NENSA News

NENSA is excited to announce the host sites for the 2021 U16 Eastern Championships and Eastern High School Championships!

The 2021 U16 Championships will be held at Fort Kent Outdoor Center in Fort Kent, ME on March 12 – 14, 2021. FKOC did an amazing job hosting this past year’s Eastern High School Championships and we are happy to be working with them again on U16s in 2021.

Eastern High School Championships will be held at Titcomb Mountain in Farmington, Maine on March 19 – 21, 2021. Hosted by the Farmington Ski Club, we’re excited to be holding EHSC in 2021 at the “Friendliest Mountain Around!”

This year we bid two years in advance for our Championship Events, so the 2020 events are already scheduled and announced. As a reminder: U16s in 2020 will be held at Mountain Top Inn & Resort in Chittenden, VT, and EHSC will be held at Gore Mountain in North Creek, NY.

Check out all the latest happening and news at NENSA, and beyond HERE

This June 20th issues includes NENSA’s newest sponsor, High Peaks Cyclery, our NENSA Club of the Year and NENSA Coach of the Year Award winners, all the info you need to get psyched and get signed up for the AppGap Challenge, happening on August 3rd, and so much more!

We’re so excited to announce that the New England Bill Koch League Festival will return to Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center on February 29 and March 1, 2020! The festival is the marquee event of the Bill Koch League, the largest cross country ski program for children in the United States. Whether a child loves the adventure of cross-country skiing, enjoys playing with friends on skis, or wants to grow up to be a ski racer, the New England Bill Koch League has something for them.

Once a year, skiers and clubs from all over New England and New York come together at the annual Festival for a weekend of fun and cross country skiing. The site rotates annually through the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine. NENSA is pleased to be working with Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center and Great Glen BKL again on such a fun and inclusive event. The weekend will feature relay and individual races by age group, as well as a healthy mix of non-racing activities that all can enjoy.

Great Glen hosted the Festival in 2016 with the theme of “White Mountain Magic,” a celebration of the wonder of being out enjoying the natural world in winter. The theme of this year’s festival will be “Superheroes” which will be a celebration of the inherent superpowers that exist in all of us—skiers, coaches, and parents alike!

Lodging information can be found at http://nensa.net/bkl-festival/bkl-festival-lodging/

For those of you who follow collegiate skiing you will not be surprised to hear that the University of Vermont’s Patrick Weaver is the 2019 NENSA Coach of the Year.  The ever humble Weaver had to get used to winning this winter — to be exact his skiers won 15 of 20 individual EISA races, and topped the team scores of 16 of the 24 EISA cross country team events including winning both of the season’s relays.  The Catamounts continued to mount a hardy fight at NCAA’s, finishing third in Nordic competition, en route to a overall second place team finish at the 2019 Championships – and oh yeah, they hosted the event too.  UVM skiers received many end-of-season accolades, including Lina Sutro being named EISA Skate Skier of the Year and Bill Harmeyer earning the title of both the Classic and Skate Skier of the Year.  Freshman standout and EISA Rookie of the Year, Ben Ogden, was also a member of the historic 2019 FIS Junior World Ski Championship gold medal relay team.  All of this success under Weaver’s leadership equated to earning the honors of both EISA and NCAA Coach of the Year for 2019.

“Weave was one of the best coaches I’ve ever worked with and I feel privileged to have been able to ski for him. I feel like in my four years at UVM I really developed from a junior skier into a competitive athlete, in a way that I’m not sure I would have found anywhere else and I owe that to him. Weave’s calm, yet passionate form of coaching taught me a lot about training, balancing life, and how to remain calm in stressful racing situations! It was an honor to ski for Patrick and something that I will always value and remember.”  
Alayna Sonnesyn – UVM 2018

For nine years, the two-time Olympian and two-time National Champion, has led his Catamount squad with a soft-spoken confidence.  The Lenox, Massachusetts native and alumnus of the University of New Hampshire has a deep love for the mountains and ski trails of New England.  Weaver’s experience as a competitive athlete and his approachable demeanor attract top athletes from the east and throughout the world.  The 2019 UVM cross country  squad consisted of seven Vermonters along with skiers from New York, Minnesota, Colorado, California, Russia, Germany and Norway.

