NENSA News

We’re excited to be thinking about the 2021 New England BKL Festival! Though things seem uncertain in this time of social distancing, we are planning for the future and are hoping for a great ski season next year. The NEBKL Festival is the marquee event of the Bill Koch League, and as anyone who has attended in the past knows: it’s two days packed with fun!

This year’s festival at Great Glen Trails in Gorham, NH brought in 586 skiers and their families with the theme of SUPER SKI Heroes.  You can check out photos from this year’s festival here.

Interested venues should fill out the bid sheet linked bel0w, and can email [email protected] with any questions, ideas, or concerns.More information on hosting the festival can be found in our BKL Festival Hosting Manual.

2021 NEBKL Festival Bid Sheet

We hope planning for the 2021 ski season will give folks something to look forward to in this time of uncertainty.  While we cannot predict what the future will look like we can do our best to plan for an awesome upcoming season!  Working along side and witnessing the incredible amount of effort and passion that go into hosting these national caliber races is an absolute pleasure!  We applaud our venues for the work they did in 2020 and thank you in advance for submitting a bid for 2021 – going through bid submission process makes all of our events better – please don’t hesitate to write with questions.  Also now more than ever consider how you might work with another venue (even if it is a backup site) – we are truly a family and it helps to work together!

Thank you for taking the time to complete this form to submit a bid for an Eastern Cup race and/or SuperTour for the 2020-21 season.  Please note extensive national discussion of SuperTour events is ongoing and will be finalized at U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress in May (virtually), if you are interested in hosting a Super Tour please contact Justin Beckwith and Bryan Fish ([email protected]).

Bids are reviewed throughout the month and typically the Athletic Development Committee (ADC) makes a decision on the final schedule at the NENSA Board Meeting the first weekend of May (2-3).  This year the meeting will be virtual and while we aim to stick to our typical schedule the current global pandemic and its unknown impact on our programs will require us to be fluid with decision making and the final product of our 2021 season.

LINK TO 2020-2021 BID SHEETS

**Popular Race Bids will follow in the coming weeks.

NWVE is accepting applications from Vermont high school Seniors who have a passion for Nordic skiing.

Spike was a fixture in the Nordic community and beyond.  He may be most recognizable as the bashful co-owner of Skirack, in Burlington, who would light up when the subject turned to anything athletic.  He had a way of making everyone feel valued and encouraged them to harness their potential to enjoy being active.  It did not matter if you were a World Cup athlete or someone who just signed up for the team having never skied before.  Spike would give the time and attention required to get you on the right track, not only for tomorrow but for years to come.   His guidance was about more than a sale; it was a resource and connection to his seemingly limitless knowledge and expertise.

It was the ability to recognize potential that led Spike to suggest NWVE be created, and he stood by and supported the club as it grew.  Spike joined the club, participating in some relays, and was delighted with his experience.  He could not get over how basic, simple, yet refined our approach is, providing the essential ingredients to a lifelong enjoyment of the sport.  “All you did was set up a table with a few waxes, and all these people showed up to have fun! This is great!!”

NWVE is honored to preserve Spike’s memory and vision through this scholarship.  We hope to carry on his passion for enriching others by supporting experiences like those that had a profound impact on his life.  It is through this extension of oneself onto others that one can truly appreciate the rewards of success.

To apply, complete, and return the application at  https://www.nwve.org/blank-page by May 11, 2020.

Be Positive   –   Work Hard   –   Never Give Up

Are you feeling cooped up at home? Do you miss your friends, teammates and coaches? Maybe you need an outlet for all your pent up energy? We get it, and that’s why we’re announcing the NENSA Virtual Video Challenge – a way for you to stay engaged with the ski community during these weeks of social distancing, support NENSA’s 25th birthday, and have some fun doing it.

The premise is simple – collaborate with your club or team (virtually), come up with a cross country ski themed activity, and make a fun video! Post the video on your Instagram or Facebook page, tag NENSA, and hashtag #NENSA25in20.  Then email it to us at: [email protected].  We will then repost the videos on our NENSA social media throughout the month of April.  

Some fun examples include:

• A virtual relay ski, run, or roller ski where you virtually “tag” off to another one of your club/teammates
• A virtual strength workout challenge where each member does 25 push ups (in honor of NENSA’s 25 years) 
• Whatever you dream up!

Video Guidelines:

• XC skiing theme 
• 60 seconds max 
• Horizontal orientation
• Email to [email protected] 
• Have fun and be creative!

Most importantly we want all challenges to be SAFE (please follow social distancing or shelter in place guidelines for your community) and FUN and the purpose is to engage with each other while celebrating all we have to be thankful for here at NENSA and in our ski community.  

NENSA will pick an overall Club/Team winner at the end of April and create a rollerski program for your club – including agility ramps and our rollerski fleet,  that will come to your club or team sometime late this summer or fall.

So get out there and be creative and have fun with your friends while doing this video challenge, as we look forward to our next season!  #NENSA25IN20 

Dear NENSA Members and Community,

As we are being whiplashed to change our routines and way of life during this global crisis, I hope you are staying safe at home and keeping your health. Or if you are in the front lines of providing medical care and essential services, a heartfelt and grateful thank you for all that you are doing.

