NENSA News

Check out all the latest news in this week’s KickZone ~ enjoy!

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• NENSA recap of US Nationals, Qualifications & Junior National Staff Update
• Updates for 2022 Women’s XC Ski Day to be held Sunday 1/23
• Popular/Citizen race offerings for the next two weekends
• NBC News piece on the Ogden siblings ~ Ben and Katharine ~ the Vermont siblings have sights set on competing in Beijing
• Registration is open for the 2022 BKL Festival
• NENSA’s BKL BINGO
• From our Partners & In the News: From U.S. Ski & Snowboard ~ article on Jessie Diggins – Baseline Happiness and Rebounding; Les Rousses WC canceled for 1/14-16; Brennan, Schoonmaker, Patterson Siblings Dominate L.L. Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships; From SWIX responsible waxing project and virtual learning center: From Toko interview with Chris Magerl with lots of great TOKO wax tips!; and the latest must-read book Trail to Gold

Every year our Women’s XC Ski Day event chooses a benefit organization to support and this year we’re fundraising for Stride, an organization whose mission is to remove barriers to entry and get girls in the game and on the trails by providing mentorship, gear, and learning opportunities to young female athletes in Vermont. A portion of every participant’s registration fee goes to Stride and you can make an additional donation to the organization through our registration page HERE (scroll to the bottom). We still have some spots open for registration so get signed up today!

There will also be a fundraising raffle on event day ($5/ticket) for a framed photo of the Bower Ski Trail from Vermont photographer Anne Majusiak. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to Stride. Take a sneak peak of the photo below and check out Anne’s website or follow Anne on Instagram to see more of her beautiful work. Thank you Anne for your generous donation! Raffle tickets will be available for sale on event day.

We also want to bring your attention to our COVID Guidelines HERE (updated January 7th, 2022). Please note that lunch will be bagged so you want eat in your car or picnic-style outside. Sue Wemyss’s presentation will take place after lunch in the Barn with masks. We will keep the Barn doors open so you will also have the option of bringing a chair outside and listening in. Please note that Rikert requires anyone utilizing indoor space be vaccinated!

Last week approximately 100 Eastern skiers competed at the LL Bean US National XC Ski Championships in Soldier Hollow, Utah.  There were many amazing results from Eastern skiers — but perhaps what stuck out most was the open collaboration between clubs throughout the region.  In these uncertain and changing times (Covid and phasing out fluoros on a National scale), it is inspiring and reassuring to see how we have evolved to deal with challenges and how we can conduct safe events.

There are some great race recaps from Fasterskier and you can watch full event livestreams thanks to the National Nordic Foundation.

The races at Soldier Hollow served as qualification for a number of events including the Olympics, U18 Nordic Nations Cup and Junior World/U23 Cross Country Championships.  Full qualifications for U18, JWSC and U23 can be found HERE.  The top-20 juniors from the first three events also prequalified for Junior Nationals — which will be held this year in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the week of March 6-12.  Eastern Clubs and Teams qualified a potential of 17 athletes via this criteria.  College coaches are encouraged to reach out to NENSA’s Competitive Program Director  [email protected] with potential intents for JN’s.

Junior World Ski Championship Skiers:
Brian Bushey – University of Utah (GMVS)
Finn Sweet – University of Vermont
Will Koch – University of Colorado (SMS/SMS T2)

Kate Oldham – Middlebury College
Nina Seemann – Dartmouth College
Annie McColgan – University of Vermont

U23 World Championship Skiers:
Ben Ogden – University of Vermont / SMS T2

Lucinda Anderson – University of New Hampshire

U18 Nations Cup Skiers:
Jack Lange – Stratton Mountain School
Finegan Bailey – Stratton Mountain School

Ava Thurston – Mansfield Ski Club
Sofia Scirica – Eastern Mass XC

We are also really excited to announce a rockstar cast for our Junior National staff for 2022.  Please note the entire team (athletes and staff) will be fully vaccinated and boosted. 

