NENSA News

Through long-standing sponsorship of New England Nordic Ski Association, Swix is proud to support NENSA programing, from the Bill Koch Festival to the New England Junior National Team and beyond.

This coming season Swix and L.L. Bean will return as sponsors, their support most visible in the new all-lycra racing bibs used at Eastern Cups, Bill Koch League Events, the U16 Championships and the Eastern High School Championships. Swix is also the Official Performance Techwear of the New England Junior National Team, which includes the race kit, hats, jackets, and a sharp dressed coaching and waxing staff.

Additionally, Swix will continue to be the official sponsor of the Bill Koch League Jacket Program, available to all NENSA BKL Clubs. Further Swix support includes NENSA’s New England Marathon Series, as well as the New England Women’s XC Ski event.

About Swix Sport AS:

Swix Sport AS head quarter is situated in Lillehammer, Norway. Swix is one of very few Norwegian consumers’ products to be found in shops all over the world having snow and winter. Swix is wholly owned by the Ferd group, which is one of Norway’s leading privately owned businesses. Swix Sport AS is also the owner of the brands Ulvang, and Lundhags.

About the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA):

The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) is the Community Olympic Development Program for cross-country skiing in New England as well as the umbrella organization for Nordic skiing events in the region.  We are a member supported service organization that promotes the culture of cross country skiing by creating opportunities for youth, athletes, coaches, officials and skiers of all levels.  NENSA also provides the support structure necessary to bring cross-country skiers to their highest potential at regional, national and international events.

It is the mission of the New England Nordic Ski Association to implement educational, recreational, and competitive programs at all levels of cross-country skiing. NENSA works to sustain a vital and active skiing community in New England, and to provide the support structure necessary to bring cross-country skiers to their highest potential at regional, national, and international events.

 

To all Eastern Cup Athletes and Coaches –

Our Eastern Cup Opener is just a week away – here are a few reminders and tips so you will be all set to race next weekend.

1. Registration is on SkiReg.com. Registration closes next Weds. 12/14 at 5pm sharp.
2. You must have valid and current NENSA and USSA memberships in order to register on SkiReg. If you have not renewed those memberships yet – NO NOT DELAY – DO THAT NOW.   NENSA memberships are instantaneous, but there is lag time in verifying USSA membership numbers, so get your memberships renewed, before going to SkiReg.  DO NOT wait and do it all on the final day.
3. 83% Classic Pole Rule: This new FIS ruling will be enforced at all FIS sanctioned races this season. Craftsbury is building a simple measuring guide that ALL racers can use, to be sure their classic poles are in compliance. The new rules say that your classic poles have to be no more than 83% of your height, wearing your ski boots. Pole height is measured from the tip of your pole on up to the top of your pole strap. NO racers will be allowed to race if their poles are too long. So, take time to stop by the measuring station well before the start of your race on Saturday, so if your poles are too long, you have time to exchange them.  For more information on this new FIS rule see fis-ski.com
4. Be sure to check the Virtual Team Captains Meeting (VTCM) page often for updates on the weekend. VTCM can be found on NENSA.net under EVENTS and EASTERN CUP SERIES.
5. THINK SNOW, and we look forward to seeing you all next weekend ~ let the season begin!

This coming March, the USSA Junior Nationals will be held in Lake Placid New York, site of the 1980 winter Olympics – and a town rich in Nordic skiing history and pride!

The New England Team coaching staff was selected through an application process that aims to support our young athletes with a strong team, blending some of our most experienced coaches with those who are ready for this next level in their coaching career.  This ensures an educational pipeline for coach development within our region.

A team of 50+ plus athletes takes a massive behind-the-scenes effort to ensure the athletes have the best experience they can once they arrive as a team.  This is accomplished with the help of the coaches and wax techs like these, who volunteer their time for the week of Junior Nationals.   All our JN staff members are USSA L100 (or L200) coach certified.