Yesterday, like many states, Vermont Governor Phil Scott instituted a stringent Stay Home/Stay Safe order with only essential businesses like grocery stores and gas stations to be open. My hometown of Stowe, usually bustling with locals and tourists alike enjoying the finale of spring skiing is eerily quiet. Restaurants are in high gear to ramp up take-out, retail stores are closed and/or upping online sales and service. Though there is no lawful penalty for leaving your home, the governor stated people are only allowed out for procuring groceries, medications, gas AND for outdoor health pursuits like walking and CROSS COUNTRY SKIING.

The governor endorsed what is NENSA’s mission: to sustain a vital and active cross-country skiing community throughout New England. And that is what we want to keep on doing. With the bombardment of 24/7 negative and anxiety-provoking news, the hour or so each day when I get outside is a joyful and calming respite. I encounter other people sharing that pursuit and socially connect from a respectful 6 feet away.

So how does NENSA plan ahead for the next year with so much uncertainty? Well we are still making plans to offer our programs and events but with full awareness that we need to be nimble and ready to adapt to changes both at home, nationally, and at the global level. In the coming weeks, the staff will be creating fun challenges and video messages for the NENSA community to engage in. And as with every non-profit: membership dues, fundraising and sponsorships are how the organization survives, so there will be communications asking you to renew your membership and to participate in our annual fund drive.

Why NENSA? The year 2020 marks our 25th anniversary since first incorporating in 1995. The growth, influence and impact the organization has had over the past two and half decades is remarkable: from the success of developing Olympians, Super Tour racers, and college standouts to nurturing beginning skiers to overseeing the popular Citizen and Marathon series.

NENSA for me is hope for the future when I see BKLers mature into amazing adults with solid core values. NENSA for me is the relationships I have developed with mentors and heroes. NENSA for me is the conduit that I can use to provide what I have learned to teach others. NENSA for me is the privilege of working with our supremely creative and smart staff people. NENSA for me provides incentive to do the best I can with my ski interests because there are other people there to share commitment and support. As we commemorate the past 25 years, let us celebrate what the pursuit of cross country skiing means to all of us.

Carol Hillman Van Dyke
NENSA Board President

Rankings

Well… what a few weeks it’s been – despite the best intentions and planning for an awesome celebration of the lifeblood of New England skiing – we are forced to make a socially responsible announcement of our Zak and Club rankings right here at nensa.net.  Popular ski racing in New England is experiencing a resurgence for the second year in a row – with incredible people, clubs and venues upping their game – we head boldly into the future with a community of leaders of strength, intelligence and grit!!  Today we are highlighting our champions on the track – a diverse bunch – some who approach ski racing with a calculated precision, others who embrace perseverance as a critical tactic, and the true competitors who seamlessly rise to the top… stay tuned as we continue to digest the season in the coming weeks!

From the top — Mansfield Nordic entered 2020 with unparalleled organization — and talent across all age groups to back it up.  The Mansfield Nordic Club’s stated mission is to help athletes of all ages and abilities improve their Nordic skiing and pursue skiing excellence at the local, national, and international levels.  We are happy to announce MNC as the 2020 Club Cup Champions, despite the best efforts of the perennial club NWVE.

Place	NENSA Club/Team	Points	# of Racers
1	Mansfield Nordic	1559	199
2	NWVE	1495	181
3	CSU	1240	165

The race for overall champions of Zak Cup racing became more competitive this year with a resurgence of competitors and the addition of a Senior Class (23-29) in the rankings.

For the women, Sarah Graves (M2) of Stowe Nordic, stormed back to regain her 2017 title as the fastest adult cross country skier in New England.  She used her talent, tenacity and will to outperform notable competitors, Joanne Hanowski (M7) of Mansfield Nordic, who was undefeated in her age group this winter and senior skier, Emily Stitt, who appears to be hitting her stride by perfectly balancing medical school and outdoor pursuits.

On the men’s side, Chris Burnham, skiing for NWVE, set out on a pace for the 2020 season that proves that age does matter.  Chris, a senior skier, originally hailing from the Cambridge Sports Union, like Stitt, acknowledges that he might be skiing faster than he ever did in his junior career.  Burnham, with his rigorous, “skiing for pleasure training motto,” was able to distance last years Zak Cup champion (and mentor?) Eli Enman, and standout coach / athlete, Adam Terko of MNC, to take the 2020 title.

In this time of uncertainty we couldn’t be more proud of the community of cross country ski racers in New England – and we hope you will find distraction and comfort in reviewing the strength of character and depth of talent in the ranking pages at nensa.net.

You can look forward to continued celebration of our athletes and NENSA’s updated programming in the coming weeks.

A special thanks to all of our competitors, clubs, venues and officials for a fantastic season of citizen racing in New England!

 

NENSA is thrilled to be the recipient of a Gatorade Play it Forward Grant, made possible by Vermont Cross Country Runner of the Year Ava Thurston. The Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes the nation’s most elite high school athletes for their accomplishments on and off the field, and the grant works in collaboration with the Gatorade Player of the Year to empower elite high school athletes to give back to a local or national youth sports organization.

