NENSA News

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.  Read more about the USSS L100 certification here.

The clinic is being co-led by U.S. Ski & Snowboard Coach Developers, Cate Brams and Kait Miller.

After the 3 hour technique clinic, coaches on the L100 track will take a short break and then dive into an hour of coaching demonstrations in small groups while the non certification-seeking participants will have the opportunity to learn about the rollerski ramps and get some fun instruction from Justin Beckwith.

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

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L100 Certification:
Coaches seeking certification should register and take L100 Coach Certification Training on-line, before coming to this weekend.  This group will also participate virtually in portfolio discussion the week before the clinic–see Doodle Poll in registration questions to enter your preferred time.  U.S. Ski & Snowboard and NENSA Coach Membership are required for certification, although all are welcome to participate.

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 the high school so you can easily stay with the group on foot and learn about how to coach ski technique.  Parking lot is covered with large solar panels so we will ski even if it rains.

Participants who complete the entire clinic will receive NENSA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard continuing education credit.

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

Schedule:

12:45 p.m. arrive, get equipment, get ready
1:00 p.m. Classic Technique work – starting on foot and moving to rollerskis
2:30 p.m. Freestyle Technique work – mostly on rollerskis
4:00 p.m. break
4:15 p.m. 
A) L100 certification folks break into smaller groups for coaching demonstrations
B) Join Justin Beckwith for a ramp progression, thoughts on agility, and “pressuring the ski”
5:15 p.m. Approx. finish

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 1:00pm!

For clinic specific questions, contact [email protected].

NENSA is excited to bring back our annual Coaches Symposium and Technical Delegate & Event Organizers Training at the newly renovated Mt. Van Hoevenberg venue in Lake Placid, NY.  NENSA will be having one of our Eastern Cup and U.S. Ski & Snowboard SuperTour weekends there in January of 2022, so it will be great to preview the new trails, the stadium and venue!

This Symposium will include both L200 & L100 Coach Certification, Technical Delegate & Event Organizers training, BKL Leader Education as well as a fun evening of great Keynote speakers (following and outside dinner).

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Here is a sneak peak below of the weekend agenda! (Note: subject to change and please refer to the Event Notes in SkiReg for any updates or changes):

NENSA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Coaches Symposium, TD & Event Organizer Training 
Hosted by Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Lake Placid, NY
Saturday and Sunday, October 2nd & 3rd, 2021

**PLEASE NOTE**  NENSA will be following both CDC recommendations (as well as state and local COVID guidelines).  We will be REQUIRING mask wearing inside, no exceptions.  This means all our Symposium participants must alway wear a mask during all indoor classroom and evening presentations.  Thank you in advance for your compliance.  We want to keep our ski community safe, as well as be able to continue with our NENSA programing this year.  Any questions or concerns can be directed to NENSA’s Executive Director, Amie Smith at [email protected]

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L200 Certification:
Coaches seeking certification should register and take L200 Coach Certification Training on-line (more info to follow on how to do that), before coming to this weekend.  Then join Bryan Fish, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Program Director, and Justin Beckwith, NENSA’s Competitive Program Director, along with NENSA Coach facilitators, for portfolio / pertinent discussions and an in-person practicum.  In-person discussion will allow a deeper dive into topics covered on the L200 level coach certification.  U.S. Ski & Snowboard and NENSA Coach Membership are required for certification, although all are welcome to participate.

Schedule:
Saturday:
10:00am – 12:00pm: Classroom Meeting time
1:00 – 2:00pm: “Power and Speed Development”, Bryan Fish, USST
5:00 – 5:45pm (optional): Ramps to pressure ski and #skilikeanamerican, Justin Beckwith, NENSA
7:00 – 9:00pm: Evening Presentations

Sunday:
1:00 – 3:00pm: On-foot Practicum

L100 Certification:
Coaches seeking certification should register and take L100 Coach Certification Training on-line, before coming to this weekend.  Then join NENSA staff as well as NENSA Coach Developers, for portfolio / pertinent discussions and an in-person practicum.  In-person discussion will allow a deeper dive into topics covered on the L100 level coach certification.  U.S. Ski & Snowboard and NENSA Coach Membership are required for certification, although all are welcome to participate.

Schedule:
Saturday:
10:00am – 12:00pm: Classroom Meeting time
1:00 – 2:00pm: “Power and Speed Development”, Bryan Fish, USST
2:30 – 4:30pm: On-foot Practicum
5:00 – 5:45pm (optional): Ramps to pressure ski and #skilikeanamerican, Justin Beckwith, NENSA
7:00 – 9:00pm: Evening Presentations

For the L200 & L100 in-person practicum please bring running shoes, rollerski equipment (skate and classic), helmet, water bottle and holder.  NENSA will provide our fleet of Swenor Skis and SWIX poles (please note in custom questions).

Also of Note: We are also co-hosting the 2021 Climb to the Castle with the New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF) on Sunday morning the 3rd, which allows for more education or participation as a competitor or spectator.

