New England Nordic Ski Association

The Home of Cross Country Skiing in New England

NENSA News

Rizio and Walton: 2023 Gallagher Award Winners

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In 2014 NENSA began the tradition of honoring the top ranked male and female Eastern Cup skiers with the Gallagher Cup.  NENSA is pleased to announce that Luke Rizio (Prospect Mountain Ski Club) and Evelyn Walton (EMXC) are the 2023 Eastern Cup Champions – their inspired efforts are a perfect way to celebrate Mike Gallagher’s legacy as an athlete, coach, and community leader.  The two skiers who win this award each year do so by being consistently dominant in New England’s premier race series (winners are determined by the lowest average points from seven of the eight EC events).

Both of this years recipients share common traits that go beyond skiing, including huge smiles and being amazing teammates.  Several of their race results throughout the winter were the same — which is not unlikely for individuals being rewarded for consistency.  While Rizio might have a flare for distance, Walton has the same for sprinting — prowess that placed both of them on the US Ski Team radar this season for inclusion into the National Training Group, a program for bringing together the top talent from across the United States.

Luke Rizio (front right) leading the U18 mass start event at the 2023 Junior Nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Luke Rizio is an upcoming star and a self-made skier who balances both high school and club skiing at an extremely high level.  Until this past season, Rizio listed Twin Valley High School out of Wilmington, Vermont as his home club.  Indeed, last season he went on to be a two-time Vermont State Champion as the only skier on his team.  This season he raced for and led the Mount Anthony Union Patriots to the State Team Championships with another set of back-to-back victories.

Rizio opening up 2023 Junior Nationals wearing MAU Patriot colors in the 7.5km classic.

On top of being a four-time Vermont State Champion, Rizio, as a second year U18, ended the 2023 Eastern Cup season ranked as the fourth junior in all of New England.  In the seven events he competed in he was never outside the top-six for juniors and found himself on the podium three times.  This impressive skiing was done under a new club name, and the watchful eye of his sister and coach, Mackenzie.  The Prospect Mountain Ski Club, led in part by the Rizio’s, was the 16th ranked club in 2023 Eastern Cup competition in its first year!

Rizio and New England teammates Fin Bailey and Tabor Greenberg after the 2023 Junior National Sprint awards.

In Luke’s second year at Junior Nationals he was a huge part of bringing the Alaska Cup home with three top-10 performances this winter in Alaska.  He placed 9th in the 7.5km classic, 10th in the sprint, and after helping dictate the speed of the mass start 10km freestyle ended the week with an outstanding 4th place finish.  There is a fun story about Luke here that ties into grit and self-determination — despite the near zero temperatures on race days — he was racing in only his suit, “because I get too hot.”  On the final day he wore a poly pro under his suit seemingly unfazed by the bite of the polar Fairbanks conditions.

“Luke is a pleasure to coach. He is extremely self-motivated and puts his all into his training all year round. He lives apart from many teammates and training partners from other teams, so he travels all over the place and trains with different groups and coaches on a regular basis. He has a thoughtful and well-rounded approach to training and racing and comes to practice each day with a positive attitude. Luke competes in both club and high school racing and has found a lot of success in both circuits. The balance of doing that many races as a Junior skier can be challenging, but Luke takes it in stride. No race is too small or not serious enough for him. He shows up to compete for that top podium spot, but after the race you would be hard-pressed not to find him laughing along with his teammates or cheering on younger or less experienced athletes. He is a leader both on and off the trail as he has volunteered to coach youth soccer players for some years in his free time.  In addition to his athletic pursuits, he helped start and run two small businesses based in our hometown.”  Mackenzie Rizio, PMSC Coach and NENSA YIPD.

Evan Kendall, Dublin School and 2023 New England JN Coach added, “Luke is both a national talent as a skier and as a teammate. He trains and races with his whole being and with incredible joy. In addition to hard work, tremendous fitness, and technical know-how, Luke also stands out due to his ability to find balance among many of the challenges skiing presents. He works hard without losing sight of the purpose of a practice. He finds joy and humor in his training without diminishing its quality. He believes in himself without putting himself above others. He brings mischief, adventure, and camaraderie to his teams without undermining their central focus. In short, he provides an example to others for how to race, train, and find meaning in skiing for both racers and coaches alike.”

Evelyn Walton competing at the 2022 Lost Nation Roll.

