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New England Cross Country Skiing

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Rollerski

2022 Castle Conquest Recap

September 29, 2022 by NENSA Staff

The Mt Van Hoevenberg venue provides exceptional challenge and thrill to competitors, with the idyllic background of the Adirondack Mountains.

This past weekend over in New York featured a variety of fun and exciting events that constituted the Castle Conquest.  Saturday featured the Keys to the Castle event court-style skate sprints, a BKL/youth agility rollerski session, and a mass start biathlon race at Mt Van Hoevenberg.  Sunday featured the legendary Climb to the Castle skate race up Whiteface.  Below are links to event coverage for your reading and viewing enjoyment.

Check out the Fasterskier race report of Keys to the Castle Skate Sprint & Biathlon Races and the Climb to the Castle Race HERE.

PHOTOS

 

NENSA is proud to partner with ORDA and NYSEF to continue hosting rollerski events in Lake Placid!   The court-style sprints featured in Saturday’s events are a synthesis of ideas from conventional sprinting and perhaps one of the most progressive rollerski competitions held to date at the Olympic Jumping Complex, just up the road, in August of 2018.   That event pitted in a duel which highlighted the strengths of Andy Newell and Ludvig Sognen Jensen “LUDDEYO.”  Newell, perhaps one of the most agile, and Luddeyo at the time the fastest 100 meters sprinters in the world.  Since the inception of these events, including ramps in a rollerski competition, NENSA, ORDA and NYSEF have partnered to put on developmental opportunities for athletes all while creating a show that is entertaining for participants and spectators alike.

Sproule Love, of Manhattan Nordic / New York Lynx Nordic Skis Club, powers his way to victory in the masters category of the 2022 Climb to the Castle.

Sunday marked the 15th edition of the historic Climb to the Castle race.  The event was created by Margaret Maher who was at the time the Head Nordic Coach at NYSEF.  Over the years juniors, masters and national team skiers from all Nordic sports have challenged this iconic roadway that climbs nearly 2800 feet in just under five miles.  Despite somewhat ominous snow blanketing the upper reaches of the mountain on Friday, Sunday dawned with a magical red sunrise and a clear sky.  Sixty-nine skiers of all ages enjoyed a beautiful climb under perfect conditions up perhaps the most arduous rollerski hill climb in North America.

The event served as the second event of the Allagash Masters Cup, a three race series for skiers over the age of 30.  Rosalie Wilson of Ford Sayre synched the women’s title, following up her victory at the Rollins Roll this August.  On the men’s side the action is just heating up, with two distinct fields at Rollins and Whiteface.  Sproule Love of the Manhattan Nordic / New York Lynx Nordic Skis Club was the fastest master up the mountain Sunday, followed by Adam Terko (Mansfield Nordic) and Eli Gallaudet (EMXC).  We look forward to seeing robust masters participation at the final event of the series, the Greylock Hill Climb, on November 6th.

Allagash Cup Masters Standings

Congrats to everyone who competed in these events, and a big thank you to Mt Van Hoevenberg, NYSEF, ORDA, and all the awesome volunteers that came out to help. We are also very grateful to Bullitt Timing for their exceptional services.

In addition the incredible support we receive from our NENSA associate sponsors – Salomon, LL Bean, Swix, and Fischer – we are also grateful to Enjoy Winter and Swenor Rollerskis for supplying NENSA with an awesome fleet of rollerskis so the top-seeded athletes in all our events have matched skis. And no NENSA rollerski race would be complete without the exceedingly tasty support of Cabot who has generously donated cheese for this season’s podium finishers!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cross-country skiing, Lake Placid, NENSA, Rollerski

Keys to the Castle

July 26, 2022 by Justin Beckwith

September 24, 2022 All day

Building on the success of the inaugural Sprint Event at the Mt Van Hoevenberg Rollerski Track we welcome you to a full weekend of racing in Lake Placid.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN

NENSA is excited to return to Mt. Van Hoevenberg and the Whiteface Toll Road to partner with the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF) for a full weekend of summer snow sport activities!