Congratulations to all the athletes, coaches and teams behind the scene that led to the successes in Utah.  It’s clear our community is stoked to be part of a growing #nordicnation.

Enjoy this week’s jam packed issue!

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Here is what we have for you in this edition of KickZone:
Recap of the Jackson Jaunt by Damian Bolduc
George Atkinson, founding NENSA Board member has passed away
Bill Koch Youth Ski League Leader clinics are back
Why you should come race and support the 6th Annual Race for Snow!
Bill Koch League Race Updates for the season
Registration is Open for 2022 Women’s Day at Rikert Nordic Center 1/23/22
Registration is open for the 2022 BKL Festival
NENSA’s BKL BINGO
From our Partners & In the News: From U.S. Ski & Snowboard ~ Tour de Ski Recaps and US Senior National Updates; The latest must-read book Trail to Gold

After a year hiatus we are very happy to be back on the road visiting clubs all across our Eastern region! In collaboration with head club leaders, we have organized and conducted 3 Bill Koch Youth Ski League (BKYSL) clinics so far this season reaching a total of 5 clubs. These leader clinics are an engaging way to discuss the mission and philosophy of the BKYSL; talk about some best practices as club and/or group leaders; learn, practice, and review some ski skills; try out some fun games; and connect with and learn from other BKYSL leaders. NENSA enjoys connecting in-person with the dedicated people across the East who make the BKYSL possible and get children out on snow, and we always welcome feedback on what we can do better as an organization to support your efforts.

If your youth ski club is a NENSA member club, or would like to become a member club here, and you want to arrange a clinic, reach out to our Youth & Introductory Program Director Kait Miller ([email protected]). She is scheduling clinics on weekdays and will do her very best to accommodate as many clubs as she can. If you are brand new to the BKYSL and starting up a club, reach out to Kait ([email protected]) and also check out our Leader Manual here.

If you’re curious about some of what’s covered in our leader clinics, below are a few videos as well as our mission and teaching philosophy.  If you are a parent/caretaker and want to sign up your child for the BKYSL, you can find the ski club nearest you by visiting our Club Directory HERE. Contact the listed leader for registration details.

BKYSL Mission: The mission of the Bill Koch Youth Ski League (BKYSL) 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.

BKYSL Teaching Philosophy: All Bill Koch Youth Ski League (BKYSL) activities and competitions are designed to teach young people to participate to the best of their respective abilities. The foundation of the BKYSL is centered on the belief that having fun is at the core of learning to cross-country ski and that children can develop physically, psychologically, and socially in a safe, healthy, respectful, inclusive, and supportive environment.

Jackson Jaunt Race Report
provided by Damian Bolduc (NWVE)

Skiers from around the region converged on Jackson, NH, for the Annual Jackson Jaunt.  Most drove through some sort of precipitation as the first significant weather event of the new year was settling in.  Leaving snow in Craftsbury, we hit a fine misty rain before leaving Vermont.  Conditions stayed the same through Crawford Notch, but the snow base increased notably as we closed in on our destination.

Results

The Jackson Jaunt 10km was initially billed as a Classic Race, but director Ellen Chandler made the call earlier in the week to change it to a freestyle technique.  The decision was understandable as while there was an adequate base of snow, forecasts were not favorable, and setting tracks would be very challenging.  Skiers did not seem to mind the change, though a couple lamented that it increased the difficulty of the course.

Overnight temperatures did not fall below freezing in Jackson.  They held steady around forty degrees for the duration of the race.  Skies were overcast with light drizzly rain.  There was no detectable wind.  The trail surface was soft transformed snow.  The grooming was excellent, given what was there to work with.  There was some organic tree debris, and thin spots were well marked.  The course held up well during the event, with some stating that it seemed like it improved.  It took finesse to ski well, as the snow would give out underfoot if skiers started thrashing.  Pole placement was also an art as some lines had firmer snow than others.

