Greetings NENSA Community ~

Last Thursday I sent out a letter to our NENSA community titled Taking a Stand and Making a Difference ~ if you missed it ~ you can read it HERE. In response to that letter, our ski community has reached out to show their support of our NENSA initiatives, and also jump in with their own great ideas, and support of the three goals NENSA set for ourselves, as staff, and as an organization. It is just the beginning, but we thank you all. Check out some of the good already happening at the end of this eNewsletter.

Here's what we have in store for you in this week's KickZone in the boxes below ~
  • Meet our new NENSA employee Kaitlynn Miller who started on June 8th as our Youth & Introductory Program Director ~ we are thrilled to have her!
  • Our NENSA Winter Event Schedule has been announced (with contigencies)
  • REG (Regional Elite Group) Camp is virtual this year ~ meet the group of New England athletes who qualified this year, and see what is in store for them at next weeks virtual camp ~ with NENSA, and support from U.S. Ski & Snowboard
  • #JuneTerm is in full swing - a new challenge each week in 3 different categories!
  • July is just around the corner ~ get psyched for the Roy-llerski Virtual Challenge, in honor of Roy Varney, a Maine high school xc skier who died last July 1st.
  • In honor of our 25th year ~ we are looking for photos showing our NENSA history.
  • From US Ski & Snowboard: A letter on Diversity & Inclusion from Tiger Shaw
  • Mark your calendars: NENSA's next Insta Live Show will be Wednesday July 1st at 7pm ~ with special guest Linden Niedeck (CSU juniors) and Bill Harmeyer (UVM/SMS T2) ~ on their connections through sport, NENSA and their stances on racial equality.
  • Stay tuned to our social media this week for the link to the REG Coaches Roundtable to be hosted by US Ski & Snowboard, in conjunction with our New England REG Camp, next Wednesday June 24th at 7:30pm. ALL Coaches are welcome!
  • Full NENSA.net Calendar Listing HERE
  • Link to our NENSA Virtual Resources Page HERE
  • Link to our NENSA BLM Resources Page HERE

I hope this eNewsletter finds everyone safe and well!
Best,
Amie

Amie W. Smith
Executive Director
New England Nordic Ski Association
Amie@nensa.net
781-864-0545

MEMBERSHIP: RENEW or JOIN today, and thank you!

GIVING: DONATE to NENSA today, and thank you!

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NENSA News from the Field
Highlights and Notes from NENSA and the Nordic World
Kaitlynn Miller joins NENSA as our new Youth & Introductory Program Director
NENSA is thrilled to announce that we have hired a new Youth & Introductory Program Director, Kaitlynn Miller.

Kait comes to NENSA with an impressive skiing resume, and a rich history of NENSA and our programming from the BKL on up.

Kait grew up in Elmore VT, and participated in the Stowe BKL program as a child. Her first NENSA BKL Festival was at the Trapp Family Lodge in 1999. She skied for the Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club as a junior, competing in the Eastern Cup in high school and Eastern High School Championships, and Junior Nationals for the New England team. In college, Kait skied for Bowdoin College for 4 years, and then raced for the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (GRP) for the past 6 years, during which time she continued racing Eastern Cups, many of which were combined with EISA Carnivals and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Supertours.

During college, Kait jumped into some of our NENSA Marathon Series events such as the Bretton Woods Marathon. During the past three years, while with the GRP, she enjoyed competing in our NENSA rollerski series. In addition to competing for the GRP, Kait worked with young people at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center coaching youth ski and bike groups and organized a summer citizens trail race series. Kait also represented the U.S. as part of the Cross Country Ski Team at the PyeongChang Olympics in the winter of 2018.
Kait’s favorite BKL memory is from her last NENSA BKL Festival held at Notchview in 2005. While she had fun racing that weekend, her fondest memory is skiing through the troll forest with her friends and searching for fairy houses and trading dried beans for cinnamon toast!
... read full story HERE
NENSA Announces 2020-21
Winter Event Schedule
NENSA realizes we have significant challenges facing our 2020-21 winter event schedule. We are committed to hosting races and will do whatever it takes to put on events in whatever form they might take. Our first objective is to ensure the health of our community here in New England. Our second objective is to host our major races: the Popular Race Series, Eastern Cups, the Bill Koch Festival, U16 and Eastern High School Championships in their current state. Needless to say, state and regional guidelines will dictate how we operate as an organization and what those events may look like. Please read on to see the announcement of NENSA’s planned 2020-21 events as well as our thoughtful contingency plans to be the best prepared we can be. We will keep assessing, and making adjustments as needed, and as the year and season unfolds...
Read full story HERE including our major Winter Events Calendar/Schedule
NENSA's JuneTerm Virtual Program is in full swing ~ but still plenty of time to join the fun!
#JuneTerm
June 1-30
NENSA is super excited to be in the midst of our virtual summer programming ~ this month it is in partnership with Green Mountain Valley School, Nordic Team Solutions, and Enjoy Winter: #JuneTerm.

