NENSA News

The Central Maine Ski Club hosted 86 racers for the Quarry Road Opener on Sunday, December 10th.  Although the organizers promote the race as a “low key” event, they put forth great effort with snowmaking and grooming to make this early season race a reality.  Racers of all ages flocked to Quarry Road to begin the 2018 ski season — from 8 year old CMSC skier Lex Cote, to Everett Ingalls of Portland, who scored the first Zak Cup points of the season as an M9.

Nate Livingood of the Great Glen Bill Koch Club was the fastest boy in the 2.4km freestyle race.  He was followed by Caden and Beckett Cote in second and third place respectively.  Emma Charles was the fastest girl in the 2.4km distance with a time that was competitive with the top boys.  Naomi Mcgadney and Keya Amundsen placed second and third.  Seventeen racers, ages 8 to 13, enjoyed this festive environment.

Elliot Ketchel, a freshman from Bowdoin College, took top honors in the 4.8km male freestyle race with a time of 12:34.  He was closely followed by teammate, Christian Gostout, at 12:39 and Colby College skier, Foss Kerker in 12:40.  Kirsten Miller, another freshman standout, this time from Colby, took the victory in the female race with a time of 14:37.  Her teammate, Claire Waichler, crossed the line just four seconds off the pace and Bowdoin skier, Gabrielle Vandendries, rounded out a competitive top three that were separated by only eleven seconds.

Four masters skiers jump started their season at Quarry Road, which was the first race of the NENSA Zak and Club Cup Series.  Marek Skacel, an M4 from Veazie, Maine posted the fastest male time on the day.  He was closely followed by M1, Alison Chase, the only woman in masters field on the day.  Everett Ingalls (M9) and Daniel Baumert (M7), finished second and third for male skiers.  Everett Ingalls deserves special recognition as the first master skier in New England to score Zak Cup points for 2018.

Special thanks to Central Maine Ski Club for hosting this event and kicking off an exciting season of cross country ski racing.  Zak and Club Cup Scoring are live at www.nensa.net.  Look for a “Zak and Club Cup Scoring Primer” post in the next few days!  This weekend attention focuses on the Eastern Cup Opener in Fort Kent and the next Zak Cup race will be held January 6th at Gunstock Nordic (January Thaw).

Keep posted here and at NENSA facebook and instagram.

Photos from the event.

Official results.

Zak and Club Cup Scoring.

With less than two weeks until the first Eastern Cup, we are excited to name the 2018 New England coaching staff for the US XC Junior Nationals to be held in Soldier Hollow, Utah.  Many of our New England athletes and coaches have experience at this venue, which hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2017 Junior World Championships.

This years coach and wax tech staff brings together a mix of veteran and up and coming coaches with US Ski and Snowboard L100 or L200 coaching credentials with varied experience from junior through professional racing.  This blend of coaches is aimed to support coach development within the region and provide top-level support to our athletes whether they are seasoned junior racers or making their first trip to Junior Nationals.

This volunteer staff will work to support a team culture, helping over fifty athletes excel and enjoy the experience of racing at the national level.  New England is known as a dominant division in Junior National competition and our goal is to defend the Alaska Cup for the fifth year in a row.

2018 JN Staff include:

Matt Boobar – Head Coach (SMS)

Amie Smith – Team Leader (NENSA)

Age Group Coaches:

Adam Terko – U16 boys (Mansfield Nordic)

Hilary McNamee – U16 girls (Ford Sayre)

Audrey Mangan – U18 men (Craftsbury)

Scottie Eliassen – U18 women (Ford Sayre)

Rob Bradlee – U20 men (CSU)

Poppet Boswell – U20 women (Stratton)

Wax Techs:

Justin Beckwith – Lead Kick (NENSA)

Steve McCarthy – Lead Glide (SMS)

Anna Schulz – Wax Tech (Craftsbury)

Colin Rodgers – Wax Tech (GMVS)

Jake Barton – Wax Tech (Craftsbury)

Some thoughts and history about the staff:

Steven McCarthy has built up an impressive service resume, working with the likes of Zach Caldwell, Roger Knight and the Maine Winter Sports Center. “I don’t rest until the job is done and I’m able to ignore my own fatigue in order to produce competitive skis for every athlete. I have built a foundation of ski service knowledge through collaboration with some of the best waxers in New England.” This will be Steven’s first Junior Nationals and he is excited to make fast skis in Utah.