Evelyn Walton competed in all eight Eastern Cups this season and only placed outside the top-five junior skiers one time — she won both of the sprint races and was on the podium six times.  Hailing from Concord, Massachusetts she is a product and leader of the EMXC team and a dedicated participant in NENSA programs.  Throughout the first five years of her junior career she won at least one Eastern Cup sprint in the 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023 seasons in her respective age group (that’s a perfect record because there were no true Eastern Cups in the Covid season of 2021).  She ended the 2023 season as the third ranked junior skier in New England.

Evelyn Walton headed out onto the 7.5km classic course at 2023 Junior Nationals.

Walton has been a member of of four New England Junior National teams and scored major points for New England every year.  The 2023 Junior Nationals were her strongest to date, placing 3rd in the 7.5km classic, winning the sprint qualifier and going on to place 3rd in the rounds, before capping the week with a 4th place finish in the 15km freestyle as a first year U20.

Walton pictured with EMXC and New England teammate, Sophia Scirica after the two went 2nd and 3rd in the 2023 Junior National sprint.

Walton is one of the leaders of the impressive EMXC junior squad giving time back to the team and inspiring future skiers.  For the past few winters she helped organize components of the student led, Race for Snow, which brings together skiers from the Boston area to raise awareness and raise money for climate change mitigation.  She has also been an active participant in both of our Youth Enrichment Services (YES) learn to rollerski clinics, a program to introduce young people in the Boston area to the summer version cross country skiing, build stoke for the winter season, and provide an opportunity for YES participants to get acquainted with the EMXC athletes who assist with coaching YES’s winter ski program.   Evelyn will be continuing her career this winter at Dartmouth College.

Evie with the EMXC squad timing the 2022 Race for Snow.

“No matter the venue, be it Eastern Cup racing, team baking contests, or daily training sessions, Evie always shows up with her A-game and a smile. Her positivity and love for skiing are infectious, elevating both her own performance and the performances of her teammates.
To win the Gallagher Award, one must be consistently excellent across the course of the season. Evie is consistent in her excellence as a teammate, leader, and racer – so I can’t imagine a more fitting award for Evie!”  Cate Brams, Head Coach EMXC

Sean, Mike and Jesse Gallagher after a combined Eastern Cup and Carnival race at the Trapp Family Lodge.
Mike and Bill Koch celebrating after World Cup race.

Rollins Roll Gains Momentum

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The third edition of the Rollins Roll was one for the books, with brand new pavement, sunny skies, a 50% increase in participation — all while being co-hosted along with the longstanding Kearsarge Hill Climb bike race.  The event was dreampt up several years ago by Kearsarge Nordic coach, Kevin Lee, and fits in perfectly with NENSA’s vision of creating programming across the New England region.  On Sunday, 44 athletes strode up Mt. Kearsarge with enthusiastic cheering from parents, teammates and coaches from five different states.  The event highlighted the strength of the New Hampshire community with over 30 skiers coming from the Granite State.

The New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation maintains this beautiful road up Mt. Kearsarge and the staff at Rollins loves cross country skiers.  The roadway was completely redone this spring, and as reported by NENSA Board President, Ellen Chandler, “Rollerskiers love black powder!”  The climb is just over five kilometers long with an 8.7% average grade and 1,738′ rise — a perfect landscape to challenge your lungs while enjoying a beautiful forrest.  On Saturday afternoon race organizers saw an eagle soaring near the summit, and early Sunday morning a moose was spotted running up the road.  If you’re ever near Warner, stop by and check out this beautiful place!

While many of the skiers traveled to Mt. Kearsarge to test their own stamina and dream of winter, several skiers were out to claim victory.  The top-eight ranked male and female skiers utilized NENSA’s matched fleet of Swenor rollerskis, creating an even playing for the fastest competitors.  Luke Rizio, from Prospect Mountain Ski Club, was one of a growing number of Vermonters who made the trek east for the event.  Rizio was the final starter and nearly overtook the whole field on his way to shattering the course record by over two and a half minutes.  On the women’s side, it was Lea Perreard of Ford Sayre who set the bar and upstaged teammate Annelies Hanna on her way to victory.

Eleven masters skiers were in the field, including Kathy Maddock of DublinXC, who flew up the hill with awesome cadence — a pace that placed her third for all women.  On the men’s side Peter Alden of Ford Sayre skied the climb with alacrity, finishing the course in just over thirty minutes — good enough for a top-10 finish overall!  Many of the masters skiers are return Rollins participants, enjoying trying to best their own previous efforts and feeling the motivation of racing along side skiers of all ages.

