NENSA’s 2023 Rollerski Race Series kicks off at Craftsbury with the Lost Nation Roll in conjunction with the Regional Development Camp. This will be the fourth year of the competition, which has historically brought together competitive fields including elite level skiers as well as masters.
Search Results for: REG camp
NENSA Seeks Youth & Introductory Program Director
The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) seeks a dynamic and outgoing person to be our next full time Youth & Introductory Program Director (Y&IPD). This role is responsible for NENSA’s youth programming including the New England Bill Koch League (BKL) and Festival, the Nordic Rocks school program, and Bill Koch League coach/leader education. This role is also responsible for Women’s XC Ski Day and additional Learn-to-Ski events and opportunities. The Y&IPD co-shares responsibility for Eastern U16 and High School Championships and all summer rollerski programming. An ideal candidate will be familiar with NENSA and the Northeast ski community, incredibly self-motivated, and able to work independently from home. This role requires strong, inspired leadership with a synergetic spirit to galvanize and work with our ski community. This position is highly collaborative and will work closely with many community stakeholders including venues, event organizers, clubs, school teachers, sponsors, donors, and the NENSA staff team. The Youth & Introductory Program Director is an empowered position requiring energy, vision, attention to detail, and the ability to multitask in advancing NENSA’s youth and introductory programs.
Duties include but are not limited to:
- Establish NENSA as the go-to resource for youth and introductory skiing information, events, and resources in the Northeast.
- Provide leadership, education, instruction and guidance to Bill Koch League (BKL) District Chairs, coaches, club leaders, event organizers, parent/caregivers, and athletes.
- Chair and work closely with the BKL and Junior Development Committees to facilitate communication and support member youth ski clubs and the state team leaders/coaches involved with Eastern U16 and High School Championships.
- Support member clubs and their parent/caregivers, coaches, and leaders in building an inclusive community through club visits, workshops, and coach/leader trainings.
- Manage all aspects of NENSA’s youth programs and events including the Bill Koch League, the Bill Koch Festival, the Nordic Rocks school program, youth learn-to-rollerski clinics and offerings, and the virtual XC Ski Bingo game.
- Oversee and coordinate all aspects of Women’s XC Ski Day including chairing the Women’s Day committee.
- Grow and manage accessible and inclusive community-based learn-to-ski opportunities and maintain and develop collaborative connections with organizations doing similar work.
- Alongside the Events Coordinator, coordinate and organize Eastern U16 Championships and Eastern High School Championships.
- Collaborate with the Competitive Program Director on coach education initiatives.
- Work with the Competitive Program Director to organize and run all NENSA summer programming including rollerski races, clinics, coaches education, and camps.
- Manage all youth and introductory community communications via email, social media, and regular newsletters as well as maintaining the youth and introductory program sections of the NENSA website.
- Track and manage all youth and introductory program and event data.
- Collaborate on additional community building programs, events, and projects as part of the NENSA staff team.
Additional key priorities, including but not limited to, the following:
- Assist the Executive Director with writing grant applications pertaining directly to youth programming.
- Assist the Executive Director with fundraising initiatives including the annual fund drive and auction.
- Branding and marketing through creating event posters, branded apparel, postcards, stickers, and other promotional items and marketing materials.
- Serve on ad-hoc committees as necessary.
- Complete US Ski & Snowboard L100 Coach Certification or higher (which includes SafeSport certification and background checks) by start date or as soon as possible following start date.
- Track and share relevant news and updates via the website, social media, and youth newsletter.
- Other duties as assigned as part of the NENSA staff team.
Qualifications:
- Passion for the sport of cross country skiing and the ideals of the NENSA mission.
- Bachelor’s degree.
- Familiarity with the ski community in the Northeast.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Docs Editors, WordPress, Constant Contact, and NEON (will train).
- Savvy social media user with demonstrated ability to effectively use Facebook and Instagram. Videography skills preferred but not required.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a fast paced, multidisciplinary team environment.
- Rollerski experience preferred.
- Must be eligible to work in the USA.
- Must have a valid driver’s license and vehicle.
- Ability to lift and carry 50 lbs.
- Space to store a carload of NENSA gear and equipment.
Conditions: This is a remote position that requires the ability to work and communicate regularly and effectively from a remote home office. Frequent and extensive regional travel in and around the northeast is required. Some work takes place outdoors in variable and sometimes extreme conditions. Must be able to work weekends and evenings aligning with NENSA and community needs.
