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This past weekend, the snowy trails of Waterville, Maine, came alive as 550 young skiers gathered for the 2025 L.L.Bean BKL Festival. Hosted by Quarry Road Ski Club and Quarry Road Trails, the festival was a joyful celebration of youth cross-country skiing in New England—bringing together kids, families, and ski enthusiasts for two unforgettable days of “Wicked Winter Weather”.

This youth cross country ski festival is the marquee event of the New England Nordic Ski Association’s Bill Koch Youth Ski League whose mission is to introduce young people to the lifelong sport of cross-country skiing, and the many associated health, fitness, and social benefits, in a fun, inclusive, and safe environment.  The 2025 Festival featured racing, as well as a wide range of non-competitive winter activities, for skiers of all ability levels from kindergarten up to 8th grade.

This weekend-long event had something for everyone, offering a variety of exciting activities for all ages. Thrill-seekers could test their speed at the Radar Run, navigate the Terrain Park with fun rollers and snow obstacles, or experience the challenge of Laser Biathlon on Saturday, hosted by the USBA & the National Guard. Creativity flourished with Snow Painting, where participants added color to our Wicked Winter Weatherland, and the Glitter Table, where visitors could sparkle like Jessie Diggins inside the Event Tent.

Families and young adventurers enjoyed the Story Ski, following Mr. Magee and his dog Dee on a delightful ski journey by Maine author Chris Van Dusen. The Sit Ski Scramble provided an opportunity to try a Para Nordic sit ski. The Mini-Marathon & Memory Course took skiers on a scenic route through the trails, with special characters to spot along the way and a prize waiting at the Welcome Center.

Saturday also featured special attractions, including the L.C. Bates Museum, where visitors learned about winter animal adaptations and track identification. Sunsquatch made a special appearance, spreading a hopeful message for a cleaner future. The LL Bean Boot Truck brought the iconic oversized Bean Boot to life, and young artists competed in the JAKROO Hat Design Contest, with the winning design selected by Bill Koch.

We were also thrilled to have Bill Koch himself at the event cheering on athletes, shaking hands, signing autographs, and sharing his love of the sport with all the young skiers.  We are so grateful that he is still so involved with youth skiing and actively working to ensure that having fun remains at the core of skiing for racers and recreational skiers alike.

The racing action kicked off on Saturday with the skate relay event, followed by the paired and individual start classic races on Sunday. A special highlight of the weekend was the 8th Grade Graduation, where graduating skiers took a celebratory lap together to mark their time in the Bill Koch League. Afterward, they gathered at the finish corral to welcome the youngest participants, handing out lollipops as they crossed the line. To honor their achievement, the graduates were recognized by Bill Koch and presented with a graduation certificate.

No matter the size of their home club, each skier was part of something bigger—a regional team, a shared experience, a weekend of camaraderie and celebration. The festival wasn’t just about competition; it was about challenging oneself, cheering on new friends, and embracing the joy of skiing together.

We are so grateful to the Quarry Road Trails and the Quarry Road Ski Club for being incredible hosts and organizers.  The BKL Organizing Committee dedicated considerable time, energy, and expertise to the planning and implementation of this event and the number of dedicated volunteers who helped with the event was unprecedented.  Truly the whole Quarry Road community stepped up to make this event happen.

A huge thank you to our Gold Sponsors—LLBean, Jakroo, Fischer, and Podiumwear—for their generous support and commitment to youth skiing. We are also grateful to the sponsors who joined us on-site—Hootie Hoo, Bivo, Sidas, Jakroo, and Birdie Blue—bringing energy, enthusiasm, and fantastic products to share with our ski community. Your support helps make this festival a truly special experience for young skiers, and we couldn’t do it without you.

Photos:

Flying Point Road – proceeds from the purchase of photos to benefit Quarry Road Ski Club.

