Fred Bailey · ·
Justin Beckwith · ·
NENSA is proud to present the 2022-2023 Eastern Cup Series, a set of eight U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned competitions. Each year, venues bid and are elected to host these prestigious events, balancing regional locations and collaboration with collegiate and SuperTour competitions. We are extremely fortunate in the East to have many robust venues with incredible physical and human infrastructure. Eastern Cups are open to all U.S. Ski & Snowboard and NENSA members (NENSA 1-Day memberships are available on all registrations. Athletes under 20 years of age are scored to the Junior Ranking List (JRL), which is the basis for qualification for the New England Junior National Team.
Each year NENSA committees review our competition guidelines — athletes, coaches and parents should be familiar with the Race Rules document.
This year features some major changes, the most notable that all events feature equal distance for male and female competitors. All NENSA races remain fluoro-free, and testing could occur at any event.
NENSA is also introducing two new TEAM Oriented Competitions this year for all to be involved in! Whether you are a junior racer new to the Eastern Cup, or come from one of the more established clubs in the East there is something for everyone to get on board with:
1) Club Cup – Season Long Club Points Tally
2) Eastern Cup Club Score – For Juniors for each Eastern Cup Competition
We are poised for a successful season, starting in just over three weeks, with many areas already seeing natural snow — and temperatures that have allowed venues to get a strong start snowmaking. Eastern Cup’s are built to be spectator friendly events, with inspired action and a festival atmosphere — we so look forward to seeing the Eastern skiing community soon!
The first stop on the tour is the Rikert Nordic Grand Prix – Eastern Cup Opener on December 17th & 18th in Ripton, Vermont. The Rikert Outdoor Center is a storied race venue with iconic mountain views and winding wooded trails. The historic Bread Loaf Inn is available for housing for the first time, offering trailside lodging with meal package options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can find out more about these options on the registration page under Merchandise Options — book early as these rooms will likely fill quickly and all reservations must be made by December 6th.
Rikert Nordic Grand Prix Registration Page
On January 14th & 15th, we travel to Black Mountain of Maine for the Chisholm Ski Club Eastern Cup and Bates Carnival in Rumford. This unique event overlaps with an EISA Carnival this season on Saturday — which will likely be one of the largest and most competitive races in the East this winter. Registration will open shortly.
After several years of hosting the Opener, the Roy Varney Memorial Quarry Road Eastern Cup will be hosted on February 4th & 5th in Waterville, Maine. Quarry Road Trails puts on a beautiful event and continually invests in the Quarry Road Recreation Area, which is owned and operated by the City of Waterville Department of Parks & Recreation. Registration will open shortly.
For the second year we will conclude the Eastern Cup season with the Dublin Double Eastern Cup,
February 18th & 19th in Dublin, New Hampshire. The Dublin Nordic Center and its undulating trail network provide a fantastic weekend of fast paced racing, with the collaboration of the Dublin School and the Dublin XC Club. Of note the New England Team is named at the conclusion of the races Sunday. Registration will open shortly.
NENSA also promotes and supports a diverse set of Popular Races.
Justin Beckwith · ·
In just two years Cate Brams has become a fixture of the New England coaching community. In 202o, after racing for Middlebury College and the Sun Valley Gold Team, she returned home to Boston to help lead the Eastern Mass Cross Country (EMXC) program. In May of 2021, she was hired as the clubs first full time Head Coach. Her youthful energy and extensive racing experience, along with the knowledge of growing up in the Eastern Mass Bill Koch and CSU Junior Program (now known as EMXC) made her a perfect fit for the job.
Not only is she a beloved coach for EMXC, but she has jumped headfirst into NENSA programming, including regional camps, coaching at Junior Nationals and leading Coaches Education clinics. We are indeed lucky to have such engaged coaches like Brams — made in part by increasingly sophisticated clubs — that provide awesome development opportunities for cross country skiing here in the East. Read on below for accolades from her athletes, peers and coworkers!
EMXC summer coach and incoming UVM assistant coach Brandon Herhusky:
“This past year has been my first opportunity to work alongside Cate Brams in the coaching world. I feel very privileged to have worked with some of the best coaches in the country as either an athlete or a fellow coach; and despite Cate being a younger coach she easily ranks as one of the best I’ve ever worked with. Cate is constantly in pursuit of perfecting her craft as a coach. Whether talking about waxing, technique, or training philosophy I can always count on Cate to bring something new that she’s learned or thought about to the conversation. In her day to day running of EMXC she continually strikes an incredible balance of being very detailed oriented with everything she does having a purpose, while also having the ability to quickly adapt on the fly for the many individual athlete’s needs she manages.
Seeing the respect that all of Cate’s athletes have for her is truly the testament of her as a coach. She coaches one of the largest clubs in New England and every single athlete from age 13 to 20 absolutely worships the ground she walks on. She creates an environment in which everyone can succeed while growing a passion for the outdoors and developing lifelong healthy habits through cross-country skiing.”
