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2020 Eastern Cup Primer

Justin Beckwith · December 3, 2019 ·

NENSA is proud to highlight the 2020 Eastern Cup Series after a snowy start to winter across New England!

In just three weeks the East’s premier race circuit kicks off at Sugarloaf, Maine for the first time since 2006. Sugarloaf is opening for skiing this week and excited to put on an innovative event that will honor the life of Roy Varney. The second Eastern Cup — The 2020 Lost Nation Cup — is combined with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard SuperTour Series in Craftsbury, Vermont January 25th & 26th. This unique opportunity combines the highest level regional and national series with the University of Vermont Carnival. On February 8th & 9th the Series visits Rumford, Maine for the Chisholm Eastern Cup and Bates Carnival. Again the combination of an EISA event and the top regional field ensures inspired competition. Eastern Cup Finals will be hosted in New Hampshire by the Dublin and Holderness School February 15th & 16th. On Saturday the exciting Dublin Double will offer two fast paced freestyle events with a 3km and 1.5km aimed to boost New England athletes into post season racing. The Series, including Junior National team selection concludes Sunday at the Cheri Walsh Memorial where skiers will experience the classic trails of the Holderness School.

Look forward to pre and post event press releases for these exciting events. Complete details on the Eastern Cup Series can be found on the NENSA website. Please read the updated Eastern Cup Primer below for important information regarding race details, seeding, scoring and Junior National Qualification.

Registration for all Eastern Cup races are open on SkiReg.com — before you register make sure your NENSA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard memberships are current and you update your team/club affiliations in your NENSA profile.
Also note that Sugarloaf early registration fee ends 12/5.

We look forward to an awesome winter and seeing you on the trails soon!!

All racers must have valid NENSA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership to race – please note a $10 daily NENSA membership is available.
Purchase or renew your your NENSA membership here.
Purchase or renew your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership here.
Foreign membership options updated (11/26/2019).
Buy both your NENSA & U.S. Ski & Snowboard memberships early to ensure proper validation at registration.
All EC racers will be listed in the overall race results, regardless of your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership type ($20 general or $115 competitor). If you want to be listed on the National Ranking List (NRL), and be ranked for New England Junior National team (best 4 races for both U16 and U18/U20) you need to purchase a U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitors membership.
You can upgrade to a U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitors license later in the season (points may not retroactively apply to previous races).
Each Eastern Cup has a Virtual Team Captain’s Meeting (VTCM) an information page for updates: on venue, times changes, and important racer/coach information.
Registration will close at 5pm on the Wednesday before each Eastern Cup weekend.
Seed lists will be posted on Thursday (using points from the current NRL / FIS lists)
Start lists will be posted on Friday by 6pm for Saturday and Sunday races.
Final Eastern Cup race results can be found here. Live results links will be made available on the EC event pages.
All Eastern Cup races will be scored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and updated to the NRL. Races marked as (FIS/NRL) are also scored by FIS.
NRL and FIS listing dates can be found in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Nordic Competition Guide.
SEEDING: All racers will be seeded by their best of either, U.S. Ski & Snowboard or FIS points. If you have a US Ski & Snowboard general membership, or have 990 points you will be seeded randomly at the end of the field.
U18/U20 JN qualifying: Best 4 EC and/or OOR races.
U16 JN qualifying: Best 4 EC races, and no OOR races using SuperTour Scoring (see page 26).
Tie-breaking mechanisms:
~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
Note: All U16 races at NENSA Eastern Cups are scored; for sprints, the final results for the top 12 come from the heats/finals, and from the qualifying for places 13 and higher.

Note: distances and techniques are listed here as scheduled. If conditions mandate changes to distance/technique, the race that is held will be scored.