Adam Terko will return to his post leading the U16 Boys. “I think one of my strongest attributes as a coach is an ability to bring together a group of athletes and help them create shared experiences and a shared sense of purpose. In the setting of a Championship event like JN’s, this really helps motivate and drive athletes in a situation that can often be fraught with pressure and intensity.”

Hilary McNamee will share a wealth of experience, perspective and positivity with the U16 Girls.  She has competed on many levels of the racing scene, from Junior Nationals to Jr. Worlds for Biathlon, and is known for her sprinting prowess.  After graduating from Dartmouth College McNamee competed on the Maine Winter Sports Center Elite Team, and later coached the Dartmouth D-Team.  She currently coaches for Ford Sayre.

Audrey Mangan returns to the staff to work with the U20 boys. She brings, “Enthusiasm for team New England! It’s no accident that New England is such a strong team—these kids butt heads frequently throughout the winter, but it raises everybody’s game. And it’s awesome to see them all come together to be teammates at JNs.”

Colin Rodgers, a Vermont native and ex-national caliber racer, returned to New England last year to lead the Green Mountain Valley School’s Nordic Program.  Colin brings a wealth of knowledge (and fitness) to the team and wax room, having worked for years with the Sun Valley Gold Team and US Ski Team on international trips.

Scottie Eliassen has worked with the New England Junior National Team on 13 different occasions.  She will lead the U18 women with undeniable “experience with JNs – (knowledge of the) flow of the race week, working with a team of 50 and its staff, and most of all helping athletes realize their potential during what is for many the highlight week of the season. I also bring a desire to learn from others on the coaching and tech staff – and from the athletes.”

Rob Bradlee has also been a staple of the New England staff with eight trips to JN’s.  He brings, “Over a decade experience working with many JN athletes including six national champions from my own club.”  Besides his affinity for all things Nordic, Rob’s sense of humor will keep staff and athletes smiling through a demanding week of competition.

Poppet Boswell from the Stratton Mountain School has over twenty years of coaching experience.  She is excited to lead the U20 women and return to Soldier Hollow.  Poppet has been a staple staff member for many NE JN trips, providing top notch race support and balancing the rigors of the week with fun field trips, glitter and face paint.

Justin Beckwith and Anna Schulz will also return to the NE wax trailer, both fondly remember working with klister at the 2012 JN’s at SoHo.  Beckwith who serves as the Competitive Program Director for NENSA, is passionate about waxing skis for the talented skiers of New England, and has supported their success at JN’s and international competition.  Harvard Ski Team alum, Anna Schulz, shifted her own competitive focus to supporting junior skiing after graduation, coaching BKL and junior skiers.  She spent several years coaching in Mt. Bachelor, Oregon and now runs the Junior Program at Craftsbury.  Well versed in all aspects in coaching, she often finds herself near the wax bench at races where her level-headed attitude helps get athletes to the start line focused and well prepared.

Matt Boobar from Stratton Mountain School, and Amie Smith, Executive Director of NENSA, return as the dynamic duo heading up the New England team on the ground in SoHo, as Head Coach and Team Leader.  Amie and Matt have worked together in this capacity for the past 4 years, and are looking forward to helping support and lead the team to hopefully, our 5th Alaska Cup victory in a row.  It will be a challenge being at altitude this year, but a challenge our entire New England Team is certainly up to!

12/7 Update (in italics):

1) We are on!  The course is in good shape but there is a potential to hit mixed in dirt so skiers may want to choose “not their best skis.”  The OC makes the distinction that full-on “rock skis” are not required.

The Central Maine Ski Club is happy to announce the Quarry Road Opener is on for this Sunday, December 10th.  Registration is available at https://www.skireg.com/quarry-road-opener.

It’s an exciting time for skiers in New England with venues across the region making snow — the race season is now upon us!  This is also our first Zak Cup Race.  If you wish to be scored for Zak Cup please enter your current NENSA number on the registration page.  There will also be a club dropdown for Club Scoring.

Quarry Road currently has 0.8km loop that looks beautiful.  Check out pictures and stay up to date at CMSC site.

Results.

We had 99 racers join us today from UNH, Harvard, Williams, Craftsbury, MNC, SMS, Orford, Ford Sayre, Stowe, Gunstock, NWVE, and beyond! It was a beautiful day and, despite having limited snow to work with, our groomers pushed out a great loop for everyone to race on. Thank you to everyone who volunteered and helped us give folks a chance to do some early-season racing.