Mansfield Nordic Club Executive Director and Head Coach Adam Terko:
“After working with her in the wax room for a number of championship events ranging from US Nationals to JNs, I can confidently say that some of my most productive, fun, and memorable days at a wax bench have been with Cate. She’s an awesome communicator, whether it’s making stressful wax decisions, helping athletes find their best selves on race day, or humorously roasting me over something I’m wearing, saying, or doing. Cate’s ability to seamlessly and quickly transition between coach, wax tech, friend, mentor, and leader is something that allows her and her team to thrive in any situation.”
NENSA Executive Director and former volunteer coach with CSU juniors Amie Smith:
“Cate Brams is a phenomenal Head Coach and leader for the EMXC juniors team. She stepped into that roll several years ago with grace and maturity beyond her years. Cate has both the perspective as a former CSU junior athlete herself, but also the skills and knowledge to bring her athletes both a calming balance while also challenging them to be their best. Cate has also been invaluable as a volunteer coach and wax tech for New England Junior National team and at our REG Camp.”
EMXC Junior Sofia Scirica:
“Cate is an incredible coach who cares so much about her athletes and helping them succeed in skiing and beyond. Her energy and humor make her an amazing coach to work with and the entire team benefits from her leadership and dedication, as well as her coolness 🙂 It is extremely difficult to get thirty 14 to 18 year olds to focus on training, but Cate manages to do it while also making sure that we are having fun as we improve.
From May to March, Cate works tirelessly to ensure that the entire team has all of the resources they need to feel confident going into the starting gate. It is incredibly impressive how hard to she works to give every athlete what they need to do their best. There’s no way to summarize everything that Cate does for the team because I can’t even begin to understand all of the work she does to make our team run smoothly, but if you want to see how dedicated Cate is, look no further than the wax bench at an Eastern Cup. From waking up long before the sunrise to test dozens of waxes to staying and cheering until the last athlete of the day has completed their race, Cate is always ready to support the athletes in every way she can. Her pre race pep-talks and post race debriefs are consistently one of the things that I look forward to most on race days.
Not only does Cate take the time to talk with her athletes about warmups and race strategy, but also our mental health. She cares so genuinely about how we are doing, and she recognizes that mental health is a crucial aspect of the sport. Having a coach that really cares about how her athletes are doing makes a huge difference in her athletes’ performance and their overall mental well-being.
I feel so lucky to have been able to learn from her coaching the last few years and I am so grateful for all of the support that she has given me and the team. Cate is one of those amazing coaches who cares so deeply about her athletes and team, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of Coach of the Year!”
Preston Noon · ·
Full event details will be added to the Eastern Cup pages over the coming weeks. These four race weekends constitute NENSA’s highest level race series bringing together junior, senior, and master skiers. They also serve as qualifying races for the New England Junior National Team. Race distances will be determined by the final formats of Junior and Senior Nationals and the Equal Distance movement decisions by FIS and U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
We would like to extend our thanks to the many venues that bid for this year’s events and we look forward to a competitive and snowy winter.
(U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned) Hosted by Frost Mountain Nordic @ Rikert Nordic Center
December 17-18, 2022
(U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned) Hosted by Chisholm Ski Club at Black Mountain
January 14-15, 2023
(U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned) Hosted by Quarry Road Trails
February 4-5, 2023
(U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned) Hosted by Dublin School February 18, 202: Freestyle Sprint February 19, 2023: Individual Classic
Justin Beckwith · ·
NENSA will once again offer two tiers of Popular Race calendaring for 2022-2023. Last season, with increased NENSA support and media we saw the highest number of individual participants since our data began in 2011-2012. The ongoing pandemic and a low snow year did seem to reduce the number of races each person attended. Our goal for 2022-2023 will be to incentivize participation in more races. We will again place the Popular Races Series as the core of the NENSA calendar.
Venues interested in having their event(s) named to NENSA’s Zak Cup, Club Cup, and/or New England Marathon Series should complete this form by July 1st. Early submissions are encouraged so we can help shape a calendar that minimizes event overlaps.
Link to detailed Popular Race information. (Zak/Club and Marathon)
Direct link to Popular Race Bid Sheet.
Detailed information for Event Organizers including anticipated dates for major events.
Please note Eastern Cup and SuperTour bidding is open and closes on May 2nd. Eastern Cup events will be determined during the NENSA Board Meeting by the Athletic Development Committee the weekend of May 15th.
Direct link to Eastern Cup Bid Sheet
For those intending to host an Eastern Cup or Major Championship NENSA requires sending a representative to attend the TD / Event Organizer Clinic, typically held during September or the first weekend of December. All other race organizers are encouraged and welcome to attend. We will be make this date public in the coming weeks.
For Eastern Cup, Zak/Club and Marathon questions: [email protected]
Thanks for making your bids early and we look forward to planning next years events with you!