The Youth & Introductory Program Director is a full time salaried position. Salary for this full time position is $40k – $45k commensurate with experience. Benefits include paid vacation, a health care stipend contribution, a matching IRA fund, and travel expenses. This position reports to the Executive Director. Start date is negotiable, but we seek to fill this role as soon as possible. Interested candidates should send a letter of interest, resume, and three references no later than May 6, 2023 to Heidi Lange, Executive Director via email at [email protected].
New England Junior National Team Information / Intentions
NENSA would like to communicate some information about the upcoming 2023 Junior Nationals.
This is the third weekend of four Eastern Cups – the races that rank skiers on NENSA’s Junior Ranking List. The top 6 U16’s and top 15 U18/U20’s (beyond auto qualifiers) on that list will be named Sunday after the Dublin Double. Athletes who intend to accept their position should be ready to do so and make payment for ground fees and airfare.
If you are in contention for the team please fill out this form.
NENSA has a hold on 55 tickets for athletes and staff from Boston to Fairbanks with one stop in Seattle for $1065.
Auto qualifiers should contact [email protected] directly to discuss intentions and travel arrangements.
The New England Team will stay and eat at the Wedgewood Resort, and utilize the Organizing Committees shuttle service for the majority of our transportation.
You can read further information about NE Junior National qualification and team composition HERE.
Justin Beckwith will humbly serve as this year’s Trip Leader, joined by veteran Junior National Head Coach, Matt Boobar of the Stratton Mountain School.
Age Group Coaches:
Erin Waters – U16 Female – Concord High School
Erin grew up skiing for Concord High School and then skied for St.Lawrence University. After graduation she returned home and dove into coaching, as assistant coach for 2 years and now heading into her second year as head coach.
In addition to public High School coaching, Waters has been active in summer club camps and served in leadership roles at Eastern High School, U16 and Eastern Cup races.
Steve Bruner – U16 Male – Stratton Nordic Center
Steve is originally a Minnesota high school racer, former Amherst (MA) High School coach, and the current manager of the Stratton Nordic Center. Both of his children are competitive skiers at the Stratton Mountain School, where Steve has served as an assistant coach/wax tech/tester, along with being a staple of SMS Summer Camps for the past two summers.
Steve also jumped in to assist the New England Team at last winter’s Junior Nationals in Minneapolis when our staff was shorthanded.
Audrey Mangan – U18 Female – Craftsbury Ski Club
Audrey competed in three Junior Nationals as a junior for the Mid-Atlantic division, including a podium performance. She has been coaching junior and collegiate athletes for almost 10 years in New England. “This sport has given me so much and it has been an inspiration to remain involved with developing the next generation of skiers, and in some cases, future coaches!” In the last 6 years with Craftsbury, Audrey’s coaching responsibilities have included, “coaching brand-new BKLers, JN’s-bound juniors, new high school skiers, and wax teching for the GRP depending on the day.”
Mangan has been a part of three Junior National staffs, U16 and EHS Championships, and been a valuable member of REG and many other camp projects.
Evan Kendall – U18 Male – Dublin School/DXC
Evan has been a part of two recent New England staffs. He learned to ski “halfway through high school,” raced in Eastern High School Championships, Junior Nationals, and then skied for St. Olaf College. He has led wax efforts at the High School and Eastern Cup level and assisted teching at Junior and Senior Nationals.
Kendall brings a “can do” attitude that stems from leadership in education, coaching and outdoor adventures.
George Forbes – U20 Female – Stratton Mountain School
George has coached at the Stratton Mountain School for five years and was a part of the wax team at the 2020 Junior Nationals in Truckee. He is known for his energy, positivity, enthusiastic cheering, and his self proclaimed, “love for picking fast skis.”
Aside from his leadership skills, Forbes is an accomplished photographer.
Will Solow – U20 Male – Ford Sayre
Will raced with the Mansfield Nordic Club for four years in high school before taking a gap year to race for SVSEF where he first qualified for Junior Nationals for the Intermountain division. Heading back East for college, he qualified for the New England JN team in Kincaid, AK where he had 4 All-American finishes including a podium in the sprint and in the relay. He also received the prestigious David Quinn Award.
During his time at Colby College, he was a co-captain of the men’s team for 3 years, culminating with two-top-thirty results at NCAA’s in 2021 his junior year. During his senior year he had mono and bridged into a support role for the Mules, that passion has continued with the Ford Sayre program as a junior coach and wax technician.