Patrick brought to his coaching the same focus, expectations and work ethic that he had as a student athlete while at the University of New Hampshire.  As a coach, he changed the University of Vermont’s team atmosphere to a positive, energetic and goal-oriented team that represents both the state and UVM at the highest level.  The team’s results and consistency Weave’s team had this past winter was impressive.
Cory Schwartz, Head Coach UNH Skiing, Weaver’s College Coach

NENSA and US Skiing are so lucky to have coaches like Patrick Weaver involved in our programming.  In the past years Weaver has been involved in NENSA coaches clinics, regional camps, helped organize Eastern Cup races, and just this past year took home the first Marty Hall College Cup as the top club in the 2018 NENSA BagBalm Rollerski Series.  We look forward to watching the bright future of the UVM Catamounts under the watchful eye of Patrick Weaver.  Congratulations – GO Cats GO!!

“I had an incredible first year with Weave. This year was my first year in the program, first year in college, first year away from the parents and everything else, but thanks to Weave’s incredible experience with these things and his quiet yet insightful coaching style, the transition happened relatively smoothly and easily. He is a pro at knowing when to be light and fun and when it’s time to crack down, something that is invaluable in a coach especially in a sport like skiing.”
Benjamin Ogden – UVM 2022, 2019 EISA Rookie of the Year, Junior World Champion

NENSA is pleased and excited to award the 2018-2019 Club of the Year Award to Frost Mountain Nordic! The club did an amazing job this year hosting both an Eastern Cup and the New England Bill Koch League Festival. Both events were well organized, inclusive, fun, and celebrated the spirit of Nordic skiing and the joy of going fast on skis!

Frost Mountain Nordic always strives to put on the best possible events – the combination of exciting trails, hardlined snowmaking, the Rikert staff and volunteer force always make for memorable days up on the mountain.  Perhaps the most striking attribute is the knowledge that they bring to the table as an organizing committee – folks genuinely like gathering at the Breadloaf Campus to act as one large skiing family!

On top of putting on amazing events, FMN has maintained strong programming and involvement from the BKL up through a successful Junior racing program and their Phatcats masters program. The racing programs are overseen by Ryan Kerrigain, who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. This year Frost Mountain Nordic tied for 7th in the NENSA Club Cup standings, and sent one skier – Elvis Macintosh – to Alaska for Junior Nationals. The club’s mission to “create a healthier, more active outdoor lifestyle for all ages and abilities” is admirable, and completely in line with NENSA’s mission of sustaining a vital Nordic ski community here in New England.

This year’s New England Bill Koch League Festival had one of the highest turnouts that NENSA has seen in recent years, with the theme of “Glide on the Wild Side.” Led by Festival Chair Keith Wilkerson, the crew at Frost Mountain Nordic came together to turn Rikert Nordic Center into a wild and wooly gathering of creatures big and small, with volunteers sporting animal costumes and giving out high fives and cheers to passing skiers. It was a true festival atmosphere, and a great example of how a kids event can be fun and easygoing, while still offering high level ski racing.

They also hosted a three day race weekend that included that included an EISA Carnival, an Eastern Cup and a citizen race – no small task – but as an organizer if you’ve done your work things seem easy.  The whole weekend ran like clockwork. It was a real pleasure to host with Barney Hodges, The Rikert staff, and the Frost Mountain crew. From taking care of the small details like raking the corduroy to perfection and awarding tasty prizes – everyone made sure skiers had a fantastic experience.

We want to offer a huge thank you and congratulations to Frost Mountain Nordic for their continued involvement and passion for the sport. The spirit of Nordic skiing is truly alive and well in the mountains of Vermont!

Click here to read all the latest news: https://conta.cc/2QNz9Y5

Read all about the new GETSKIING Free Membership, NENSA’s BKL Leadership Award winner, Gallagher Cup winners, REG Camp, our first Coaching Clinic of the season with Matt Whitcomb on 6/29, and news from our partners – Fischer, OSI and Capitol Region Nordic Alliance, as well as NENAS’s full calendar of events!  Enjoy!

