NENSA News

We are excited to kick off our 2024 NENSA Awards Announcement with the BKL Leadership Award!

The Bill Koch Youth Ski League is sustained by a large group of adults who give their time and energy to the sport that they love and every year the Bill Koch League Leadership Award honors one of these coaches, parent/caregivers, club leaders, volunteers, or officials from our ski community who embodies fun, community, and a lifelong love of skiing. This year we are thrilled to give this award to Kate Sanders of Berkshire Trails BKL.

Kate coaches at the BKL level at her home club, Berkshire Trails BKL. Through her work at the youth level, she has inspired a strong ski community in Western Massachusetts and past skiers often continue to be participate well beyond the youth level into junior racing, and beyond. NENSA reached out to Berkshire Trails community members and they had the following to share.

“Kate Sanders has brought such an incredible spirit and love of nordic skiing to the Berkshire Trails BKL Club. Kate is looked up to as a role model by the club youth skiers, parents, coaches, and BKL Board,” Lisa Newman shares. “She has been a long-time BKL Board member and coach, and her two children have grown up skiing in the club and as well her husband Art also coached in the club. Kate is also a former nordic ski racer, having raced in high school and for the University of New Hampshire. She has brought her ski racing experience to coaching and providing support at BKL sessions, BKL Festival, and New England High School Championships. She truly has a lifelong love of nordic skiing, and brings this passion to helping make our Berkshire Trails BKL Club a very fun and friendly community of skiing families.”

Kate is dedicated to making learning fun for all BKL’ers in her program. With her leadership skills, Berkshire Trails is committed to teaching skill, instilling a love of the sport, and promoting outdoor recreation, all pillars of the BKL League philosophy. During a major shift in Berkshire Trail’s BKL Leadership last fall, she did not miss a step and sought out resources to share with all of the BKL coaches at her club.

“Kate’s tireless organizing have helped make Berkshire Trails possible for many years. Her attention to detail, commitment to clear communication and organizing, and dedication to welcoming new families to the club and broader skiing community deserves recognition. Every winter season, the club has special fun activities that are organized for the kids and Kate has played a large role in bringing this fun to the kids. As an example, a tradition is the Valentines Heart hunt where hearts are put out on the trails in certain sections for each skier group. The kids find the hearts as part of the BKL session, and then bring the hearts back for their candy prize. Kate has played an essential role in carrying out this BKL Club tradition as well as other Club traditions. And, especially, during this past 2024 winter ski season, Kate helped ensure that our club ran smoothly. With several new BKL Board members for 2023/2024 year, Kate provided a tremendous amount of mentorship and training for registration, club activities, race suits, recruiting/organizing coaches, and placing skiers into groups. For several months, this was just about full-time volunteering for Kate.”

From Geri Pollard, “Kate has always been a very positive and supportive coach as well as continuously working behind the scenes to make our small but mighty BKL club go!  She has been an important part of our ski community in Western Mass.”

From Nordic Rocks Coordinator and fellow Berkshire trails coach, Sanjay Arwade, “Kate Sanders is a remarkable ski coach with whom I’ve enjoyed coaching over the years and from whom I’ve learned a ton. As great a coach as she is, she’s also happy to step back and let others, like me, drive a ski session from time-to-time. She’s not just developing skiers, but new coaches as well! She’s great with kids of all abilities and ages and always keeps in mind NENSA’s BKL philosophy of making skiing FUN while developing skills and fitness at the same time.”

From former parent, Robert Shycon, “We love Kate Sanders!  She’s one of the essential people in our skiing community in western Mass. She, and her coaching partner Greta, coached our son for four seasons of BKL, which is a lot of continuity in youth skiing.  He’s still skiing at the college level, and I’m sure he’s still using the fundamentals that he learned with Kate. And he had fun doing it.  When Kate coaches, it’s a happy group!”

From Chris Sims, “Kate has been a force for good in our club.  She is deeply knowledgeable about the sport and an unfailingly positive presence.  She can be counted on to carry far more than her share of any load.  We are lucky to have her on our team.”

From former athlete, Zyna Wisnauckas, “Coach Kate has given me so many gifts.  She taught me great ski technique. I can’t pinpoint when my technique clicked, but it did. Another thing she modeled and shared with me was an incredible community of ski friends who have always enjoyed skiing and supporting one another at so many different levels. But the biggest thing Coach gave me happened about a year after my BKL graduation. I was absolutely terrified entering my first year of BKL coaching. After agonizing over how the heck to even start, I asked Kate for help. Not only did she give me the reassurance that I could, indeed, coach, she gave me tangible action steps to take with my skiers. She knew my learning style and helped me flourish, both as a skier, coach, and community member. I am delighted to congratulate Coach Kate on this award and am excited to see her ski and coach for years to come!”

NENSA is incredibly grateful to have Kate in our ski community and thrilled to honor her years of hard work and dedication with the 2024 BKL Leadership award. Congratulations Kate!

Cross country skiing is not just a winter sport, it’s a way of life. It’s a love of being outside, playing with and supporting friends, exploring trails, and learning or making up new games. Someone who cross country skis gets to play outside year round!