2019-2020 Races Scored to the NENSA JNQ Ranking Lists:

NENSA Eastern Cup Series Races:

Sugarloaf Eastern Cup Opener – EC WEEKEND #1
Sugarloaf, Maine
Hosted by the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center (NRL)

December 21-22, 2019

Saturday December 21 – Free Sprint (1.5km)

Sunday December 22 – Classic (5km U16 and women / 10km men and Citizen)

The Lost Nation Cup: Craftsbury Super Tour / UVM Carnival & Eastern Cup – EC WEEKEND #2
Craftsbury, Vermont
Hosted by the Craftsbury Outdoor Center – (FIS/NRL)

January 25-26, 2020 (ST Classic Sprint only 1/24)

Saturday January 25 – Free Interval (5km U16 & Women / 10km Men and Citizen)

Sunday January 26 – Classic Mass Start (5km U16 / 10km Women / 15km Men)

Chisholm Eastern Cup / Bates Carnival – EC WEEKEND #3
Black Mountain Ski Resort, Maine
Hosted by the Chisholm Ski Club (NRL)

February 8-9, 2020

Friday February 7 – Please note Bates Carnival races in AM – Official Training 1-4pm

Saturday February 8 – Free (5km U16 and Women / 10km Men)

Sunday February 9 – Classic Sprint (1.2km)

Dublin Double Eastern Cup – EC Finals
DAY ONE – Dublin, New Hampshire
Hosted by Dublin School (NRL)

Saturday February 15, 2020 – Skate Interval Start Prologue (3km all skiers) followed by a Skate Sprint Prologue (1.5km all skiers)

Cheri Walsh Memorial Eastern Cup – EC Finals
DAY TWO – Holderness, New Hampshire
Hosted by the Holderness School Nordic Club (NRL)

Sunday February 16, 2020 – Classic Interval Start (5km U16 / 10km Women and Men)

Out-of-Region Races for 2019-20 season:
US National Championships Michigan Tech Nordic Center – Houghton, Michigan (U18/U20’s only):

Thursday January 2: Freestyle Sprint 1.4km*
Friday January 3: Freestyle 10/15km
Sunday January 5: Classic Mass Start 7.5/10km

Please note the final Sprint on 1/7/20 of US Nationals is not scored to JNQ Ranking List.

*US Nationals races will be scored to the NENSA JNQ Ranking Lists using U.S. Ski & Snowboard points for U18 & U20’s (sprint re-scored with distance points). An athlete must be a U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitor member to compete at the US National Championships.

THERE ARE NO OOR RACES for U16’s

6. Eastern Cup Scoring:

All Eastern Cup races are scored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard to the National Ranking List (NRL), usually by no later then the Thursday after the race weekend. NENSA ranks JNQ lists as soon as possible. Athletes with U.S. Ski & Snowboard General Memberships are not scored to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard NRL or JNQ lists. All competitors are listed in results.

To determine the overall Eastern Cup Champions (the Gallagher Cup winners) at the end of the season (one male/one female) – the best of 7 out of 9 of the Eastern Cup races are scored to determine the overall winners.

7. U.S. Ski & Snowboard Nordic Competition Guide

Further information about Race Rules.

Further information about Junior National Qualifying.

Popular Racing in New England

Justin Beckwith · November 13, 2019 ·

Craftsbury Outdoor Center webcam 11/13/19 – one of the touring centers in NE that will open this weekend.

November snow has touring centers giddy with excitement for the 2019-2020 season. Indeed many cross country skiers are already sliding on their skinny skis throughout New England and ski areas have snowmaking operations underway. In response to last winters amazing season there are twenty-two races on the Zak Cup calendar, eight marathons and the increasingly popular New England Club Relay Championship. NENSA’s mission is to implement educational, recreational, and competitive programs at all levels to sustain a vital and active cross-country skiing community in New England — these popular races are the lifeblood of that community!

Junior skiers lining up for the 2018 Bogburn hosted at the Woodstock Nordic Center.

In the past NENSA has promoted these competitions with a focus on masters racers and Zak Cup competition — this year we aim to broaden our appeal to all ages and abilities of racers. Friendly competition between our masters population is alive and well — but there is so much more that is attractive about these events — from BKL age groups to recreational (or untimed) skis, to local sponsor support including tasty food and gear demos. There is no better time to visit a touring center than when they are hosting their local event, a time when weeks or months of effort have been spent to make the skier experience the best it can be!