The Castle Conquest is a trifecta of competition and fun at the world-renowned Lake Placid Olympic Sites.  Mt Van Hoevenberg’s Keys To The Castle race kicks off the weekend on Saturday, followed by a Biathlon Super Sprint.  On Sunday, the NYSEF Climb to the Castle race ascends the 8% grade of the Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway.

Come enjoy the competition for yourself OR the experience of cheering on and being inspired by some amazing athletes competing in one of the most beautiful backdrops of mountains and forest at the Lake Placid Legacy Sites.

There will be a Food Truck on site throughout the day Saturday at Mt Van Hoevenberg!

SCHEDULE Sep 24 — 25, 2022

  • Saturday, Sept 24 | Keys To The Castle | Mt. Van Hoevenberg
    • 9:00 – 9:50 Loop open for warm up
    • 10:00 – Sprint Qualifier
    • 10:00 – 12:00 Kids Bouldering Comp
    • 10:30 – 11:00 Court Format Round #1
    • 11:00 – 11:30 Court Format Round #2
    • 11:30 – 12:00 Court Format Round #3
    • 12:15 – 1:15 BKL Skills Zone 
  • Saturday, Sept 24 | Biathlon | Mt Van Hoevenberg
    • 1:30 Biathlon Zero
    • 2:00 Biathlon Super Sprint
    • 5:00 BBQ and Awards!

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Tagged With: Rollerski

U.S. Ski & Snowboard L100 Practicum and NENSA Technique Clinic

May 13, 2022 by Justin Beckwith

July 7, 2022 @ 1:00 am – 4:30 pm

There are two ways to participate in this clinic:

1) If you are seeking U.S. Ski and Snowboard L100 Certification follow this link for full details: http://usskiandsnowboard.org/sport-development/coaches-development/welcome-cross-country-level-100-coach-certification

Please note: To fulfill obligations of this certification you must purchase a USSS Coaches Membership and the L100 Course.  The Coach Developer, SMS’s Alex Jospe, will lead a discussion via Zoom to lay out expectations and review portfolios that must be completed before the in-person practicum.

Coaches can register at any time as long as they have a current coach membership and those basic membership requirements have been met. The U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership season runs from July 1 through June 30 annually. However, we open registration for the upcoming season the first week of May.  Memberships become valid July 1. 

You will pay $160.00 for the online course and in-person practicum

Please email the Sport Education Department if you have any questions.

2) If you just want to attend the in-person practicum and are not seeking USSS certification your are welcome too!  Share the afternoon with other coaches and athletes and learn about technique.

SIGN UP HERE (link will be live soon)

Justin Beckwith

802-345-6720

View Organizer Website

Justin@NENSA.net

Craftsbury Outdoor Center

535 Lost Nation Rd
Craftsbury Common, VT 05827 United States
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(802) 586-7767
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Tagged With: Cross Country Ski, cross-country skiing, NENSA, Rollerski, Rollerskiing, U.S. Ski & Snowboard

NENSA Rollerski Series

November 20, 2019 by Justin Beckwith

The 2019 rollerski season saw growth and increased involvement from clubs throughout the Northeast and beyond.  Although the conclusion of the Series was a disappointment — with the cancellation of two of the final three races — it is clear that NENSA’s developing programming is helping fuel excitement and out of season competition regionally and nationally.  We owe a huge shout out to our key sponsors — High Peaks Cyclery, the 2019 Series sponsor, and prize sponsor EnjoyWinter.com, including Swenor the official rollerski for the 2018 and 2019 season — their support makes these programs possible!

Please take a few minutes to fill out our rollerski survey.