For BKL-aged children, the focus is on general athleticism like agility, balance, speed, strength, and endurance. The best approach to training young children is an instructional program that builds basic aptitudes. Diversifying, or sport sampling is enjoying a wide range of activities, games, and sports with the goal of developing a range of motor skills.

Below are some activity suggestions:

• Running: Vary the distance, terrain, and speed. Fun games and relays can help build a young child’s speed
• Hiking: Explore! Bring last year’s ski poles along, or swing your arms when hiking to simulate skiing. Older children may want to carry a backpack or a water bottle carrier.
• Bicycling: Master the two wheeler! Where it’s safe, bike to school, to the store, to your friend’s house, to the park, or on trails. Helmets are a must!!
• Rollerskiing: Roller skis are great fun, but it takes a lot of time to get comfortable on them. If your child does choose to rollerski, make sure they are closely supervised by coaches for both safety and technique.

To learn more about the Cross Country Skier Lifestyle, activities ideas, and much more, visit the BKL Parent Leader Manual.

NENSA is thrilled to welcome and introduce incoming Community Engagement Director, Isabel Caldwell.

Isabel’s roots run deep in the New England ski community. Through W. River BKL and Stratton Mountain School, she developed a love of sport that led her to Dartmouth College, where she studied Earth Science and was a varsity member and captain of the ski team. She went on to earn a Masters degree in Teaching at UVM and has since taught math and science at the middle and high school levels, most recently at Sugar Bowl Academy in Norden, CA. Throughout her career, Isabel has been committed to the growth and development of young people far beyond the traditional classroom as a ski coach, wilderness trip leader, drama teacher, and dorm parent. 

In her coaching roles, Isabel has worked with diverse programs and skiers of all ages and abilities. She has served as Youth Ski Club Director and Head Coach at Frost Mountain Nordic, Head Coach at Burr & Burton Academy, and U8 Coach with the Sugar Bowl Ski Team. Additionally, she has served on the Executive Committee of Far West Nordic, coordinated regional opportunities, and contributed to a strategic planning process.

Heidi Lange, Executive Director, is thrilled to welcome Isabel to NENSA. “While Isabel’s introduction to the sport came in her own backyard, it is clear that skiing is not only in her blood but also in her heart. As an educator, she brings a keen understanding of the relationships and opportunities that spark joy and foster learning. As a community leader, she brings the vision, creativity, and spirit that will support our growing community at NENSA. I know that the thoughtful consideration and passion she brings to the NENSA team will increase access and opportunity, and promote the cultural development of Nordic skiing in New England.”

“I am most looking forward to helping expand and elevate high school skiing in New England with the U16 Championships and Eastern High School Championships,” Isabel reflects about the upcoming season. “To me, these events are what set New England skiing apart from the rest of the country and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to play a lead role in the championships and the RDG camp.”

According to Kate Koch, long-time NENSA board member and W. River and SMS community member,  “Isabel brings joy to everything she does and loves working with all different kinds of people. She has grown up in the ski world and aspires to expand the xc community; NENSA could not ask for a better ambassador!”

Isabel shares, “I am thrilled to join NENSA because it is an organization that shaped my youth and I am looking forward to helping the New England ski community continue to grow and develop.”

A new position at NENSA, the Community Engagement Director will further NENSA’s mission through programming, communications, and resources that inspire engagement, support development, and build community. The CED will develop programming that offers varied and festive formats, resources and education that support club and coach development, and communications that increase awareness of and engagement with the sport of cross country skiing in New England.

“My favorite ski memory was from a ski David and I did about ten years ago from my parents’ house in Peru, VT. We skied up into the Peru Peak Wilderness, following creeks and navigating with map and compass when he had to check our bearings,” Isabel recalls. “We made it to gorgeous, remote beaver ponds where we saw a moose, a coyote, and tons of animal tracks. This was my first year after graduating college and I had felt pretty burnt out from ski racing upon graduation. That day in the woods, I fell back in love with skiing.”

Isabel will be relocating to New England this summer and will begin work at NENSA on August 1. 

NENSA looks forward to kicking off our summer camps for 2024, the first of which gets started at the end of this month! Read more to hear about the philosophy behind our summer camp development opportunities, and this years’ locations, coaching staff and nominee lists.

Eastern Regional Elite Group Camp
University of Vermont, June 29th-July 3rd

The Eastern Regional Elite Group Camp (REG) is a part of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard pipeline and a vital program for athlete development for the East.  Eastern REG is typically held during the last week of June / early July with the goal of inspiring the top junior skiers from our region through training, education and camaraderie. Besides the obvious benefit of gathering our best athletes in a shared setting, we strive to offer the highest level of coaching at excellent training venues as a means of introducing athletes to the next level of training and competition. 

From this year’s head coach, Brandon Herhusky, “The work and dedication required to reach this level of our sport is no small feat and should be celebrated. This camp is a staple of the NENSA summer calendar and a crucial development opportunity for US Ski and Snowboard. Our nation’s large geographical area poses a challenge to us as a ski nation, which is why camps like REG that allow our best young athletes to come together and learn from one another are so important.