NENSA’s programming revolves around supporting club structure — and getting together local groups to attend events that bring together the greater skiing community. All of our Zak Cup events are also scored to Club Cup rankings, giving all participants added incentive to join in the fun. Whether you are new to skiing or a lifetime competitor you help support your club and the events that celebrate our sport! This season will be the first time senior skiers (ages 23-29) will be included in Zak Cup rankings — with the aim of bringing more friendly competition to this age group.

Many of our events already have live registration pages and you can find those by clicking on the event names on the popular calendar — review the listings early and sign up for events you know you want to attend — your participation will draw in more participants and make these events thrive! Print out an event poster for your refrigerator or office wall. There are events in all states within New England (and New York) so you don’t need to travel far to find excitement — but you are encouraged to pick out new events and visit different venues. The races themselves vary in discipline and distance — including sprint, skiathlon, marathon, hill climb and downhill and everything in between. If you’ve never experienced the excitement of a mass start maybe you want to seek out one of those events — or join in a recreation category (many events offer untimed or shortened distances).

Racing action kicks off in Craftsbury in one month with a sprint on Saturday December 14th and the traditional Opener on Sunday the 15th. Jackson XC is hosting the Jackson Jaunt on December 29th giving you three opportunities before the new year. Racing continues in earnest in January with eight races listed in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts – including the One Day Club Championships in Jackson, NH now know as the Freeman Frost White Mountain Half Marathon. February brags seven events including the Craftsbury Marathon and AXCS Masters National Championships and Stowe Derby. March has five popular races and wraps up with Zak and Season Awards at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center on March 22nd.

We look forward to seeing you out there this winter — please don’t hesitate reaching out to NENSA or the hosting venues — Let it Snow!

2019-2020 NENSA Event Bidding is Open

Justin Beckwith · March 28, 2019 ·

Venues and Event Organizers – please take note that bidding for the 2019-2020 season is now open (closing May 1). Please read through the following link for detailed information about bidding and help with selecting potential dates. Our Eastern Cup calendar will be finalized during NENSA’s May meetings and folks who want to host are encouraged to submit bids early! Many Zak / Club and Marathon dates will be set during these meetings as well, and the Masters Committee will be reviewing how many races are included for the upcoming season. Bidding for the 2021 U16 & EHS Championship weekends is also open at this time. Bid sheets are done through a Google Docs – but we encourage you to follow up with staff with questions . We hope you will consider hosting one of these great race events for our New England Nordic community!

For those intending to host an Eastern Cup or Major Championship please plan on sending a representative to attend the TD / Event Organizer Clinic, typically during the first weekend of December. All other races are encouraged and welcome to attend.

For Eastern Cup, Zak/Club and Marathon questions: justin@nensa.net

For U16 and EHS questions: tom@nensa.net

Thanks for making your bids early and we look forward to planning next years events with you!

Stowe Nordic Seeking Youth Program Coach

Amie Smith · December 20, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Stowe Nordic Seeking Youth Program Coach

Stowe Nordic, Stowe Vermont’s premier nordic ski club for over 20 years, is seeking a ski coach for the 2017-18 season to lead our youth program (BKL age group, 5-14). The coach will be responsible for all aspects of Stowe Nordic’s youth program (weekly communication, lesson plans, and on snow instruction). Program dates and times are: Tuesday and Thursday 3:00-5:00 pm beginning in December and ending in mid March. Salary and other ski pass benefits available for the right candidate. Please contact Neal Graves at neal.t.graves@gmail.com for more information or submit a resume and cover letter to: info@stowenordic.org

Quarry Road Opener – Updated 12/7

Justin Beckwith · December 4, 2017 · Leave a Comment

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.

2) Sign-up online deadline is Friday midnight. Then Day of Race for $10 extra.

3) For waxing, no wax greater than LF or low-fluoro is allowed. No HF and no top coats. There is no reason for families or teams to blow their budget on this low-key event!

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.

The race will be six laps or 4.8km for adults and 3 laps or 2.4km for BKL and Middle School. More details are available on the registration page.

There is a fun and unique interval start format — with groups of 24 skiers starting at 15 second intervals, and leave 12 minutes open in the start list for those skiers to clear the course before the next “group” leaves at 15 second intervals.

Prepare your team to run their warmup (course access will have to close except for some brief course inspection breaks between each class.)