The top-3 overall, junior and master skiers were recognized on the podium at the summit with a nice pairing of Cabot Cheese, boot covers, hats, and hot sauce from NENSA’s newest silver level sponsor Alpina Sports.  Look for Alpina prizes and raffles (as well as a 35% product discount for NENSA members) at our next events.

Congratulations to all the competitors and a huge thank you to the volunteers who helped make this event possible. We are particularly grateful to our NENSA board secretary Chris Naimie for timing the event for the third year in a row, and our NENSA associate sponsors – Salomon, LL Bean, Swix, and Fischer, who help make events like this possible.

The Rollins Roll was the third race of the 2023 rollerski race series. In just over a month we will travel to Lake Placid for a full weekend of events in Lake Placid, NY featuring the exciting Keys to the Castle Freestyle Sprint on September 23rd and historic Climb to the Castle hill climb on September 24th. Registration for those events will open September 1st.  Slide over to NENSA’s Rollerski Hub to get more information on all of our upcoming events!

Article in New Hampshire Union Leader
Complete Results
Photo Gallery

Overall Women
1) Lea Perreard – Ford Sayre – 31:04.6
2) Annelies Hanna – Ford Sayre – 31:16.7
3) Kathy Maddock – Dublin XC – 33:57.4

Overall Men
1) Luke Rizio – Prospect Mountain Ski Club – 24:47.1
2) David Northcott – Caldwell Sport/ Putney Ski Club – 26:08.2
3) Oliver Wilson – Dublin XC – 26:21.1

Junior Women
1) Sarah Glueck – Ford Sayre – 34:07.5
2) Anika Laroche – Holderness – 36:50.7
3) Summer Bentley – Dublin XC – 37:09.7

Junior Men
1) Caleb Zuckerman – Ford Sayre – 26:43.4
2) Gabriel Lloyd – Dublin XC – 27:33.5
3) Ben Frithsen – Charlestown Primary School – 29:21.0

Masters Women
1) Kathy Maddock – Dublin XC – 33:57.4
2) Rosalie Wilson – Ford Sayre – 36:07.7
3) Ellen Chandler – JacksonXC – 54:43.6

Masters Men
1) Peter Alden – Ford Sayre – 30:09.2
2) Robert Knapp – EMXC – 36:56.4
3) Stuart Kremzner – Blackwater Nordic – 37:06.0

Senior Women
1) Erin Waters – Concord High School – 41:35.8

Senior Men
1) Andy Rightmire – Ford Sayre – 26:24.9
2) Evan Kendall – Dublin XC – 27:22.0

Rolling into cross-country ski season

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By John Koziol, Union Leader Correspondent
Aug 13, 2023

WARNER — An accomplished cross-country ski racer, Art Copoulos traveled from Anchorage, Alaska, to finish near the bottom of the field in Sunday’s third annual Rollins Roll rollerski race on Mt. Kearsarge.

And he loved it.

A Massachusetts native who recently came back to the East Coast, Copoulos is the director of a documentary — “Why We Cross Country Ski” — that asks and answers that question.

In his opinion, the question has three answers: to improve health and fitness, to bring families together and to experience happiness and joy.

Those reasons, as well as the chance to do some off-season training, are why the Lyme-based New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) holds rollerski races, including for the third year, the Rollins Roll that saw 47 competitors, ranging in age from 13 to 66, tackle the 3.5 mile long course that has an 8.7% average grade and rises 1,738 feet.

“I think I was last,” joked Copoulos, “but I enjoyed it.”

The Rollins Roll was founded after Kevin Lee, the head Nordic skiing coach at Kearsarge Regional High School for the past 18 years, called his friend, Justin Beckwith, competitive programs director and rollerski race series director at NENSA, to announce that in his backyard, in Rollins State Park on Mt. Kearsarge, “there’s a cool road, we should have a race” on it.

That race, Beckwith told racers and supporters on Sunday after the competition, has grown into the Rollins Roll, which in 2023 saw 50% more rollerskiers than last year, some from as far away as New York and New Jersey.

Lee and Beckwith said several things fell into place to make the third Rollins Roll possible, the first most important being the decision by the NH Department of Natural & Cultural Resources to repave the auto road that goes to within a half-mile of the summit of Mt. Kearsarge.

The second thing was the kindness of Mother Nature, who was expected to blast much of New Hampshire on Sunday with powerful thunderstorms, that were nowhere in sight at race time.