The course was a slightly shortened version of the Homologated 5km Race loop on the Eagle Mountain Trail Network.  This is a “rolling” loop that features 171m of climbing.  Many skiers found it challenging to establish a rhythm on the course.  Starting with some dramatic changes in pitch (nothing like V2’ing into a single stick in the first ten seconds of a race), then kind of settling into some steady climbing, skiers made their way around to the Henry Trail.  They then had a significant climb that turned left into a wall before relief with a descent.  The downhill ended with a technical S-turn, and skiers returned to the stadium via the fun descent on the Wave.  Skiers completed two laps for an approximate 9km.

Skiers registered at the touring center and warmed up by skiing up Yodel to the start in the Eagle Mountain Fields.  One skier arrived without their bib and made another round trip as they were sent back to retrieve it.  Many wise skiers arrived early to preview the course before starting the race – a decision that seemed to prove highly advantageous.  Others figured they were familiar enough with the trail, did not want to spoil the surprise, or thought that the trip up Yodel was fatiguing enough.

Ellen Chandler utilized the rolling start where skiers are autonomous in choosing their start time.  There was some strategy for a few folks, timing their starts to make for a good chase, though most decided to start when it felt right for them.  A steady trickle of athletes left the stadium in random order.  It would be interesting to see if there was an inversion of age to start order.  Many wanted to get things going as soon as possible.

With the rolling start, racing takes on a different dynamic.  Some skiers may never overlap on the course, which was the case today.  Most found that they did not have much company during the race.  With forty starters spread over an hour, this is to be expected.  Today marked the first race with an interstate field for many in attendance since the Long Hall Loppet in 2020.

Amy Gunn was in action starting at 9:00 a.m. sharp.  She claimed fatigue in her arms from an eleven-mile backcountry ski on Saturday but showed no signs of it during the race.  A couple of other early starters were Bob Gray (Putney) and Karen Alence (MNC).  Watching them get the day underway was inspiring but foreshadowed that things would not be easy.  Nat Lucy (Mt. Washington) was in action today in one of the deepest divisions of the day, M7.  He was edged by one place by long-time rival Kirk Siegel (BOC).  Both were comfortably in the top half of the field.  Kirk passed his teammate Brad Clarke (BOC) with “smooth gliding as if he was floating over the snow.” Ed Momm (Gunstock) was also out in force, skiing close to Kirk and Nat in time and winning the M6 division.  Ed prefers the longer distances but looked great today and was happy to be racing.

Chris Burnham (NWVE) timed his start to chase Mark Young (Gunstock).  Unfortunately, Mark was quick off the start and gradually made a little time on Chris to take the overall.  Kieth Kantack (Unattached) snuck in for second overall, and Chris settled for third.    Tristan Williams (PVR40) had a solid race winning the M2 division.  Matthew Katsenes (Unattached) endured the day to take second in the M2’s.

When we arrived at the starting area, Dennis Page (Nansen) shared his reconnaissance information with James Donegan (NWVE) and me.  He stated that “the downhills look dirty, but they are fine.  There are a couple of rocks poking through on the Henry uphill, but if you stay on the trail, you should not hit them.” Dennis set out, and James invited me to start together, which I declined.  Jessica Bolduc (NWVE) set out to get things over with.  James followed and quickly passed.  James skied aggressively, pushing his limits over the course.  A couple of technical turns surprised him, but he held it together.  Jessica took a more conservative approach.

I felt good during the race but fell for the first time in a long time.  Taking corrective action on the second lap, I went too wide on the S-turn and fell again off the course.  There were a few craters on the course that were not mine.  Brad Clarke had previewed the course and avoided the fate of falling which gave him the edge over me this time.  Brian Northan made the trip from NY and won the M4 division.  Jay Nutting (Down East Sled Dog Club) had to leave his four-legged advantage at home for this one.  It was his first appearance at a Zak Cup race since the Bond Brook Race many years ago.  Jay stated that his skijoring partner would have gotten really tired on today’s course in these conditions.  He took second in the M4’s right behind Brian.

