for having fun!
There is a lot of information to cover so please arrive early and be ready to start the clinic at 10:00am.

For clinic specific questions, contact [email protected] and [email protected]

Bill Koch League Coach Education:

9am-12pm | Dublin School, Dublin, NH

Join NENSA’s Youth & Introductory Program Director, Kait Miller, for a morning of Bill Koch Youth Ski League Coach Education! This workshop is intended for club leaders, parent/caregivers, volunteers, and youth ski coaches from all across the Northeast. If you have old skis you don’t mind using in grass, please bring them along with boots and poles!

Schedule

9:15am: Indoor presentation on BKL Philosophy & Long Term Athlete Development followed by Q&A

10:15-10:30am: Break and transition outside

10:30am-11:30am: Outdoor clinic

11:30-11:45am: Break and transition to rollerskis at the Yankee Magazine parking lot

11:45am-12:15pm: Optional opportunity to try rollerskiing

Presentation on BKL Philosophy & Long Term Athlete Development
This presentation will cover a variety of topics including an introduction to the Bill Koch League; BKL Philosophy; a case study on youth sports today; models, methods, and best practices for coaching; and coaching for long term development and success. We will wrap up with a Q&A session and open discussion.

Outdoor Clinic
We will cover some basic drills and exercises for building general comfort on skis followed by some games.

Optional Rollerski Opportunity
Anyone curious about rollerskiing is welcome to try it out using rollerskis from NENSA’s fleet. NENSA staff will be on hand for basic guidance and instruction. We will meet at the Yankee Magazine parking lot.

What to Bring
running shoes/sneakers
rocks skis/ski you don’t mind using on grass
ski boots (classic, combi, or skate)
classic poles
helmet (mandatory if rollerskiing!)
water and snacks

More details to follow. Direct questions to [email protected].

More information on L200 In Person:

Saturday:
2:00 pm – Introductions, Welcome and Course Overview
2:30 pm – Engaged Portfolio Questions

Sunday:
9:00 am: Gear up for skiing/rollerskiing.
9:15 am: Dynamic Warm Up / Skate Technique Progressions
9:30 am: The Games Approach
9:45 am: Agility on skate skis/rollerskis
a. Have each coach practice each element for 5-10 minutes and discuss the value of each
b. Adjust distance between cones to change the stimulus of each element
c. Assess each candidates’ ability to demonstrate skills
11:15-11:45 pm: Lunch Break
11:45 pm: Small Group Assessments
2:15-3:45 pm: The “Games Approach” for Classic skis
3:45-4:00 pm: Wrap-up

Check all of the latest news in this week’s KickZone ~ Enjoy!

https://conta.cc/3q0f0Ah

 

We’re thrilled to once again be partnering with Mansfield Nordic Club to host the FreeFall Rollerski race on September 18th! The race will be held at the rollerski track of the Ethan Allen Biathlon Range in Jericho, VT and is part of our 2022 NENSA Series.  This will be the fourth time NENSA has hosted an open competition in Jericho, with a Fall Classic in 2017 and 2018, and last year’s freestyle competition. Events at Jericho tend to bring large fields with junior, collegiate, pro, and master skiers all taking a liking to the amazing closed track on the Ethan Allen Biathlon Range. The 2021 FreeFall saw 118 skiers on the start list!

REGISTRATION AND FULL EVENT DETAILS

This will be the third event of the 2022 Series following the Lost Nation Roll held at Craftsbury in early July, and the Rollins Roll held in Warner, New Hampshire in August.  NENSA is hosting a total of seven rollerski races this season.

NENSA 2022 ROLLERSKI SERIES POSTER

As summer draws to a close, we want to take a moment to reflect on the skiers and communities we got to connect with this summer through our Learn-to-Rollerski sessions. This is the second year we have intentionally expanded our summer programming to incorporate more non-race focused programming to reach more folks across the Northeast who are new to skiing and rollerskiing.

We kicked off the summer with our second annual trip to Gould Academy for a multi-club clinic hosted with folks from Gould, Maine West Project Play, and the Bethel Outing Club. Participants joined us from those programs as well as Quarry Road Ski Club, Portland Nordic, Great Glen, and JacksonXC. Turnout was high with 40 middle and high school participants working on their agility, balance, and coordination while running through the rollerski ramps and playing a variety of games including broom ball!

Next we held a rollerski clinic in conjunction with the Lost Nation Rollerski race at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. This clinic provided an exceptional opportunity for participants to watch some high level skiers in action prior to trying rollerskis themselves. Also, the rollerski track at Craftsbury is, without a doubt, one of the best surfaces to learn on. While the clinic at Gould was geared towards middle and high school skiers, this clinic was open to all ages and had participants ranging from 8-50 years of age.

We stayed in Vermont for the next two clinics both of which were hosted at the Champlain Valley High School in Hinesburg, VT. This is our third year in a row supporting a morning of rollerskiing for both sessions of Sleepy Hollow BKL’s weeklong summer ski camps. This group is always a blast to work with and after covering some basics, we focused on agility and debuted rollerski hockey!