Our 2017 JN Staff include:

Matt Boobar:  Head Coach (SMS)

Amie Smith:  Team Leader (NENSA)

Our Awesome Age Group Coaches:

Adam Terko – U16 boys (Mansfield Nordic)

Katrina Howe – U16 girls (GMVS)

Pat Casey – U18 men (Holderness)

Robert Bradlee – U18 women (CSU)

Audrey Mangan – U20 men (Craftsbury)

Alexandra Jospe – U20 women (CSU)

The Magic Happens Here Wax Room Techs:

Ollie Burruss – Lead Kick Waxer (Craftsbury)

Jeremy Hecker – Lead Glide Waxer (SMS)

Justin Feresheian – Wax Tech (OSI)

Jake Barton – Wax Tech (Craftsbury)

Jeremy Nellis – Wax Tech (Gould)

Here are a few cool thoughts from our staff:

“Junior Nationals is an incredible event that brings together many different skiers, coaches, mentors, and leaders. A ski club relies on these same strong roles, and I always look forward to championship events as a melting pot of ideas and inspiration where everyone can not only experience the excitement of the competition, but also the community and development of the sport.”  ~ Adam Terko, U16 boys coach

“I am looking forward to learning as much as I can from the coaches and wax technicians at JNs. We have a great group of coaches in the East and I look forward to working with and learning from them as much as I can…I am looking forward to learning more about the juniors from other clubs and see what has worked for them as far as training, racing and race support.”  ~ Jake Barton, wax tech

“From a coaching standpoint, one of the coolest aspects of Junior Nationals is the opportunity and setting it provides for coaches to learn from each other as part of the same staff. Everyone runs their individual club programs a little differently, but when you gather 50+ kids together with area coaches for a week of racing for NE, the athletes aren’t the only ones learning from their peers. Coaches who are otherwise competing during the regular season get a rare glimpse into how other coaches do their jobs, from race-day wax testing protocol to running team logistics to helping kids stay loose and relaxed for the biggest races of their season.”  ~ Audrey Mangan, U20 men’s coach

“I like to think that I can inspire and motivate my skiers, and they often will request my cheering at certain spots of a race course. It’s time to turn the tables and allow the NE team to motivate and inspire me, bringing new positivity to my coaching at home. Building relationships among the other coaches can sometimes lead to new ideas for training, team building, and general fun, and JNs is a great way to spread those ideas among the coaches to percolate down to our skiers!”  ~ Alex Jospe, U20 women’s coach

“Making Team NE is not the goal.  Performing above and beyond your expectations at Junior Nationals is.  I love the fact we can rally around the Alaska cup for motivation, but I know there is even more in our team.  This year think “Next Level” across the board.  Set higher performance goals and even better process goals to back them up.  If everyone asks a little more of themselves, teammates and coaches, the sum will be huge.  With such a strong group of athletes and coaches working together, we can achieve an extremely high level in all aspects of our trip and racing!” ~ Matt Boobar, Head Coach

#bringbacktheAKcup,again!!  #4-peat

December greetings Eastern Cup racers ~

Craftsbury is excited to be hosting our Eastern Cup Opener in two weeks ~ the weekend of December 17th & 18th.  Although Mother Nature has not fully cooperated thus far with cold snowy weather in the NEK, please know that Craftsbury will be making snow, and are currently crafting the very best awesome race course for us that weekend.  The next 10 day forecast is showing cold temps, and it looks as if some real snow will fall between now and then too!  To be ready to race, be sure to get our NENSA and USSA memberships renewed now, and then go to SkiReg.org to register for the weekend.  Updates will be posted very soon on the VTCM page for the weekend schedule, so check back often.  Get psyched to race, and think snow!

To celebrate winter’s arrival, we’re offering our team lodging rates to all current (Winter ‘16-17) NENSA members – the entire NENSA team! From Sunday, November 27, until December 16, you’re invited to come enjoy early-season snow and training opportunities at Craftsbury starting at $75/person/nt double occupancy, $81/person/nt single occupancy in our dorm-style accommodations.

These reduced rates still include three healthy, ample meals daily from our Dining Hall, plus skiing – as well as our other amenities, like our Activity Center, sauna, and wifi.

What if the weather changes? We’ll waive our standard cancellation policy until December 16th. We’re skiers too, and understand you’d rather not be locked in to lodging contracts if the weather goes south. If we can’t provide you with at least a kilometer of skiable snow in time for your stay, we’ll give you your money back.

Celebrate the new season with Craftsbury! Follow our conditions and current news via our snow report, Facebook and Twitter streams, then call us at 802-586-7767 and reserve your spot today.

Dear Nordic Coaches,

We would like to invite you and your athletes to our Nordic Team Night at L.L. Bean Bike, Boat and Ski Store on Thursday, December 1st. This is going to be a blast, so please RSVP by the end of day on Tuesday, November 29^th. Coaches, this is the most current list we had, so please pass this invite along to other coaches in your district if they were not included.  Parents are welcome to join.

L.L. Bean Nordic Team Night

Here is what we have planned for you!