Sam Gessinger photos

Titcomb Mountain, in the western foothills of Maine, was buzzing with excitement Friday night at the first (what we hope will be many) “Starlight Sprints”.  Nearly one hundred college and high school athletes, as well as a few master skiers, jumped into the timed qualifier at 4 pm.  The Kings Court race format gave each participant a chance to race four times along the 1.3 KM sprint course. Athletes were seeded in the first round in heats based on their qualifying times.  The great volunteer crew, assisted by NENSA’s Isabel Caldwell and Titcomb’s Tony Ramsey at the Round/Heat Board, were able to keep track of heat results which involved many moving parts. 

The final round was super-fast and fun to watch.  Colby and Bowdoin showed their experience in the final heat in the top six places along with high school athlete Beckett Cote from Quarry Road. 

The evening ended with a great bib draw and awards.  Top Master skier, Sam Mathes joined top college skiers, Tyler Watt and Lola Villafranco from Colby as winners.  Top high school athlete winners were Beckett Cote from Quarry Road and Nora McCourt of the Farmington Ski Club. Each athlete was presented with a traditional home baked treat of German Twists and chocolate from Judy Upham. 

The Farmington Ski Club has continued a tradition of hosting great Nordic events and the Starlight Sprints will be added to the list of most fun.  FSC would like to thank NENSA for partnering  with them and bringing this event to Titcomb.  

Thanks to Deb Aseltine for the recap and photos!

Qualifier Results

Final heat (Round 3) results

Usually, it’s a little more than a ski’s width that separates Annie Hanna and Ruth Krebs as they both pursue our sport. To be precise, all that’s usually between them is the Connecticut River, as Annie the New Hampshirite skiing for Ford Sayre and Ruth the Vermonter skiing for Craftsbury have progressed through the Bill Koch League and into the ranks of our regular Eastern Cup and Junior Nationals racers.

When you’re half a world away in Norway though, even a big river like the Connecticut seems like a quaint little stream, and for Annie and Ruth, that’s meant that as they’ve donned the US Ski Team for the first time, as members of the National Nordic Foundation‘s U18 Nordic Nation’s Trip, they’ve formed a cohesive unit: the New Englanders!

The U18 Nordic Nation’s Trip is the first international trip sponsored by US Ski and Snowboard in the national development pathway. In other words, it’s a keystone moment where all the principles and love of skiing that we as a ski community try to impart to our skiers from the time they are Lollipoppers gets converted to them being out in the international ski world representing not just New England, but the whole of the American skiing community. Both Annie and Ruth earned their place on the U18 squad by placing in the top 6 of all American U18 skiers at the US Cross Country Ski National Championships in Anchorage, AK in January.

This year, the U18 Nordic Nation’s Trip centered on Gjovik, Norway, and the racing was a particularly high caliber, with the Norwegian Senior and Junior National Championships included in the calendar. That meant Annie and Ruth were set to make their first starts in international skiing with a field of skiers from that country that is pretty famously good at nordic skiing (some would say they even invented it!)

As if that wasn’t high enough a caliber, in the first block of races, the U18 skiers raced up into the U23 category, with Annie and Ruth yielding two of the top three American finishes, Annie in 1st in 27th place Overall, and Ruth in 3rd in 34th.

After another block of Senior racing, the Americans moved into the Junior National Championship portion of the week. JNs, Norwegian addition, kicked off with a Sprint, with Annie and Ruth leading the American team as 1st and 2nd skiers, Annie in 4th place Overall, and Ruth in 13th.

Through and through, Annie and Ruth put on a pretty good showing for New England, and did so showing some of what we pride ourselves on racing in the East. Jumping in a U23 Championship is a little easier when you’ve already got the experience of racing alongside seasoned Carnival skiers at home. And knowing how to push fast on fast snow in a Sprint? Well, both Ruth and Annie are pretty familiar with the miracles of manmade snow that their home clubs at Craftsbury and Oak Hill can pull off.