Service:
Colin Rodgers – Head Kick – Green Mountain Valley School
Colin has been a valuable part of the New England Team for the past six years. His depth of knowledge spans from growing up under the tutelage of his father, Dale, who is an inspired coach and venue manager — to National Championships as an athlete and coach, World Cup starts and an organizer of projects of all aspects.
Rodgers loves kick wax as much as anybody and his fitness and energy will naturally lead the service staff.
Jacob Volz – Kick – Gould Academy
Jacob grew up in Alaska and skied for Team AK in three Junior Nationals. That led him to Middlebury College where he competed for four years. After graduation, he coached for summers in Williamstown for the Berkshire Nordic Club, and started teaching and coaching at Gould. Now into his third year at Gould, he’s in — “pretty good shape, and am capable of doing many laps testing skis. I have a decent feel for ski speed, and particularly enjoy testing and applying classic wax. I have spent a good portion of my life skiing on hard wax in Alaska, and have a good sense for it. I have also spent a decent amount of time racing at Birch Hill and have a good knowledge of the trail system. I am used to working long days and getting up early to test and/or wax skis has never been a problem for me. I am also very enthusiastic about ski racing.”
#perfect
Jefferson Tucker – Head Glide – Quarry Road Ski Club
Jeff grew up ski racing in Vermont, where he achieved success in High School and junior racing, under the tutelage of the Woodstock Ski Runners. He was a New England JN athlete in 2012, a Colby Mule, and then started his coaching career with: Colby College, Harvard, Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club, Nordic Ski Club Fairbanks, “and now I’m the coach of Quarry Road Ski Club. — I love testing skis and working long days on the bench, so I signed up to be part of the wax/tech team.”
Tucker was a part of Team AK last year and offers his expertise on, “(navigating the area and ski trails, dealing with the cold, avoiding moose, etc.)”
Cate Brams – Glide – EMXC
Cate didn’t fill out the form, but she is an invaluable member of our Team. She helped orchestrate the Team.
Sara Nicole Falconer – Glide – Mansfield Nordic Club
Sara has coached for Mansfield Nordic Club for eight years and been a part of three New England coaching staffs. With Mansfield and the SkiRack she has worked with all levels of skier — with extensive experience in ski service and athlete support.
Falconer is a physical therapy student.
Annika Martell – Glide – Williams College
Annika competed in Minnesota and then went off to ski at Colby College. “After my time there, I started coaching with US Biathlon, then moved to Hanover NH where I coached at Ford Sayre and now I’m coaching at Williams College where, during my summers, I’ve spent some time working with the Berkshire Nordic Ski Club! I recently traveled to Norway and Switzerland as a Trail to Gold Fellow with the US Ski Team. I’ll bring some expertise from both the coaching and the wax tech side, both from my experience as the T2G Fellow, but also as a college coach we have to do both coach and wax tech on race weekends. I’m so excited about skiing and love giving back to the community as well – pass on the knowledge!”
2023 Junior National Staff Naming and EC Updates
NENSA is pleased to announce our staff for the 2023 Junior Nationals.
Justin Beckwith will humbly serve as this year’s Trip Leader, joined by veteran Junior National Head Coach, Matt Boobar of the Stratton Mountain School.
Age Group Coaches:
Erin Waters – U16 Female – Concord High School
Erin grew up skiing for Concord High School and then skied for St.Lawrence University. After graduation she returned home and dove into coaching, as assistant coach for 2 years and now heading into her second year as head coach.
In addition to public High School coaching, Waters, has been active in summer club camps and served in leadership roles at Eastern High School, U16 and Eastern Cup races.
Steve Bruner – U16 Male – Stratton Nordic Center
Steve is originally a Minnesota high school racer, former Amherst (MA) High School coach, and the current manager of the Stratton Nordic Center. Both of his children are competitive skiers at the Stratton Mountain School, where Steve has served as an assistant coach/wax tech/tester, along with being a staple of SMS Summer Camps for the past two summers.
Steve also jumped in to assist the New England Team at last winter’s Junior Nationals in Minneapolis when our staff was shorthanded.
Audrey Mangan – U18 Female – Craftsbury Ski Club
Audrey competed in three Junior Nationals as a junior for the Mid-Atlantic division, including a podium performance. She has been coaching junior and collegiate athletes for almost 10 years in New England. “This sport has given me so much and it has been an inspiration to remain involved with developing the next generation of skiers, and in some cases, future coaches!” In the last 6 years with Craftsbury, Audrey’s coaching responsibilities have included, “coaching brand-new BKLers, JN’s-bound juniors, new high school skiers, and wax teching for the GRP depending on the day.”