Lee said he has long used rollerskiing as a training tool for his co-ed team at Kearsarge High School, adding that some of his skiers view races like the Rollins Roll as a personal challenge, while others deem it as a prelude to the competition they will see next winter.

Like cross-country skiing, in rollerskiing, “You get the sense of your body pushing up and gliding down a hill, of working hard,” said Lee. Rollerskiing shortens the time when cross-country skiing starts, he said, and it brings together a community of people who enjoy “adventures and the outdoors.”

Rollerskiing expands the season for cross-country skiers, he said, and offers a challenge for skiers of all ages, while also stoking the interest of what could be future U.S. Nordic ski team members.

The Rollins Roll is part and parcel of what NENSA is about, said Beckwith.

The nonprofit’s goal is to be “a vibrant cross-country skiing organization that inspires and empowers lifelong learning, development and community-building through the sport of cross-country skiing.”

NENSA, according to its website, is the “umbrella organization for Nordic skiing events in the region” and it strives to provide “the support structure necessary to bring cross-country skiers to their highest potential at regional, national and international events.”

Ellen Chandler, who chairs the NENSA board of directors, said the Rollins Roll was blessed to have fresh pavement.

“We call it black powder,” she joked. She said rollerski races help get more people interested in cross-country and “the more people in the sport, the more (American) champions we’ll have.”

This story was written by John Koziol and published by the Union Leader August 13, 2023: https://www.unionleader.com/news/human_interest/rolling-into-cross-country-ski-season/article_cb838c4a-24a6- 5c04-8908-40ecb15508dd.html

Rikert Outdoor Center & Frost Mountain Nordic Ski Club to host 2024 BKL Festival

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The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is excited to announce that the 2024 New England Bill Koch League (BKL) Festival will be hosted at the Rikert Outdoor Center in Ripton, VT with the Frost Mountain Nordic Ski Club on March 2-3. The BKL Festival is the marquee event of the 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.

Once a year children, families, coaches, and caregivers from ski clubs from all over New England and New York come together at the annual Festival for a weekend of fun on cross country skis featuring racing as well as a wide range of non-competitive winter activities for skiers of all ability levels from kindergarten up to 8th grade. The site rotates through the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. For 2024, NENSA is thrilled to be working with the Rikert Outdoor Center and the Frost Mountain Nordic Ski Club on this fun and inclusive event featuring relay and individual races by age group, as well as an engaging, fun, and educational mix of non-racing activities that all can enjoy. The Frost Mountain Nordic Ski Club is “dedicated to creating a healthier, more active, outdoor lifestyle for all ages and abilities in the mountains once home to Robert Frost in central Vermont.” They have made their mission a reality within their local community and have reached even further through hosting fun BKL events including the 2019 BKL Festival.  We look forward to returning to Rikert for the Festival and can’t wait to see the exciting activities they cook up to make their “Myths in the Mountains” theme come to life for all Festival-goers.

All Festival information will be posted on our website HERE and lodging information can be found HERE. You can also sign up for our Trail Tales newsletter HERE to get updates delivered directly to your inbox. Registration will open in mid-December. General questions about the Festival can be directed to [email protected]. Questions specifically about lodging can be directed to [email protected] and [email protected].

NENSA 2024 Championship Event Sites Announced

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NENSA is excited to announce the host sites for the 2024 U16 Eastern Championships and Eastern High School Championships!

The 2024 U16 Championships will be held at Gore Mountain in North Creek, NY March 8 – 10, 2024. Gore Mountain did a fantastic job hosting U16 Championships in 2018 and were slated to host Eastern High Schools in 2020 before the event was cancelled due to the pandemic. We are thrilled to return to Gore Mountain where the hosts look forward to welcoming the top U16s from across the Northeast to their wonderful venue next March.

Eastern High School Championships will be held at the Holderness School in Holderness, NH on March 15 – 17, 2024. While Holderness has hosted U16 Championships four times, this will be their first time hosting Eastern High School Championships. Holderness has a history of hosting high quality events and with considerable upgrades to their trails and snowmaking system, this year’s Eastern High School Championships will certainly be an event to remember.

Stay tuned to the event webpages on our website for updates: U16 Champs | EHSC Champs.

Bidding for the 2025 championship events will take place in the winter of 2024. Maine venues will be targeted for EHSC and Vermont venues for U16 Champs.

And if anyone is missing winter and wants to relive last year’s events… you can watch the 2023 U16 Champs recap video HERE and the 2023 EHSC recap video HERE.