More so than just performance, we are eager to celebrate our New England athletes when they go out into the world and show that the bonds formed around a common love of our sport back home here can take you around the world and back, and do it, on skis, pretty fast too.

Congratulations to Ruth and Annie, and to the whole U18 American team!

This week, we had the pleasure of visiting one of our Nordic Rocks programs in Rutland, Vermont, where the excitement was as fresh as the winter air!

Representatives from Killington World Cup Foundation and Casella joined us to witness first-hand the 350 primary school students in Rutland City discovering the joy of cross-country skiing—right in the schoolyard. Despite being nearby to alpine and Nordic trails, many children in this community have never had the opportunity to access winter sports. Now, through the NENSA Nordic Rocks program, skiing has become an exciting part of their school day, opening the door to a lifetime of outdoor winter adventure.

But the impact of this program goes beyond just fun on the snow—it’s shaping healthier, happier kids. Learning a new skill like skiing fosters confidence, resilience, and teamwork—qualities that serve students well both on and off the snow.

Each class began with a simple but powerful message: “We can do hard things, and we are going to challenge ourselves today.” Students were encouraged to step outside their comfort zones, push through challenges, and embrace the learning process. And when falls inevitably happened, they were reminded, “We are going to fall, and that’s okay—we’re going to get back up!” These words teach young skiers that success isn’t about perfection but about the effort and attitude that we have when trying new activities.

By breaking down barriers to winter recreation, this initiative is not just about skiing—it’s about empowerment, inclusivity, and ensuring every child has the chance to embrace the magic of the winter in New England.

We were joined by representatives from Killington World Cup Foundation, Casella Waste, NENSA Staff, and local community members interested in witnessing a program visit in person.  

Topics that were covered during class included the anatomy of the ski, how to stand up on skis, the “side slide” stepping and turning, and the favorite on the day, the “dead bug” technique of getting up after falling. Once we practiced our “dead bugs” a few times, we were ready to start gliding! We played a few rounds of Simon Says and our first-grade classes even tried out skiing up and down a hill!

The NENSA Nordic Rocks program is generously funded by the Share Winter Foundation and the Killington World Cup Foundation and was developed to introduce children in grades K-6 to the excitement of cross country skiing. Nordic Rocks provides elementary school students with an 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. The overarching goal of this program is to provide all children with the opportunity to ski as well as grow and develop life skills through sport.

NENSA is proud to announce that following the conclusion of the Eastern Cup, 50 skiers have been named to Team New England for the US Ski and Snowboard Junior National Championships held March 10th-15th in Soldier Hollow, Utah, the site of the 2002, and upcoming 2034, Winter Olympic Games.

The full Team New England roster is posted here.

Qualification for Junior Nationals represents a milestone achievement for skiers to cap a season of racing in which they have shown their passion and drive across all the different disciplines in our sport. NENSA is particularly excited that the depth and breadth of the skier’s named for Team New England offer a dynamic and representative sampling of what makes our ski community unique. Athletes have been named from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and more than that, bring a unique set of talents as skiers and as young people. After a season spent pushing each other among the forests and hills of New England, they will get to travel West to compete together as one team.

Skiers are named to Team New England primarily based on their season-long performance in NENSA’s Eastern Cup Series, capturing performance from the Eastern Cup Opener at the Henchey Memorial at Craftsbury in December, through the Finale at the Frost Mountain Eastern Cup. Additionally, 7 skiers met US Ski and Snowboard automatic qualifying criteria based on their performance at the US Cross Country Ski National Championships, held in Anchorage, AK in January, or through their performance on the EISA carnival circuit.

Team New England will be led in their efforts at Soldier Hollow by a support staff of 13 coaches representing a sampling of our region’s depth of expertise and energy in nordic skiing. The full staff roster is named below, and is led by Stratton Mountain School Program Director and Team New England Head Coach Matt Boobar, and NENSA’s Competitive Program Director Ben Theyerl.