Mangan has been a part of three Junior National staffs, U16 and EHS Championships, and been a valuable member of REG and many other camp projects.
Evan Kendall – U18 Male – Dublin School/DXC
Evan has been a part of two recent New England staffs. He learned to ski “halfway through high school,” raced in Eastern High School Championships, Junior Nationals, and then skied for St. Olaf College. He has led wax efforts at the High School and Eastern Cup level and assisted teching at Junior and Senior Nationals.
Kendall brings a “can do” attitude that stems from leadership in education, coaching and outdoor adventures.
George Forbes – U20 Female – Stratton Mountain School
George has coached at the Stratton Mountain School for five years and was a part of the wax team at the 2020 Junior Nationals in Truckee. He is known for his energy, positivity, enthusiastic cheering, and his self proclaimed, “love for picking fast skis.”
Aside from his leadership skills, Forbes is an accomplished photographer.
Will Solow – U20 Male – Ford Sayre
Will raced with the Mansfield Nordic Club for four years in high school before taking a gap year to race for SVSEF where he first qualified for Junior Nationals for the Intermountain division. Heading back East for college, he qualified for the New England JN team in Kincaid, AK where he had 4 All-American finishes including a podium in the sprint and in the relay. He also received the prestigious David Quinn Award.
During his time at Colby College, he was a co-captain of the men’s team for 3 years, culminating with two-top-thirty results at NCAA’s in 2021 his junior year. During his senior year he had mono and bridged into a support role for the Mules, that passion has continued with the Ford Sayre program as a junior coach and wax technician.
Service:
Colin Rodgers – Head Kick – Green Mountain Valley School
Colin has been a valuable part of the New England Team for the past six years. His depth of knowledge spans from growing up under the tutelage of his father, Dale, who is an inspired coach and venue manager — to National Championships as an athlete and coach, World Cup starts and an organizer of projects of all aspects.
Rodgers loves kick wax as much as anybody and his fitness and energy will naturally lead the service staff.
Jacob Volz – Kick – Gould Academy
Jacob grew up in Alaska and skied for Team AK in three Junior Nationals. That led him to Middlebury College where he competed for four years. After graduation, he coached for summers in Williamstown for the Berkshire Nordic Club, and started teaching and coaching at Gould. Now into his third year at Gould, he’s in — “pretty good shape, and am capable of doing many laps testing skis. I have a decent feel for ski speed, and particularly enjoy testing and applying classic wax. I have spent a good portion of my life skiing on hard wax in Alaska, and have a good sense for it. I have also spent a decent amount of time racing at Birch Hill and have a good knowledge of the trail system. I am used to working long days and getting up early to test and/or wax skis has never been a problem for me. I am also very enthusiastic about ski racing.”
#perfect
Jefferson Tucker – Head Glide – Quarry Road Ski Club
Jeff grew up ski racing in Vermont, where he achieved success in High School and junior racing, under the tutelage of the Woodstock Ski Runners. He was a New England JN athlete in 2012, a Colby Mule, and then started his coaching career with: Colby College, Harvard, Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club, Nordic Ski Club Fairbanks, “and now I’m the coach of Quarry Road Ski Club. — I love testing skis and working long days on the bench, so I signed up to be part of the wax/tech team.”
Tucker was a part of Team AK last year and offers his expertise on, “(navigating the area and ski trails, dealing with the cold, avoiding moose, etc.)”
Cate Brams – Glide – EMXC
Cate didn’t fill out the form, but she is an invaluable member of our Team. She helped orchestrate the Team.
Sara Nicole Falconer – Glide – Mansfield Nordic Club
Sara has coached for Mansfield Nordic Club for eight years and been a part of three New England coaching staffs. With Mansfield and the SkiRack she has worked with all levels of skier — with extensive experience in ski service and athlete support.
Falconer is a physical therapy student.
Annika Martell – Glide – Williams College
Annika competed in Minnesota and then went off to ski at Colby College. “After my time there, I started coaching with US Biathlon, then moved to Hanover NH where I coached at Ford Sayre and now I’m coaching at Williams College where, during my summers, I’ve spent some time working with the Berkshire Nordic Ski Club! I recently traveled to Norway and Switzerland as a Trail to Gold Fellow with the US Ski Team. I’ll bring some expertise from both the coaching and the wax tech side, both from my experience as the T2G Fellow, but also as a college coach we have to do both coach and wax tech on race weekends. I’m so excited about skiing and love giving back to the community as well – pass on the knowledge!”