4pm-5:30pm– Dryland Training with Lilly Naimie. Please see her Bio below.

• Snacks- veggies, energy bars and drinks will be provided after your workout

5:30pm- 6:30pm- Clinics

• Strength and Conditioning with Coach Joel Hinshaw from Freeport High School & Employee Wellness at L.L. Bean
• Waxing with Bruce Diehl from Swix, Toko & Salomon

6:30pm- 7:30pm- Get Sized Up- Factory Reps will help you select boots, skis, bindings and poles

• Sales reps will be here from Salomon, Rossignol, Fischer, Craft & L.L. Bean
• Special pricing will be available for the racers from our ski vendors on this night only! Orders will be placed immediately with the reps after you have been sized.
• Special deals will also be offered by Craft on select base layers.
• Coaches this is the time to get your wax order in for the season! Special team night pricing will be available from Swix & Toko.

We will hand out the 20% off L.L. Bean Nordic Ski Team Cards to all attendees so you can get your free hot box and take advantage of the discount all season long.

There will be several door prizes and raffles. You could even win signed gear from the US Ski Team!!

 ———————

Lilly Naimie- NCAA Colby Ski Racer

Lilly is a native of New Hampshire, who considers the Jackson XC Ski Touring Center to be her home trail network, Lilly Naimie learned to ski at an early age.  She spent her Bill Koch League (BKL) days with the Blackwater Nordic Club in Hopkinton, NH and her high school years skiing for Bow High School, one of the largest public high school teams in New Hampshire.  While at Bow, she led her team to three state championships.  In the individual standings she finished on the podium in 7 of 8 state championship races over her career, including being crowned state champion in her senior year.  She skied at the Eastern High School Championships all four of her high school years, improving her overall place each season.  She was the top female recruit from NH in the graduating class of 2015.  Last year, as a freshman at Colby College, Lilly represented the Mules in all but two EISA Carnivals, including the NCAA Eastern Regionals.  Over the past summer, Lilly was a BKL coach at the 4 day NH Development Camp in Dublin, NH.  Her goals for the upcoming season are to be one of the top four skiers on the Colby women’s team and to qualify for Junior Nationals.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you!

Jennifer Elgaaen
Store Manager
L.L. Bean Bike, Boat and Ski
57 Main St
Freeport, Maine 04069

The NENSA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Amie Smith will be taking the reins as Executive Director as we head into the 2016-17 ski season.  After serving as NENSA’s High Performance Director for the past 18 months, Amie is also now taking on staff management and organizational oversight, and will also continue to run NENSA’s competitive racing programs.

Peter Graves, who had filled the Director position on an interim basis, is stepping down as his freelance broadcasting role is becoming increasingly busy and he was unable to continue the job on a part-time basis. We thank Peter for his dedicated efforts for NENSA over the past few months. We are especially appreciative that he was willing to pitch in and help NENSA at a challenging time of transition.

Board President Carol Van Dyke commented that Amie is a powerhouse worker and enthusiastically communicates with staff and the general public on behalf of NENSA’s mission. Before Amie’s role as High Performance Director, she coached and volunteered for Cambridge Sports Union, an affiliated NENSA club, and volunteered as NENSA’s JN Trip Leader. In addition she has experienced the range of NENSA programming as her daughters came up through the NENSA system and Amie has participated in a number of Masters races herself.

Amie will lead NENSA’s strong staff team, which includes Amber Freeman, who is our Community Program Director, and Laura Creagan who is our IT Business Systems & Membership Manager.

A shout out and huge thank you to Julia Kern (CSU grad, Dartmouth/USST D team member) for working with the NENSA staff, and putting this together for us!  Peter Graves summed it up well….”When I think of NENSA, I think of the family that is New England skiing. It’s truly a way of life”  Enjoy!!

SUMMARY:  In May, the NENSA Board voted to move from using the NENSA points system, to using USSA points only, for scoring all EasternCup (EC) races, and for Junior National qualifying (JNQ) ranking list.  The NENSA staff had been working hard all summer to update, improve and streamline the EC registration and scoring process.  Here is what YOU need to know to be ready to race in the first EasternCup in December:

1. All EasternCup race registrations will be done on SkiReg.com, and registration will open on November 1st

2. All racers must have valid and current NENSA and USSA membership #’s to race – NO EXCEPTIONS

3. To renew or get your NENSA membership, go to NENSA.net

4. To renew or get your USSA membership, go to USSA.org (prices increase 10/15)

5. Regarding USSA memberships:  All EC racers will be listed in the overall race results, regardless of your membership levels ($15 general membership or $95 competitor membership).  BUT,, if you want to be listed and ranked on the USSA NRL (National Ranking List), and be ranked (best of 3 for U16, or best of 4 for U18/U20) on our NENSA website for qualifying for the New England Junior National team, you MUST buy the USSA competitors membership.  So, if you have any thoughts, plans, dreams or desires to try to make the JN team, buy the competitors membership now.