Christopher Naimie (Bow Nordic) was excited to be racing again.  He has gotten some good k’s in splitting time between Craftsbury and Proctor Academy.  He was happy with his effort in the challenging conditions.  Cipperly Good (NWVE) took advantage of as much restless sleep as she could, being one of the three doing the double this weekend.  She arrived to start closer to the 10:00 a.m. side of the window of the rolling start.  Her skiing yesterday at the Alumni Race prepared her for today.  She focused on gliding and had another solid race winning the M3 category.

Torin La Liberte’ (Clarkson) had a rough day.  He was the one sent back to retrieve his bib.  He did not seem too phased by that but, upon finishing, exclaimed, “that was the hardest I have ever skied that course.” No one denied it was a challenging day to ski a challenging course.  Everett Ingalls (Unattached) took the M9 division.  Eddie O’Rourke (North Shore Nordic Association) toughed it out to take third in the M7’s against Nat and Kirk.  Laurel Smith (Mt. Washington) was happy to get a prize, winning the women’s M7 division after a hard effort.

Those who raced were happy they did.  It is always great to see who shows up on days like today.  At the Rodrigues Sprints (in the rain), it was stated that these are “making memories days.” It is true; the ones you remember are the ones you work the hardest for.  There was no forgiveness on today’s course, but the volunteers and staff at Jackson put on an amazing event for the truly hearty souls that could not help but show up and race.    Most skiers chose to make a quick exit to avoid prolonging their travels in the inclement weather.  The temperature was dropping, and hopefully, snow was on the way.

The next race in the NENSA Popular Race Series is this coming Saturday.  A race update will be provided on Thursday the 6th.  Race Registration.

We would like to share some changes to our Bill Koch League (BKL) race policies voted into place by our BKL District Chair Committee. Please know that all policy changes will be reviewed in our spring District Chair meeting so we can debrief the policies in practice and discuss any potential changes moving forward. Both changes listed below were made in an attempt to better align our policies with the mission and philosophy of the BKL which is to make skiing fun and accessible to all young people.

Race Timing:
In an effort to reduce the focus on competition, the Committee voted to extend the results policy already in place for Grades 1&2 to Grades 3&4. This means that for Grades 1-4 only placement, and not race times, will be posted on results for all BKL races including the Festival. Clubs are more than welcome to extend this policy to older age groups or not time races at all, but this is the minimum requirement now in place.

BKL Wax Policy:
In an effort to lessen the cost barrier and to keep the focus more on skiing rather than on waxing at the BKL/youth level, the BKL District Chair Committee has voted to allow basic block/hot wax or liquid paraffin wax at Eastern Youth BKL ski races including the BKL Festival. Please see the following list of allowed Swix and Toko block/hot wax and liquid paraffins. Please note that equivalent base line block/hot waxes and liquid paraffins from other wax companies are also allowed despite not being listed below. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in following this new guidance.

Swix Performance Speed (PS) Block Wax Line (formerly the CH line)
Swix CH liquid line
Toko Base Performance liquid paraffin
Toko Base Performance Hot Wax
And equivalent base line block/hot waxes and liquid paraffins from other wax companies

Application Videos:
Swix: Applying block glide wax
Swix: Applying liquid glide wax
Toko: Applying Toko Base Performance Liquid Paraffins

Day 1: Freestyle Sprint

Saturday we kicked off NENSA’s Eastern Cup Series at the Quarry Road Trails with freestyle sprints.  In the last two weeks the snowmaking crew continued their hard efforts to provide a challenging sprint loop, plus a 500m warmup loop.  A slightly shorter course made for some blistering fast times, with the open men’s qualifier being won in 2:14; the top woman was not far behind with a time of 2:45.  

After qualifying in the morning, the open men’s and women’s heats got underway at noon.  Followed by the U18/U20 and U16 age group heats.  The theme of the afternoon was movement – no lead or position in the heats were safe.  Sugary, but fast snow made drafting and choice of line more important than normal.  Heat after heat spectators and coaches cheered on their athletes as positions changed and early leads faded.  It made for some very dramatic and exciting races!