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The New England Team will stay and eat at the Wedgewood Resort, and utilize the Organizing Committees shuttle service for the majority of our transportation. As a reminder we also have a hold on tickets for athletes and staff from Boston to Fairbanks with one stop in Seattle for $1065 (auto qualifiers from Senior Nationals should contact [email protected] directly to discuss intentions and travel arrangements).
You can read further information about NE Junior National qualification and team composition HERE.
Eastern Cup Update:
NENSA, the Chisholm Ski Club and Bates College are excited to host the next Eastern Cup at Black Mountain.
Final Snow Control will occur on 1/6/23 — with updates to the VTCM.
Please note: if there is any confusion, all fluorinated wax products are not allowed in NENSA events. Kick Wax Included.
2022 Fall Learn-to-Rollerski Recap
As we close out the rollerski season and start our snow dances, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on our fall Learn-to-Rollerski gatherings and share some photos and videos with you all. This fall we were grateful to connect with a whole variety of wonderful people across the East and share the joy of rollerskiing and being outside.
Our first rollerski clinic of the fall was a unique opportunity to collaborate with an organization outside the ski industry. NENSA worked with See Change Sessions to provide rollerski opportunities for attendees of their in-person session at HULA Lakeside in Burlington. This two-day event brought people together from around the world and across industries to learn from one another and start addressing some of the world’s biggest problems.
Our next event brought us to Mt Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid for a BKL/Youth rollerski skills session following the Keys to the Castle Event. We really enjoyed collaborating with our New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF) and Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) friends on this fun clinic and were impressed with the improvement we witnessed amongst the young people who showed up to roll. They practiced the ramp bumps, went under the limbo arches, and slalomed around cones. A few brave and more experienced young people even took a tour of the whole sprint course loop!
While it was not the primary focus of the 2022 Bill Koch Youth Ski League Coaches Education training, this educational offering hosted at Dublin School in Dublin, NH wrapped up with an optional Learn-to-Rollerski opportunity for all attendees and almost all the participants gave it a try. In addition to rollerskiing, this event also included a presentation on BKL Philosophy & Long Term Athlete Development, a group discussion, and a grass skiing session in which we covered some basic drills and exercises for building general comfort on skis and played a variety of games to further develop those skills. While rollerskiing is a fun way to engage with skiing in the no-snow months, it is just one part of being a well balanced athlete and it’s important to stay in touch with other activities and fun ways of being active hence the multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary nature of this educational offering.
Next up we road tripped to Boston for the second annual Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Rollerski Clinic where we shared a sunny morning of fun and games on rollerskis with YES and Eastern Mass Cross Country. The goal of this clinic was to introduce young people in the Boston area to the summer version cross country skiing, build stoke for the winter season, and provide an opportunity for YES participants to get acquainted with the EMXC athletes who assist with coaching YES’s winter ski program. Peep the fun recap vid below! Working with YES and EMXC is always such a pleasure and in addition to NENSA’s dedicated sponsors and grantors, this event would not be possible without the support of our generous donors, the Weston Ski Track who provided boots and poles for the clinic, and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation for the use of their Tenean Beach parking lot.
And last, but certainly not least, we visited the 2022 NENSA Club of the Year – Ford Sayre – for an agility-based rollerski skills session. It’s inspiring to see how this club works towards their vision of fostering a lifelong passion for being active outdoors and gliding over snow and we so enjoyed getting to roll with their young athletes.
While that’s a wrap on the NENSA rollerski season, we will be back at it next summer! If you would like to schedule a rollerski clinic for your club or camp for next season, check our info page HERE for more details and then reach out to [email protected] and [email protected]. We do our best to fit in as many clinics as we can.
We will close out by saying a big thank you to our NENSA associate sponsors who make all this programming possible – Salomon, LL Bean, Swix, and Fischer – as well as our contributing and supporting sponsors, and our official suppliers for their dedicated and ongoing support of NENSA. We are also grateful to Enjoy Winter and Swenor Rollerskis for supplying use with an awesome fleet of rollerskis so all our clinic attendees can learn to rollerski on top-of-the-line equipment.
Next up, skiing!