Next up were camp visits to the Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS) and Stratton Mountain School (SMS). Both schools are supporting NENSA sponsors and we love connecting with them and their campers over the summer. 

During the first week of August, GMVS facilitated three separate camps at the same time: the Eastern / Central U16 National Camp, their own summer camp, and an international camp hosting fifteen Italian athletes from their partner school, the Sportoberschulke, in Mals, Italy.  At the conclusion of the week, NENAS helped set up a really fun agility course complete with ramps and slip n’ slide finish!  Check out the recap video here.

Following the GMVS school visit, NENSA traveled to the SMS. SMS has been hosting awesome summer camps for BKL and junior-aged skiers for many decades now and they always have some exciting rollerski activities lined up for their campers. In 2018, NENSA made its first camp visit to SMS with the bicycle ramps – luckily for us and the campers, none other than Jessie Diggins was there to try them out and show the first group of skiers how to pump the track!  Each year we visit SMS the comfort and ability-level of the skiers seems to reach a new level.  NENSA visits on the “flip day” between the BKL and junior camp groups and this year we saw over one hundred skiers cycle through the ramps in Sun Bowl parking lot!

We wrapped up the summer in the same state we started in, Maine, with the final clinic of the season held up in Orono with the Penobscot Valley Ski Club at the Orono High School. The high school takes the cake for having the most buttery pavement we’ve encountered all year! After a little technique-work, participants all got to try the brand new set of ramps made by one of the local high school skiers. We incorporated the ramps into a fun agility course and wrapped up the clinic with some rollerski hockey. The goal of this clinic was to build comfort on rollerskis and for many of the skiers, this was their first time on rollerskis. Everyone pushed themselves to try new things and showed considerable improvement over the course of the afternoon.

While that’s a wrap on the summer season, we have many more rollerski opportunities on the horizon this fall! Check our event calendar to stay-up-to-date and we hope to see you out there. If you would like to schedule a rollerski clinic for your club or camp for next season, check our info page HERE for more details and then reach out to [email protected]. We do our best to fit in as many clinics as we can.

A big thank you to our NENSA associate sponsors – Salomon, LL Bean, Swix, and Fischer – for their dedicated and ongoing support of NENSA. We are also grateful to Enjoy Winter and Swenor Rollerskis for supplying use with an awesome fleet of rollerskis so all our clinic attendees can learn to rollerski on top-of-the-line equipment!

 

 

During the first week of August a collection of 20 athletes and coaches gathered in Waitsfield, Vermont for the Eastern / Central edition of the U16 National Camp.  The U16 Camp concept was created by Rick Kapala and is seen as a crucial component of the U.S. Ski Team Pathway.  The program is typically the first opportunity to bring together athletes from across the country, along with U.S. Ski Team staff, and coach representatives from each region for a rich training and educational experience.  After a hiatus due to Covid, the National camp was split into two individual camps for 2022, one for West / Alaska and one for the Eastern / Central divisions.

The Eastern / Central camp was built in affiliation with the Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS), New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) and Central Cross Country Skiing (CXC).  A special thanks to National Nordic Foundation (NNF) who provides financial support for this and many other Nordic development projects.

The design of the camp allowed for two days on the GMVS campus and surrounding training venues with just the U16 athletes, but over the course of the week the GMVS campus became a hotbed of cross country activity.  During the second half of the week, GMVS hosted its own summer training camp in conjunction with athletes from the Sportoberschule, in Mals, Italy.  This allowed for some training overlap, including an uphill run event at Mad River Glen.  This additional collaboration during the second half of the week provided the unique experience of interacting with a broad spectrum of coaches and athletes from throughout the world.

Adding to this awesome experience, a rollerski time trial, the App Gap Challenge (West) brought together  some very special visitors including the SMST2 Team, Team Birkie and the U.S. Ski Team!

Camp Results

Camp consisted of two training sessions per day and three tests (rollerski time trial, strength test, uphill run).  A few of the favorite workouts included traversing the Green Mountain ridge line from west to east, agility at Sugarbush (including several ramps and team relays), the App Gap Challenge and a river run down the Mad River.  Evenings were spent with educational talks, socialization and on the final night a bonfire in the woods with smores.

In the middle of camp the U16’s were able to utilize both of the rollerski tracks in Lake Placid, New York.  Some of these very trails will be utilized for Junior Nationals in the coming years. Kris Seymour delivered an inspiring talk and tour of the extraordinary and recently renovated multi-sport facilities at Mt. VanHoevenberg.

Development camps continue to illustrate just how strong the cross country skiing culture in the United States is becoming.  There is no doubt the success of this camp was built on the shoulders of years of hard work by Bryan Fish, Rick Kapala and all of the programs that support skiers across the nation.  NENSA is proud to have been a part of this project and we can’t wait to see where these skiers (and coaches) journeys take them.  A special thank you to Colin Rodgers and the GMVS staff for hosting this experience.  It takes and army and we have a strong one!

#skilikeanamerican