This camp should be viewed as an opportunity to learn and grow as an athlete. It is our hope as coaches that you leave camp with a few new ideas regarding your training that you can bring home and share with your club teammates. It is also a perfect opportunity to make new friendships and grow old ones within the ski community. I would encourage you all to branch out and connect with as many people as possible at camp. You never know who may be your future teammate on the collegiate or World Cup circuit!”

2024 REG Coaching Staff:

• Brandon Herhusky (UVM)
• Bryan Fish (US Ski and Snowboard)
• Ben Theyerl (NENSA)
• Cami Thompson (Dartmouth)
• Stephen Monsulick (Williams)
• Audrey Mangan (Craftsbury)
• Avery Ellis (EMXC)

2024 REG Athlete Nomination List

Regional Development Group Camp
Craftsbury Outdoor Center, July 5th-7th

The Regional Development Group (RDG) camp is a NENSA project that provides New England’s developing junior skiers with the opportunity to come together for several days of training, learning, and camaraderie. In addition to providing the obvious benefit of gathering motivated athletes in a shared setting, we strive to offer high-level coaching at excellent training venues as a means of introducing athletes to the next level of training and racing. RDG camp is meant to complement the longstanding Regional Elite Group (REG) camp and expand the number of athletes invited to attend summer regional development opportunities. 

2024 RDG Coaching Staff:

• Anna Schulz (Craftsbury)
• Mackenzie Rizio (NENSA)
• Annika Martell (Williams)
• Erin Waters (Concord High School)
• John Thompson (Paul Smith’s College)
• Chris Stock (EMXC)

2024 RDG Athlete Nomination List

Camp Criteria Information

NENSA is thrilled to introduce incoming Competitive Program Director, Ben Theyerl.

Ben comes to NENSA with strong connections to New England, coaching and community leadership experience, and broad perspectives about sport and athlete development.

A Wisconsin native, Ben connected with the culture and tradition of skiing in the Central region while growing up. He attended Colby College where he studied English, Education, and Environmental Studies and was a member of the Nordic Ski Team. In the years since, Ben has been based in Colorado where he has grown and developed the program at Crested Butte Nordic, provided regional leadership on the board of Rocky Mountain Nordic, and supported U.S. Ski & Snowboard development projects. Along with this regional engagement, Ben has made significant contributions to the broader ski community as an Associate Editor at FasterSkier and Communications Associate with the National Nordic Foundation.

Heidi Lange, Executive Director, is delighted to welcome Ben to the team at NENSA. “Whether engaging with Ben in conversation or through his reporting, his love of sport shines through. Ben thinks critically and holistically about the development of athletes, sport, and communities. The leadership he brings to NENSA is rooted in his experience and insights into our sport at the local, regional, and national levels. Ben brings the passion, organization, communication, creativity, and vision necessary to lead NENSA’s competitive programs and athletes.”

Ben shares, “In the past few years working in skiing I’ve found myself coming back to the refrain of “what is NENSA doing?” which just makes me excited to actively contribute to what I see as an exemplary, and transformative, ski community in New England. I’m also looking forward to working with a lot of old friends, and developing relationships with people I’ve really admired for years as an athlete, coach, and part of the ski community.”

Long-time NENSA Board member Kate Koch reflects, “Ben will bring so much to his role as NENSA’s Competitive Programs Director; he has experienced New England and other divisions, competed, coached, written for Fasterskier, and served our larger ski community through his work with NNF. I know his curiosity and creativity will spark his efforts as Ben jumps into NENSA and continues to build our XC community.”

“Out of a lot of ski memories, I always land back on the American Birkebeiner Trail near where I grew up in Wisconsin,” Ben recalls. “When I was about 12 years old there was a race at “OO” that I did, and then afterwards, my Dad raised the idea of skiing all the way to the Old Telemark Lodge in Cable with a family friend of ours, Tom Meyer.”

“The 20 k up to Telemark was the longest ski of my life at that point, and I just remember it for many of the reasons I uniquely love skiing. The way my Dad and Tom seemed to know everyone out on the trail, the beauty of the Northwoods, and the novel idea that you could race and then just keep doing the sport afterwards, that there was no final whistle or anything. It was the ground from which my love for the sport has grown out of – pushing yourself alongside great people in some of the most beautiful places in the world!”

The Competitive Program Director at NENSA is responsible for overseeing all aspects of NENSA’s competitive programs. This includes managing the Eastern Cup Race Series, Rollerski Series, Zak/Marathon Series, New England Junior National Team, NENSA Elite and Development Teams, and the Eastern Regional Elite Group camp. The CPD advances NENSA’s athlete and coach development pipeline and philosophy by creating resources and implementing development projects.

Ben will be relocating to New England in June and will begin work at NENSA on June 24. 

Ben concludes by reflecting, “I think we’re uniquely in a time when every year has seemed more exciting than the last for American skiing, and with the latest “BIG” development being a Lake Placid World Cup in 2026, I think the next year is going to be a great opportunity to start focusing a lot of the great energy in US Skiing towards the East and all the great things it has to offer ahead of us welcoming the world in 2026.”