6. You cannot buy a USSA competitors license later in the season and have it retroactively apply to previous races.  If you want to be listed on the NRL and ranked for JNQ – buy the competitor license, not the general membership NOW, before the start of the race season.

7. Buy both your NENSA & USSA memberships early.  Do not wait until the day you register on SkiReg.com.  Your correct data needs to be in our systems (NENSA & USSA) at least a few days before you register on SkiReg.

8. Each EasternCup race Virtual Team Captain’s Meeting (VTCM) will be hosted on NENSA.net.  Please check our website VTCM race information page for frequent updates, especially as the race weekend approaches.  This page will provide you with venue updates, times changes, important racer and coach information.

9. Registration will close at 5pm on the Wednesday before each EasternCup weekend.

10. Seed lists will be posted on Thursday (using points from the most current list)

11. Start lists will be posted on Friday

12. EasternCup race results link will be provide from the Timer and a link will be posted on NENSA.net.  All racers who competed in the EasternCup race will be listed in this results link.

13. Each EasternCup race will be scored by USSA, and updated to the NRL by USSA.

14. USSA updates their lists by the calendar on these dates:: http://nordic.usskiteam.com/cross-country-programs/officials/rankings/ussa-fis-points

15. SEEDING:  All racers will be seeded by their best of USSA/FIS points.  If you do not yet have current USSA points profile (bought a competitor’s license but have not raced a race yet to be listed on the current USSA list in use), or, if you are a general member, you will be listed as 990 and seeded randomly behind the seeded group.  Once you have a USSA points profile, you will be seeded according to that number.  If you are just a general member, you will always be seeded as a 990 behind the seeded group.

16. For U18/U20 JN qualifying, NENSA will rank Best of 4 EC and/or OOR races, and this will be posted on NENSA.net for current NENSA & USSA competitor members only.  Scored USSA races will be posted for ranking, as soon as we get them back from USSA, usually by no later than Thursday after the race weekend.  Racers without a competitive USSA license will NOT be included in the rankings.

17. For U16 JN qualifying, NENSA will score only the Best of 3 EC races, and no OOR races.  This will be done using USSA Super Tour Scoring (see below).   NENSA shall use the following tie-breaking mechanisms in order (selection races are the 8 U16 races at NENSA Eastern Cups; for sprints, the final results for the top 12 come from the heats/finals, and from the qualifying for places 13 and higher):
    ~Best single finish in a selection race
    ~Second best single finish in a selection race
    ~Third best single finish in a selection race
    ~Fourth best single finish in a selection race

USSA SuperTour Scoring:

The USSA SuperTour scoring system awards points to the top 20 competitors in each event.
Place	Points
1	30
2	25
3	21
4	18
5	16
6	15
7	14
8	13
9	12
10	11
11	10
12	9
13	8
14	7
15	6
16	5
17	4
18	3
19	2
20	1

18.  For JNQ U16/U18/U20 rankings only – the two EC sprint race heats will be scored.

19.  Out-of-Region Races for 2016-17 season:  

~US National Championships, SoHo, Midway, Utah for U18/U20’s only:

Saturday January 7: Freestyle Individual Start 10/15k

Sunday January 8: Classic Sprint

Tuesday January 10: Classic Mass Start juniors 5k/10k

~SLU CARNIVAL/Harry Eldridge MID-ATLANTIC JNQ, Lake Placid, NY

Saturday January 21st ONLY:

EISA men and U18/U20 boys 10 km freestyle (individual start)

EISA women and U18/U20 girls 5 km freestyle (individual start)

THERE IS NO OOR RACES for U16’s

The US Nationals races listed above, as well at the SLU/Harry Eldridge Mid-A JNQ race on 1/21/17, will be scored to the NENSA JNQ Ranking Lists using USSA points for U18 & U20’s. An athlete must be a USSA competitor member to compete at the US National Championships.

To score NENSA JNQ points, U18/U20 athletes must compete in the designated races at US Nationals. Points for other races will not be scored to the NENSA JNQ Ranking Lists.