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An evening with NENSA and Keynote Speakers:
6:00pm: catered dinner on the open patio 
7:00pm:  Paul Wylie | Keynote speaker – Overcoming the Odds: Just making the Team to Olympic Medal
7:45pm:  Megan Chacosky  | Sports Dietitian USOPC – Creating good habits: Nutrition considerations for young athletes and Identifying and working through Red-S
8:30pm: Steve Poulin from SWIX to discuss the new non-fluoro waxes

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Technical Delegate & Event Organizer Training:
10am-4pm Saturday & 9am-Lunch Sunday:

All current TD’s as well as those folks running events this season (such as Chief of Comp) are highly encouraged to attend for both Continuing Ed, TD and Event Organizer training, all wrapped up into one, at the same time.  Any venue who is hosting a major NENSA event this coming season (or next), such as an Eastern Cup, U16’s or EHS Championships, BKL Festival, are required to attend and have at least one person from your event organizers committee.

There is the possibility of incorporating equipment control at all competitions.  This is related to, but not directly contingent on utilization of sampling for Fluoro. It is clear that to maximize the deterrent to use Fluoro that there should be equipment control at all races regardless if there is sampling or not. What is not clear is what sampling methods will be available (funded).

MVH presents a great opportunity to discuss stadium layouts, with at least four different options. This would be good though exercise for other organizers. 

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Schedule and Agenda for Saturday 10/2, 10am-4pm

10am Welcome and introductions:  Amie Smith & Fred Bailey (10min)

1.  What did we learn from COVID protocols and event hosting last season and what we will be dealing with for this coming season (it’s not over yet).  Q&A and Organizer issues/thoughts?  Lessons learned: never agains & silver linings – (classroom) – Amie (30 minutes)

2. Equipment Control/Ski Testing (for fluoros) and discussion (classroom) – (20 minutes)

— 15 minute break —

3.  Stadium Layout (outdoors):  (60 minutes)

12:15 – Lunch 1 hour break

4.  State Cup races 2022 and OC Q & A (classroom): Fred

5.  Course layout – able bodied (outdoors): (60 minutes)

— 15 minute Break —

6.  Para Nordic events – course layout (outdoors) TBD: (60 minutes)

7.  Rollerski considerations (outdoors): (20 minutes)

Schedule and Agenda for Sunday 10/3, 9am-Lunch: 

1A. Option to go to Climb to Castle (early morning)

9am classroom start:  

1.  FIS/National Updates (classroom): Alan (60 minutes)

2.  TD reporting FIS vs. USSS vs. NENSA only – show link for watching National update (classroom): Fred (5 minutes)

3. Review of Competition Control, specifically, the use of video pitfalls and solutions (classroom): Amie (30 minutes)

— 15 minute break —

4. Diagonal stride/classical technique zones (outdoors): (30 minutes)

5. Turning zones (outdoors): (30 minutes)

6. Closing thoughts:  Fred & Amie (10 minutes)

12:15 – Lunch and depart

Questions?  Contact Fred Bailey at: [email protected] or Amie Smith at:  [email protected]

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BKL Leader Education:
Sunday: 9:00am-12:00pm

9-10am: Skier Development MythBusters presentation followed by Q and A

10am-12pm: Classic Rollerski Clinic–the primary focus of this clinic is to cover some basic classic ski technique cues and drills that are applicable to on-snow skiing in addition to providing leaders with an opportunity to try rollerskiing. Rollerskis will be provided by NENSA. Please bring your own helmet, boots, poles, gloves, and any other protective equipment you’d like to wear (i.e. elbow/knee pads).

Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New York
Vermont

A staunch crew of skiers braved the fog this morning in Warner, New Hampshire for the Rollins Roll Race, a classic hill climb up Mount Kearsarge. Congrats to everyone who competed in this test event, and a big thank you to the NH State Parks and all the awesome volunteers that came out to help today. We hope this fun event will become a yearly tradition.

Just as last month in Maine — hosting a rollerski competition in New Hampshire is part of our initiative to bring programming to all parts of the Eastern region.  NENSA staff were so excited to put on a race with our awesome coaches and athletes in the Granite State.  The Rollins Roll was the third race of our nine race series.

Prizes for the podium include our newly cobranded NENSA / Swenor Rollerski hats made possible with the support of Enjoy Winter.  As a testament to NENSA’s stance for a #fluorofree future winners were awarded a 180g block for CH10 – an excellent wax for cleaning and storage of skis.  All competitors who missed the podium were awarded with a choice of Skida headbands.

We next return to Lake Placid on September 18 for the Keys to the Castle Freestyle Sprint.  The next day we travel to Jericho, Vermont for a 15km freestyle event.  As the focus of our early events was on regional opportunity — as we head toward the end of rollerski and the beginning of on snow competitions — we will start to see some very high level competitions on the calendar (all levels of skiers are invited to all of our rolling events).  During this double weekend we will be hosting the Sun Valley Gold Team, the Bridger Ski Foundation Elite Team and the SMS T2 team.  This excitement warrants participation or spectating from our community — Jericho might just be our biggest rollerski contest of the year with a permit for up to 200 competitors.  Those registrations will open on SkiReg.com this week.