The App Gap Challenge kicked off the Series with a festival-like atmosphere.  In just three years the event has tripled in size, this year there were 174 competitors who challenged the steep climb up the east side of Appalachian Gap.  The event drew skiers of all ages and abilities — from an untimed “touring” division to U.S. Ski Team athletes.  After the event there was a BBQ with live music and awards for the event and year-end NENSA awards.  It was a beautiful day with friendly competition, community gathering and fun!

2019 App Gap Challenge

The second event of the Series took skiers to Lake Placid, New York where competitors had the choice of competing in three separate events of the Adirondack Rollerski Mini Tour.  This full weekend of events again brought together skiers with diverse abilities from a wide geographic area — and due to the aforementioned cancellation of two events — ultimately determined our overall Series winners.

Many skiers chose to compete in all three events with a 3km prologue, a 1.5km Cross Country Cross (XCX) on Saturday and the famed Climb to the Castle on Sunday.  Start orders for Sunday were determined by placement in the Doubleday – making for some gamesmanship in the hill climb.  High Peaks Cyclery opened the doors to their guide house Saturday night allowing for early bib pick up and a fun social scene complete with beer and s’mores!

Adirondack Rollerski Mini Tour

In what ended up being the last race of the Series – skiers from Maine and several clubs from throughout New England – The Maine Event went swimmingly for the second year in a row with a wet but inspired crowd.  Competitors were greeted with two-times the features of the 2018 event and a course designed with a refined mindset – trying to create more flow and speed than previous versions that focused more on agility.

Before the rollerski competition, a running race and a Learn to Rollerski clinic were added to the festivities in an effort to make rollerski competitions more attractive to a broader audience.  LL Bean was on sight with SkiErg competitions and the famed, Bill Green’s Maine did a spot on the NBC News!  Bates, Bowdoin and Colby Colleges made up the majority of the field for the event and the Colby Mules were able to secure enough points to win the Marty Hall College Cup in it’s second year.  Complete results from that contest, which included skiers from twelve institutions, can be found here.

The Maine Event

The Future:

Overall numbers for the 2019 are not representative of the popularity this evolving program is garnering and despite the cancellation of two of the bigger events nearly 300 unique skiers participated in the Series (169 juniors, 74 open and 43 masters).  As we head into the future NENSA is looking for new partners to host events — and we are excited for the rollerski tracks being built at Mt. Van Hoevenberg and Craftsbury.  With the inception of XCX we are also able to perform fantastic events in non-traditional ski settings — if you live in a town or city that might be a potential venue please reach out directly to NENSA.  Rollerski events in New England have spurred other divisions to create events and we look forward to further collaboration with these organizations.

Series Champions:

Although rollerski competitions are primarily a training tool for many of our clubs they are after all competitions and there were standout performances by athletes in all age groups.  Our Series criteria was amended to rank skiers by their best placement in two of six performances due to the shortened schedule.  You can find full rankings here.  Our open competitors were vying for $2000 of prize money donated by Kathy and Marty Hall ($500-1st, $300-2nd, $200-3rd).

Open Women:
1 – Zoe Williams – ENRG/Nakkertok
2 – Nina Armstrong – NYSEF
3 – Lucy Hochschartner – St. Lawrence

Open Men:
1 – Luke Brown – USBA
2 – Kyle Bratrud – SMS T2
3 – Zane Fields – USBA

Junior Girls:
1 – Ava Thurston – Mansfield Nordic
2 – Shilo Rousseau – Barrie Cross Country
3 – Rose Clayton – Mansfield Nordic

Junior Boys:
1 – Jack Lange – Ford Sayre
2 – Erikson Moore – Fondeurs Laurentides
3 – Ben Milley – Nakkertok

Masters Women:
1 – Kathy Maddock – Dublin XC
2 – Emily Cartwright
3 – Sheila Kealey – Ottawa

Masters Men:
1 – Tyler Magnan – NWVE
2 – Michael Gaughan – Mansfield Nordic
3 – Joseph Iwan – Poland

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: EnjoyWinter, High Peaks Cyclery, Rollerski

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