JuneTerm is a month long event with different opportunities built in for BKLers, Competitive Skiers, and Masters – though anyone is welcome to sign up for whatever category they want! Each week will come with it’s own unique challenge ranging from backyard agility courses for BKL skiers, to a virtual recreation of NENSA’s typical REG Camp training schedule for competitive skiers. As with our previous virtual programs and challenges, our number one priority is safety and NENSA is urging skiers to keep it local, and follow all local guidelines for gathering.

We are sharing photos, videos, and other fun stuff from our participants this month ~ tag your social media posts with #juneterm and @nensa_nordic.

JuneTerm will feature a great raffle with prizes from Swenor Rollerskis, Start Poles, Bliz Sunglasses, and Anti Freeze Face Tape. There will also be an awesome club challenge with a prize going to the club who racks up the most participation. For every week a participant completes the challenge they will earn one point for the club they designate in registration. NENSA will tally participation at the end of each week and reward the club leader with a special prize.

To learn more about JuneTerm, or to sign up head over to SkiReg at the link below.
NENSA PHOTOS WANTED:
In honor of our 25th year ~ we are looking for photos showing our NENSA history ~ especially from the early years of NENSA. Clubs, races, staff, Board members, Committees, events...if you have photos to share please email them to photo@nensa.net (yes - we've created a special email for NENSA's history!) 1995-2020. Thanks!
NENSA prepares for U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Virtual REG Camp
On Monday evening June 22nd NENSA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard will partner to host the first virtual Regional Elite Group (REG) camp for 34 athletes from the Eastern region. The concept of a virtual camp experience was born from necessity as our current health crisis does not allow for groups to safely gather. Although we would all rather be able to host an in person camp – the reality of a virtual camp allows the broader New England (and beyond) community to see what a REG camp entails, both through training plans and by participating in standardized testing. Many clubs will participate alongside their nominated athletes and anyone can gain access to the training plan and testing by signing up for  NENSA’s #JuneTerm event .
... Read full story HERE
Second Annual (Virtual) Roy-llerski Fundraiser: July 1-31
Coming this July! This event is hosted in memory of Roy Varney, a two-time Maine state champ and a beloved member of the Maine ski community. Using the date of Roy's passing (7/1/19), the challenge is to ski, run, or ride 71.19km OR for 71:19 (1h:11m:19s) with proceeds from the event going to   Maine Outdoor Wellness Center .   There will be a BKL component to the challenge. More details to follow. You can stay up-to-date by checking the NENSA info page   here   which includes a link to the event Facebook page.
More News from our NENSA Partners & Community!
DIVERSITY STATEMENT:
A statement from U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO, Tiger Shaw  on creating a more diverse and inclusive skiing and riding community.

Our first step was to listen, learn, and let voices be heard. Our next step is action. Moving forward, we will not make promises we cannot keep, but will commit to tangible actions as an organization. This will be a long road, and we will share more updates with you as we travel down it. We are still listening, and still learning.  ...READ MORE
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NENSA Community supporting BLM
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NENSA's new Youth & Introductory Program Director Kait Miller is selling one of her prints

100% of proceeds from the sale of this print go to the National Black Food and Justice Alliance ( https://www.blackfoodjustice.org/)
NENSA's outgoing Youth & Introductory Program Director Tom Weir is selling some of his new music ~ dropping this Friday
How many of you knew Tom's hidden talent?? Well here it is:
Tom Weir is releasing four new songs on Friday with his band Old Moon, with all proceeds going to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and National Bailout.

The Williams College Cross Country Ski Team is raising awareness and raising funds for three worthy BLM Organizations:

The murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery as part of our nation’s long history of racial injustice, police brutality, and violence against African Americans have forced us to become deeply aware of the privilege and racial biases on our own team. We want to express our solidarity in the fight against racial injustice and use the privilege afforded to us by our participation on the Williams Nordic Ski Team to support this movement.
    To that end, we have set up this GoFundMe page to raise awareness for the following organizations: The National Bail Fund Network, the Multicultural BRIDGE, and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. We have set a fundraising goal of $10,000. Access our GoFundMe page at the following link: https://gf.me/u/x8cpf6.
We have also committed to thinking critically as a team on how to make our sport more accessible, affordable, and inclusive, and then create a plan with tangible steps forward in this endeavor.
Upcoming Events
A Look Ahead at the NENSA Calendar
U pcoming NENSA Events:
June 1-30: #JuneTerm : a new fun vitural challenge each week for all ages ~ BKL to Elite to Masters, and even elite Masters!
July 1-31: Roy Varney Roy-llerski Fundraiser (virtual)
Stay Tuned ~ more fun virtual NENSA programing coming your way for August, and beyond! #AppGap

Full NENSA.net Calendar Listing HERE
Link to our NENSA Virtual Resources Page HERE
Link to our NENSA BLM Resources Page HERE