NENSA is excited to present this year’s Bill Koch League Leadership Award to Sue Wemyss of Great Glen BKL!

Sue truly embodies the philosophy of the Bill Koch League, which can be summed as “give kids the opportunity to have fun while learning to how to cross country ski.” It is a simple mantra, but one that serves as the driving force behind New England’s youth ski community, and NENSA’s approach to ski instruction. Sue is a true torchbearer of this approach to skiing, keeping things fun for the youth skiers of northern New Hampshire while also providing excellent instruction and helping them learn the joy of going fast on skis.

Sue has been involved in Nordic skiing since the early 1980s, when she made the switch from alpine racing while attending Middlebury College. After college Sue was the 1984 National Champion in the 10k and 20k distances, and competed in the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo.

A lifelong skier, Sue draws on years of experience and has kept the spirit of youth skiing alive in the Mountain Washington Valley and beyond. NENSA BKL Committee chair Kate Koch describes Sue as a “wonderful, soft-spoken leader who inspires joy in skiing at Great Glen as well as in the NENSA community through her work with the Bill Koch League,” and goes on to applaud her “years of contributing to cross-country skiing near and far, and adding a new slew of converts to our sport!”

Sue knows better than any that Nordic skiing is a lifelong sport, and one that should be accessible for children of all backgrounds and abilities. Her involvement with youth skiing goes beyond overseeing the Great Glen BKL and ski school. Sue also volunteers her time to help with the local Nordic Rocks program at Ed Fenn Elementary school in Gorham, NH. The goal of Nordic Rocks is to expose populations of kids to Nordic Skiing who would not otherwise have access to it, and to help inspire a whole new generation of skiers to love the outdoors.

Lisa McCoy, the event director at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center and Sue’s coworker, describes Sue’s enthusiasm for Nordic skiing as “simply contagious.”  Lisa tells us that Sue “puts her heart into working with the BKL club here at Great Glen and she is always positive to work with both on and off the snow!”

We could not be happier to award Sue with this year’s Bill Koch League leadership award, and we feel fortunate to have Sue working with our BKL community as Northern New Hampshire’s district chair.

42 athletes from the Eastern Division have been selected to take part in the 2019 US Ski & Snowboard Regional (REG) Program.  This intensive program brings together the top junior skiers from throughout the East for a week of testing and instruction, led by US Ski Team World Cup Coach Matt Whitcomb and 10 regional coaches.  This year we return to the Northwood School campus in Lake Placid, New York – an ideal venue with the prestige of an Olympic Village and fantastic training opportunities.

Athlete Attendance 2019 REG:
Girls: Anna Lehmann, Ava Thurston, Camille Bolduc, Charlotte Ogden, Elsa Bolinger, Evelyn Walton, Nina Seemann, Quincy Massey-Bierman, Schuyler Michalak, Shea Brams, Sofia Scirica, Laura Appleby, Lillian Bates, Adrienne Remick, Madeline Kitch, Rose Clayton, Kennedy Lange, Agnes Macy, Sammie Nolan, Anna Schriefer, Grace Mattern

Boys: Aidan Burt, Brian Bushey, Elvis McIntosh, Finn Sweet, Griffin Wright, Henry Johnstone, Jack Lange, Keelan Durham, Mathias Boudreau-Golfman, Sam Murray, Trey Jones, Zander Martin, Gavin Blauch, Alex Burt, Marcus Wentworth, Brian Beyerbach, Colton Martin, James Flanigan, Kai Frantz, Lucas Jenkin, Everett Sapp
*Athletes are selected by: 1)Elite and Development Team criteria 2) Final U18/U20 JN Points 3) Mid Atlantic selection

REG is a highly valuable tool for US Skiing and a great partnership between US Ski & Snowboard (NGB) and NENSA (RGB).  It is especially exciting time to be a part of US Skiing as we are currently ranked as the fourth strongest Nordic Nation for junior skiing — FIS Mark Hodler Trophy standings.  Many of the athletes who have contributed to this rise have come through Eastern REG programs.