“This event on this course is my favorite of the whole season – I’ve been looking forward to it all year!” – Avery Ellis.

Many racers shared her enthusiasm.  It was especially noticeable when skiers who had completed qualifying, walked back by the start area and very excitedly told their teammates: “You have to hammer, it’s so short and so fast,” with big smiles on their faces.  For most this was the largest ski race they have been in since March of 2020, with just shy of 300 races in the sprint!

The women’s heats were controlled from the front by Dartmouth’s Callie Young, whose high tempo couldn’t be matched.  She was followed by strong performances from Ava Thurston of Mansfield Nordic (2nd) and Avery Ellis of Middlebury (3rd).

Daniel Streinz of NMU put on quite a show in the men’s heats.  In the final, he comfortably cruised across the finish line gapping the remaining competitors.  Behind him, Stratton skiers Fin Bailey and Will Koch battled it out to the line, with Bailey out lunging Koch for second and third.

The results of the U16 boy’s heats were not determined until the final lunge, where Stratton’s Micah Bruner (1st) edged out Quarry Road’s Ellis Slover (2nd).  Brady Morigeau of Mansfield Nordic secured third.  

In the U16 girl’s heats, Julia Thurstand of Mansfield Nordic took the win, with Beth McIntosh of Frost Mountain Nordic in second.  Sadie Bell of the Putney School claimed third position. 

Stratton skiers Janne Koch and Jack Lange duked it out with EMXC’s Sam Gallaudet for top spot in the U18/U20 boy’s heats, with Koch leading the way.  Lange was second and Gallaudet finished third.

Grace Mattern of Rochester Nordic led the way in the U18/U20 girl’s heats, with Stratton’s Maddie Hooker (2nd) and Liza Bell (3rd) nipping at her heels.  

Video of Women’s Qualification.
Video of Men’s Qualification.

Day 2: Interval Start Classic

A fresh blanket of snow overnight turned Quarry Road into a winter wonderland.  It also made for soft tracks and challenging waxing conditions.  The classic races were run on the 1.6km loop, with either 3 laps for 5km or 6 laps for 10km.  The short loops made for a very festive atmosphere, with much of the course packed with spectators, coaches, and cheering teammates.  The cheering squad on Hero hill was particularly loud and energetic!  

Video of Men’s Races on Sunday.

In the open women’s 5km race, junior skiers made their presence known.  U20 skier Annie McColgan of the UVM was the third junior (6th overall), just five seconds behind second junior Emma Strack of St. Lawrence (4th overall).  Mansfield’s Ava Thurston, wearing bib one, set the pace for the day, with the slimmest of margins of Dartmouth’s Callie Young.  At the end of the day, Thurston held on by 0.6 seconds for first overall and top junior, with Young finishing second overall and top senior racer.  UNH’s Luci Anderson and Middlebury’s Avery Ellis both had quick starts, holding roughly the same pace through two laps.  Anderson had the stronger final lap finishing third overall (2nd senior), while Ellis came in fifth overall (3rd senior).

Mixed in with the open women, the U16 girls had strong performances, finishing just outside the top 30 overall.  Mansfield’s Julia Thurston set a fast steady pace to take the early lead.  A late surge from Craftsbury’s Amelia Circosta was enough to take the win over Thurston (2nd) by 0.4seconds.  Eight seconds behind Circosta was teammate Anika Leahy in third.

The U16’s boys race saw a dominating performance by GMVS’s Tabor Greenberg, who jumped out to a large lead on the first lap, which kept growing to the finish.  Behind him there was a close battle between Stratton’s Mich Bruner, Quarry Road’s Ellis Slover, Mansfield’s Brady Morigeau, and Gunstock’s Tyler Watt for the next four positions.  Bruner put in a strong move on the second lap to secure second place.  Slover and Watt had strong second laps.  Slover’s fast final lap was enough to hold off Morigeau and Watt for third place.