Gatorade Play It Forward empowers every one of the 607 State Gatorade Player of the Year recipients to award a $1,000 grant from Gatorade to a community organization that helps young athletes realize the benefits of playing sports. It means so much to us that Ava selected NENSA, and specifically our youth programming, as the recipient of her grant.

On top of being Gatorade Vermont Cross Country Runner of the Year Ava skis with the Mansfield Nordic Club, and has been a mainstay of our Eastern Cup races this year; qualifying to represent Team New England at this year’s Junior National Championships in Truckee, California.

This grant will go specifically towards Nordic Rocks; a program which is made possible by the Share Winter Foundation, and which was developed to introduce a whole new generation of children in grades K-4 to the joys of cross-country skiing. To find out more about Nordic Rocks, Share Winter, and the Gatorade Player of The Year Program please follow the links below.

Nordic Rocks

Share Winter Foundation

Gatorade Player of the Year

Wednesday March 11th dawned bright and sunny in California, and our New England Team athletes were excited and ready for SPRINT DAY!  Our age group coaches were calming nerves and going over last minute race strategies as our wax techs were making some super fast skis for our team.  At the end of the day, Team New England won the sprint day, and we had some really great results and two new National Champions (Nina Seeman of SMS and Trey Jones of GMVS!), as well as 13 All American’s (top 10) and 21 of our NE athletes finished in the top 20 that day.  Congrats to all our racers!  Top 20 Results here below.  Full sets of results on www.xcjuniornationals.com  And, PHOTOS from the official JN Event Photographer can be found HERE.

U16 women:  3rd place Sofia Scirica, CSU juniors, 7th place Ava Thurston, MNC, 12th place Evie Walton, CSU juniors, and 16th place Emma Charles, Mt. Blue High School

U16 men:  1st place and National Championship to Trey Jones, GMVS, 2nd place Fin Bailey, SMS, 9th place Cormac Leahy, Craftsbury Nordic, 11th place Clint Macy, Dublin XC, and 20th place Nate Livingood, Gould.

U18 women:  1st place and National Championship to Nina Seeman, SMS, 7th place Quincy Massey-Bierman, Craftsbury Nordic, 13th place Adrienne Remick, Craftsbury Nordic, and 21st place, Camille Bolduc, Craftsbury Nordic (after a disappointing fall in the semis).

U18 men:  2nd place to Will Koch, SMS, 9th place to Finn Sweet, Craftsbury Nordic, 13th place to Jack Christner, Frost Mountain Nordic, and 18th place to Jack Young, Craftsbury Nordic.

U20 women:  2nd place to Abigail Streinz, Craftsbury Nordic, 4th place to Rose Clayton, MNC, 6th place to Ingrid Miller, independent, and 7th place to Laura Appleby, CSU juniors.  Fun note:  all 4 of our NE U20 women placed in the top 7!!

U20 men:  20th place Bjorn Westervelt, Craftsbury Nordic

Dear NENSA Community ~

This past week has been a tumultuous one to say the least. We lost a great friend and colleague, Jim Rodrigues a week ago. Jim was a dear friend to so many here in New England, and beyond. He worked for NENSA for many years as an Event Organizer, as well as an FIS Technical Delegate official, Chief of Competition, trail designer, coach, mentor and friend to so many of us. Outside of skiing, Jim was a master builder of rock. I am grateful to have one of his stone birdbaths in my yard. So much disbelief and sadness in his sudden passing. He will be sorely missed. Here is a link to his obituary: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ledgertranscript/obituary.aspx?n=james-rodrigues&pid=195706942
NENSA plans to have a proper celebration of Jim and his life, as soon as we are able to gather again as a large community.

This past week also brought unique challenges and hardships to many of our junior athletes, as organizers across the country had to cancel several major competitions in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic. EHS Championships was cancelled outright, our New England JN Team was sent home from Truckee, CA, after only two of our four races, and our EISA NCAA teams were sent home after only one day of racing. Not to mention the cancelation of the WC in Minneapolis. These are huge disappointments for our athletes who have trained hard all year to get to this point in the season. The resilience shown by everyone involved has been truly remarkable. Everyone in the NENSA community has a lot to be proud of!

I hope everyone takes this time to prioritize family, their own health, and the health of everyone in our communities. Please practice social distancing, and follow the recommendations of the CDC and the community in which you live. We all need to be a part of the solution to flatten the curve. We have an amazing ski community, and we will ski again, but for now we must all hunker down and get beyond this virus.

Our staff looks forward to sharing the accomplishments of our New England athletes these past few weeks, and we will highlight them in the upcoming edition of KickZone. We also look forward to celebrating the life and many accomplishments of Jim Rodrigues with a gathering once it is safe to do so. Jim told friends that when it was his time to go, he wanted a party instead of a funeral – complete with a Mariachi Band – so please let us know if you know of one here on the East Coast!

Be well everyone –
Best,
Amie

Amie W. Smith
Executive Director | New England Nordic Ski Association
[email protected]