Team New England will begin a full week of championship ski racing in Soldier Hollow on Monday, March 10th. 2025. Information on the US Junior National Ski Championships can be found from Soldier Hollow organizers here.

U16 Girls

Antonia Schramm	Stratton Mountain School
Acadia Enman	Mansfield Nordic Club
Mia Gorman	Mansfield Nordic Club
Astrid Longstreth	Mansfield Nordic Club
Olivia Hanna	Ford Sayre
Lucille Dent	Ford Sayre
Leila Griffith	Craftsbury Ski Club
Mikaela Paluszek (Age Group Coach)	Green Mountain Valley School

U16 Boys

Jorgen Pirrung	Mansfield Nordic Club
Matthew Northcott	Caldwell Sport
Eli McEnaney	Prospect Mountain Ski Club
Foster Whitworth V	Holderness Nordic Club
Patrick Holland	Prospect Mountain Ski Club
James Langan	Mansfield Nordic Club
George Forbes (Age Group Coach)	Stratton Mountain School

U18 Girls

Annie Hanna	Ford Sayre
Ruth Krebs	Craftsbury Ski Club
Emma Paarson	Stratton Mountain School
*Lea Perreard*	Ford Sayre
Claire Serrano	Craftsbury Ski Club
Ava Schneider	Green Mountain Valley School
Mary Harrington	Green Mountain Valley School
Ella Ronci	Holderness Nordic Club
Frances Tucker	EMXC
Kiera Stabile	Stratton Mountain School
Sara Salingman-McGill	Craftsbury Ski Club
Tillie Lange	Craftsbury Ski Club
Estella Laird	Green Mountain Valley School
Isabel Linton	Craftsbury Ski Club
Isabel Seay (Age Group Coach)	Ford Sayre

U18 Boys

Matthew McIntosh	Green Mountain Valley School
Joseph Sluka	Ford Sayre
Jonah Gorman	Mansfield Nordic Club
Jed Bentley	Dublin XC
Niko Cuneo	Mansfield Nordic Club
Beckett Cote	Quarry Road Ski Club
Fritz Sanders	Berkshire Trails
Lucas Barstow	Gould Academy
Chris Stock (Age Group Coach)	EMXC

U20 Girls

Beth McIntosh	Green Mountain Valley School
Maddie Hooker	Colby College
Nyla Scott	Colby College
Margo Nightingale	Colby College
Caroline Tarmy	St. Lawrence University
Sarah Glueck	Colby College
Kate Northcott (Age Group Coach)	Caldwell Sport

U20 Boys

Finn Christiansen	Green Mountain Valley School
Miles Miner	Green Mountain Valley School
*James Underwood*	Ford Sayre
Anders Linseisen	Mansfield Nordic Club
Micah Bruner	Stratton Mountain School
Abrahm Geissinger	GMVS
Ellis Slover	Colby College
Quinn McDermott	Williams College
Cole Bothner	Williams College
Steve Bruner (Age Group Coach)	Stratton Mountain School

Coaching Staff

Age Group Coaches
U16 Boys	George Forbes	SMS
U16 Girls	Mikaela Paluszek	GMVS
U18 Boys	Chris Stock	EMXC
U18 Girls	Isabel Seay	Ford Sayre
U20 Boys	Steve Bruner	SMS
U20 Girls	Kate Northcott	Caldwell Sport
Service Staff
Head of Service	Adam Terko	Mansfield Nordic Club
Kick Tech	Ollie Burruss	Craftsbury Ski Club
Kick Tech	Brandon Herhusky	University of New Hampshire
Glide Tech	Annika Martell	Williams College
Glide Tech	Devin Wong	Harvard University
Trip Leaders
Head Coach	Matt Boobar	SMS
Trip Leader	Ben Theyerl	NENSA

** – Indicates Mike Gallagher Award Winners as this season’s Eastern Cup Champions.