Exciting indeed!

Junior Women:
1) Adah Chapman – Holderness Nordic Club
2) Ava Rothe – Blackwater Nordic
3) Wyethe Murray – Ford Sayre

Junior Men:
1) Mitchell Townsend – Gunstock Nordic Association
2) Samuel Murray – Ford Sayre
3) Sawyer Weale – Ford Sayre

Open Women:
1) Greta Bolinger – Bowdoin College
2) Erin Waters – Concord High School
3) Annika Martell – Williams College

Open Men:
1) Tristan Williams
2) Joel Bradley – Ford Sayre
3) Blaine Ayotte – Saint Lawrence University

The NENSA Rollerski Race series heads to New Hampshire this Sunday August 22nd for the Rollins Roll, a classic individual start race up Mt. Kearsarge. This fun event has junior and senior categories and is a perfect opportunity to test your fitness on rollerskis and enjoy a scenic climb on a closed park road whether you’re a middle or high school athlete, senior athlete, or a master skier. This test event at the Rollins State Park could establish a new hill climb for our growing rollerski race program. Join in the fun by registering below. Registration deadline Saturday August 21st at 5:00pm.

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Race details:

• Course is approximately 3.5 miles long with an 8.7% average grade and 1,738′ elevation gain.
• Bib pickup will be at the summit.  The organizing committee will provide van transport to the start (please bring a mask for transport).
• At the start area, warm up will be allowed on foot on the park road following proper pedestrian patterns.  Athletes can also carefully ski on Gore and Kearsarge Mt. Road below the park entrance.  Please wear your bib and high vis for warmup.
• Interval race start at 8:00am. Awards 9:15am at the summit.  We ask that competitors and spectators carpool as much as possible.  There will be 30 parking spots at the top of the road. All spectating shall be on foot from the summit or outside the park.
• Racers will be started in a seeded start list with no breaks between age groups or genders.  The road will be clear of all skiers by 9:00am (and opening to the public).
• The top 10 seeded male and female skiers will be given NENSA’s matched Swenor Alutech skis.
• There will be a porta potty at the start and bathrooms available at the summit.

photos: Dave Priganc

In collaboration with the event hosts and our NENSA partners, we’re thrilled to present the NENSA Summer Rollerski Series! To build momentum across our eastern region, this series features events in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York ranging from hill climbs to cross country cross events. See all events listed below on our 2021 Event Poster. Top ranked racers will compete on NENSA’s new fleet of PINK Swenor rollerskis.  Stay tuned to our NENSA Breaking News, Event Calendar, Facebook, and Instagram for registration information and event details coming next! 

In addition to the race offerings, we’re also planning to host Learn-to-Rollerski clinics in conjunction with some of these events where all participants can try NENSA’s Swenor rollerski fleet. Stay tuned for clinic details and then come on out and see what all the excitement’s about! All are welcome and no experience is necessary.

Click here to view our important rollerski safety guidelines. See you out there!!

A big thank you to all who participated in the Third Annual Roy-llerski and supported the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center! This event, created by Jenny Wilbraham, honors Maine skier Roy Varney by bringing together the cross country ski community and raising money for the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center. This Center was a dream of Roy’s, a place where he could continue to train for cross country skiing and biathlon year-round all while continuing to help out on the farm. The nonprofit Center, managed by Roy’s family and friends, seeks to preserve his memory by providing opportunities to access the outdoors for all Turner and surrounding residents of central Maine and New England. The Center plans to provide an extensive cross country trail system on its 300+ acre farm that can be utilized year-round for hiking, skiing, biking, and running. While this year’s Roy-llerski has come to completion, you can still support the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center by paying them a visit and/or making a donation here.

This year 40 people partook in the Roy-llerski raising over $900. Folks participated in many forms from paddling to biking to rollerskiing, and we had 10 go-getters enter the Rockstar category and complete 71.19k in one effort!  To see how everyone stacked up in all the categories, visit the link below. And keep an eye on your mailbox as 20 lucky participants will get event bags with swag from the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center and LL Bean!  Thanks again to everyone who participated and we’ll see you next year!

RESULTS

It was certainly a good time in Cumberland, Maine at the first ever Good Times Roll Rollerski race organized and co-hosted by Nonstop Nordic! Twenty-seven skiers ranging from middle schoolers to masters racers toed the start line for the 7.5k individual start skate race at the Cumberland Fairgrounds. Check out the results below and stay tuned for more event photos!

Top-3 Women
1. Emma Charles
2. Leska Whitmarsh
3. Jenny Wilbraham

Top-3 Men
1. Caden Cote
2. James Eysenbach
3. Joey Rouhana

Lewiston Sun Journal Photo Gallery

A big thank you to Nonstop Nordic and NENSA’s Associate Sponsors!