Junior racer Will Koch of SMST2  jumped out to an early lead in the open men’s race.  Another junior racer, UVM’s Fin Sweet shadowed him, but was not able to close the gap, eventually finishing eight seconds behind Koch in second overall. Leading the senior racers was UVM skier Greg Burt in third overall.  William Kerker of Colby College had a strong showing for fourth overall (2nd senior), with Middlebury’s Sam Hodge rounding out the senior podium (7th overall).  Meanwhile, Jack Lange of Stratton slipped into 5th overall and claimed the final spot on the junior podium.

Also recognized were the top two Maine high school boys and girls, in honor of Roy Varney’s memory.  Present to give out awards where Roy’s family and coach.  For both days the girls top honors went to Quarry Road skiers Emma Charles and Brynne Robbins.  The boys awards went to Ellis Slover and Caden Cote, also both of the Quarry Road Ski Club.

Among the highlights of the weekend were strong team performances in the Club Cup.  Leading the way in the U16 Girls category was the Craftsbury Ski Club with 186 points, followed by Mansfield Nordic Club  (2nd) with 153 points and Ford Sayre (3rd) with 148 points. For the U16 Boys category it was Mansfield Nordic Club taking top spot with 299 points, followed by EMXC (2nd) with 233 points and Berkshire Nordic (3rd) with 209 points.  In the U18/U20 Girls category, Mansfield Nordic continued to show their strength with 580 points, followed by Craftsbury Ski Club (2nd) with 527 points and EMXC (3rd) with 504 points.  On the U18/U20 Boys side, it was a different story, with ski academies and college teams vying for top spot.  Stratton took the lead with 470 points to second place GMVS’s 426 points, followed by Colby College (3rd) with 406 points.  In the combined junior Club rankings, EMXC (2nd) held off the Craftsbury Nordic Club (3rd) by three points, with 1482 to 1479 points respectively.  Claiming top spot for Eastern Cup #1 was the Mansfield Nordic Club with a commanding 1692 points.

Link to race results

Link to Flying Point Road photos

Link to the Junior Ranking List

Link to Club points

Up next the NENSA Popular Series moves to Jackson, NH for the Jackson Jaunt on January 2nd, followed by the Bogburn on January 8th. 

The New England Bill Koch Youth Ski League (NEBKYSL) Festival is the marquee event of the Bill Koch Youth Ski League. This fun annual festival features races as well as a wide variety of exciting non-competitive winter activities for skiers of all skill and ability levels from kindergarten up to 8th grade!

This year’s Festival will be held March 5-6, 2022 on the beautiful trails at Quarry Road in Waterville, Maine. The dedicated folks at Quarry Road are planning fun races and exciting activities with the theme Soar Over Snow!

REGISTER

Event Registration Options

Nordic Adventure Participation (non-timed events): Includes the parade, mini-marathon/bird search, obstacle course, terrain park, bump jump, biathlon with US Biathletes, live birds with Chewonki, and autograph session with Bill Koch. For Grades K-8.

**Nordic Adventure events are included with race entry (details below)**

Lollipop Race Participation: Includes the mass start untimed lollipop race and the Nordic Adventure activities. For Grades K-2.

**The youngest skiers (grade 2 and under) can sign up as Lollipop participants or if they are in 1st or 2nd grade and wish to participate in the 1k race and the relay race, they can sign up for the Grade 1&2 Race Category (details below).**

Race Participation Grades 1-8: Includes the Saturday classic relay race (which is a team pairs race), the Sunday individual start freestyle race (finish order posted and awards for all grades, times only included for Grades 5-8), and all Nordic Adventure activities.

** Please also note there is a $10 price increase for all race categories February 21st **

The Maine Bill Koch Youth Ski League is generously covering $20 of the registration fee for every Maine resident. If you live in Maine, please sign up using the Maine resident registration categories.

All registration categories include an event t-shirt and you can pick your size during checkout. Participants who register before February 2nd are guaranteed a white cotton festival t-shirt. Upgraded shirt options, including colors and long sleeves, are available at an additional cost to each participant through registration until February 2nd.

Stay tuned to our website HERE for updates and full event details including COVID Guidelines.