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Agility day at Eastern REG 🤙🏼 Check the insta story for more vid🤘🏼 #getloose #senditfortheboys #skitraining @nensa_nordic @usskiteam @llbean @ben.0gden

A post shared by ❄️Andy⚡️Newell❄️ (@andynewellskier) on Jun 27, 2018 at 2:26pm PDT

Testing results from 2018 REG:
2018 REG Agility Test – Northwood School
2018 REG 800m Double Pole Test – Jumping Complex
2018 REG Uphill Run Test – USBA Test at Whiteface

We look forward to an amazing week in Lake Placid – stay tuned for updates on social media June 24-28!

Also please note and amazing opportunity to learn current technique from Matt Whitcomb, June 29th from 9am-12pm and get exposure to agility ramps with NENSA’s Justin Beckwith from 12-1pm.  Full details here. Registration here.

2019-2020 NENSA GETSKIING MEMBERSHIP: FREE
Good for First-Time NENSA Members only

Yes, you heard that correctly ~ we want everyone to GET SKIING, so we are offering anyone, of any age ~ BKL Youth, juniors, seniors, masters, parents, grandparents, a FREE membership to NENSA (if you have never been a NENSA member before).  This is a great way to try our NENSA programing this coming season and join in all the summer, fall and winter fun!  You can try out that rollerski race, BKL program, an Eastern Cup race, a Citizen’s race or a coaching clinic, and your NENSA membership is FREE!  Click here to JOIN NENSA TODAY

If you are already a NENSA member ~ THANK YOU!  Click here to RENEW your membership today.

June is the official start of our new membership year, so take a few minutes to renew, or join for free, and GET SKIING today!

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 Callie Young (Dartmouth) and Josh Valentine (GMVS) are the 2019 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 nine EC events).

Callie Young raced in seven Eastern Cups with two junior category victories, in addition to competing in four EISA Carnivals for Dartmouth.  She ended the year second overall on the New England Junior National (JN) ranking list and attended JN’s in Anchorage, Alaska where she was a team leader with individual results of 4th, 5th and 9th in the U20 age category.  She then went on to anchor NE’s U20 National Champion Relay team.  Callie having fun and skiing fast at the Holderness Eastern Cup. Young is ranked 68th on the overall National Ranking List and 43rd for sprint.

Young grew up racing for Craftsbury, her former coach Anna Schulz describes her passion for racing and her teammates, “Callie loves skiing and racing more than just about anyone. She has this rare ability to balance a fiercely competitive streak with genuine kindness and compassion. It’s pretty common to see Callie bury herself in some sprint rounds and then put on 5 layers and drag herself back out to cheer for any buddies who are still racing. I can’t think of a more deserving recipient.”  Cami Thompson-Graves, Callie’s current coach at Dartmouth, describes her as someone who, “does everything that is asked of her and never complains, she is a gem!”

Josh Valentine also raced in seven Eastern Cups, with two, second place overall finishes and ended the year in sixth position on the New England Junior National (JN) ranking list.  Josh had a breakout performance at the 2019 US Senior Nationals – winning the classic sprint for U18 athletes.  This result along with solid skiing in the distance races qualified him to represent the US at the U18 Scandinavian Championships held this year in Otepaa, Estonia.

At Junior Nationals Valentine made a big impact on Team New England with individual finishes of 4th, 6th and 8th in the U18 age group.  He skied the scramble leg for the NE team that went on to finish 4th.  Valentine is ranked 75th on the overall National Ranking List and an impressive 32nd for sprint!  GMVS coach Colin Rodgers, describes Josh as, “a determined individual.  When he puts his mind to something he gets it done.  What sets him apart is his game day focus.  It is impressive.”

We congratulate these skiers and thank them for reminding us of Mike Gallagher’s competitive spirit.  Mike was a three-time Olympic cross-country skier and the Head Coach of the US Ski Team from 1980-86.  You can read more about Gallagher here on fasterskier.com