Day 1 – Rodrigues Sprints

Saturday greeted us with rain and enthusiastic skiers excited to be back on snow, wearing a bib.  83 skiers toed the line for the 1.5km freestyle sprint qualifier, followed by three rounds of sprint heats.  In the sprint heats we saw masters, juniors, and collegiate skiers mixed together, often regardless of gender, skiing together in hone of the late Jim Rodrigues.  The Queens Court format was a dizzying affair, with 14 heats of six skiers executed in each round.  The rule of thumb for the day was that everyone got to race all the rounds.  As each round went on, athletes were filtered into heats that were closer and closer together in ability range, resulting in some close finishes throughout the day!  

2020 Nordic Combined World Cup Overall Champion, now biathlete, Tara Geherty-Moats of the Green Racing Project (GRP) put in a late surge to hold off University of Vermont’s (UVM) Anna Bizyukova (2nd) and GRP teammate Kelsey Dickinson (3rd) for the win in the open women’s field.  In the girl’s U16 age group, Craftsbury Ski Club’s Ruth Krebs outpaced Mansfield Nordic’s Julia Thurston (2nd) and teammate Annika Leahy (3rd) for top spot.  Stowe Nordic’s Sara Graves led the master’s women category in 15th overall.

In the open men’s race, Colby College skier Jack Young took the win over Elvis McIntosh of the Green Mountain Valley School (2nd) and Finn Sweet of UVM (3rd).  Meanwhile, finishing fourth overall, Mansfield Nordic’s Adam Terko took top spot in the master’s men category.  Ellis Slover of the Quarry Road Ski Club had a strong showing for 10th overall and first in the U16 age group, followed by Charles Kehler (2nd) of the Craftsbury Ski Club and Lucas Barstow of Gould Academy (3rd).

Craftsbury Ski Club led the way in the Club Cup for the day, with 169 points, followed by Mansfield Nordic Club and University of Vermont Ski Team with 149 and 140 points respectively.

Day 2 – Kendall Classic

The rain departed overnight and the sun came out to greet us for the second day of racing action.  Skiers did either two or three laps of the manmade 2.5km loop at Craftsbury.  With granular to icy snow classic tracks and snow temps just below freezing, klister was the flavor of the day.  The Kendall Classic was hosted to remember Tom Kendall, our beloved timer of many years, with FIS and Popular racing opportunities for all abilities of skiers.  Craftsbury also donated 25% of proceeds to the Muscular Dystrophy Association to honor the Kendall Family.

The participants came from all over the Northeast and Quebec, with representatives from 27 clubs.  We also saw U14 racers all the way up to M10’s, with a pretty even distribution of participants between U14/U16’s, U18/U20’s, and 20+ age groups, including a large contingent of masters. 

Mansfield Nordic Club led the way in the Club Cup for the day, with 253 points, followed by Northwest Vermont Endurance (NWVE), and the UVM Ski Team with 230 and 211 points respectively.

In the open women’s field Annie McColgan and Anna Bizyukova, both from UVM went one and two, with Mansfield’s Ava Thurston snatching third.  Ruth Krebs of Craftsbury was on top of the U16 girls podium a second time this weekend, followed by teammate Claire Serrano (2nd) and Beth McIntosh of Frost Mountain Nordic (3rd).  

The open men’s race saw a clean sweep of the podium by UVM, with Finn Sweet leading Jacob Nystedt (2nd) and Greg Burt (3rd).  In the U16 boys race Quarry Road Ski Clubber Ellis Slover led the way, with Mansfield Nordic’s Brady Morigeau in second and Gunstock Nordic’s Tyler Watt in third.

With nearly 30 masters participants in the field — the greatest win of the weekend was seeing everyone again.

Link to Rodrigues Sprints results.

Link to Kendall Classic results.

Link to Zak point standings.

Link to Club points standings.

Up next on the NENSA calendar is the Roy Varney Eastern Cup at Quarry Road, December 18-19th and the Jackson Jaunt on January 2nd.