March Greetings Everyone ~
We are in the height of our "Championship" season, pandemic style for 2021. This weekend BKL clubs around New England are hosting mini-festivals within their own clubs, and a two are incorporating regional clubs into one mini-fest. Thanks to our Youth & Introductory Program Director Kait Miller, and the fantastic resources she has created this year, the feel and the spirit of the annual Bill Koch Festival will be present in each and every celebration! This will include a special video nod to all our graduating 8th graders.
Maine held their NENSA State U16 & EHS Championships this past weekend, and Vermont and New Hampshire will follow suit the weekend of March 13th & 14th. NENSA is thrilled to have these Championship events happen this year, albeit state by state, and we look forward to 2022 when our state championship teams can all board their buses and gather for 3 days of competitions again! NENSA will be celebrating all the virtual state championship teams once all competitions are done.
Justin Beckwith & Preston Noon have been busy scoring the Hall Mark of Excellence Club award standings, as well as our Zak Cup and junior rankings. Updates in the boxes below.
Here's what we have in store for you in this week's KickZone ~
- Popular, Zac Cup and Hall Mark of Excellence standings and updates
- BLK BINGO ~ great photos of BINGO tasks completed!
- It's time for the NENSA BKL mini-festival weekend!
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From our Partners:
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U.S. Ski & Snowboard, World Championship updates for the team sprit, women's 10k and men's 15k, and team relay
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Threshold PODCAST with Chad Salmela and U.S. Ski Team Head Coach, Matt Whitcomb
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Voice in Sport March sessions, 3/7 -3/31
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Salomon: Racing – How can it Shape You? By Todd Boonstra
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TOKO's US Athlete interviews, Reid Pietcher
Thank you to all of our NENSA Sponsors ~ they are such a HUGE part of our NENSA programing continued success, and we appreciate their support, even in these very difficult times. I want to be sure we all acknowledge the businesses who support us and cross country skiing!
Be safe and be well and have fun at all the BKL mini-festivals this weekend! I am heading to the Eastern MA one, and I can't wait!
Best,
Amie
Amie W. Smith
Executive Director
New England Nordic Ski Association
Amie@nensa.net
GIVING: DONATE to NENSA today, and thank you!
MEMBERSHIP: RENEW or JOIN today, and thank you!
Please take a few minutes to do that and support the organization that supports XC skiing here in New England, and beyond! NENSA is here for you, running programing for you, our ski community ~ we need your support this year, more than ever!
Be sure to follow us on fb, Twitter and on Instagram @nensa_nordic
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NENSA News from the Field
Highlights and Notes from NENSA and the Nordic World
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There are still a few hours left to register for this weekend's popular/citizen races:
3/6/2021
3/7/2021
Click HERE for more March racing to come.
Click HERE for the most updated information on our Hall Mark of Excellence Award standings, as well as Zak Cup and the Junior Rankings List (still being updated).
Our current top 10 clubs duking it out for the top prizes in the Hall Mark of Excellence Award are:
1 Craftsbury 2318
2 Mansfield Nordic 2100
3 Ford Sayre 1662
4 Stratton Mountain School 1557
5 Cambridge Sports Union 1507
6 Gunstock Nordic 703
7 Dublin XC 586
8 GMVS 572
9 Quarry Road Ski Club 469
10 NWVE 453
As you can see, the top 5 spots, and especially spot #3, #4 & #5 are very much still up for grabs! It will be exciting to see what the final weeks of racing bring for these clubs!
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IMPORTANT TIMING CHIP RETURN PSA:
If you are done racing this season, and you still have your rented timing chip in your possession - you must mail it back to Bullitt Timing ASAP, to avoid the $50 replacement cost fee.
Please send your chip to:
Despard Design
1027 Winhall Hollow Road
South Londonderry, VT 05155
If you have any questions regarding the return of your rented chip, please reach out to Ed Despard directly at: edwarddes@gmail.com
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THANK YOU TO OUR ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
L.L.Bean and SWIX!
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Only 6 more of our awesome SKIDA NENSA Women's Day fleece lined and logo'd hats are still available for purchase - contact Amie@nensa.net if you want to purchase one, while supplies last!
Cost is $36 + $5 S&H = $41 total
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Images from our
NENSA BKL BINGO happiness and snow adventures, still going on!!
The L.L. Bean Hats are a HUGE hit!!
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BKL BINGO Winners wearing their
L.L. Bean swag hats!!
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Find some animals on your ski! |
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS: |
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NENSA BKL Mini-Festivals going on this weekend all over New England! |
Since we cannot all gather in one place for our annual Festival in 2021, NENSA is working with clubs to support family, club, district, and state-based BKL Mini-Fests. Visit our Mini-Fest Homepage on the NENSA website where you’ll find support materials, information, and ideas for organizing a Mini-Fest as well as information about upcoming Mini-Fest events.
This year’s Mini-Fest theme is State By State, United We Ski. While we cannot all gather at one festival, we can still celebrate skiing at home in our own state. We can focus on what makes our own state unique while celebrating our shared love of skiing that knows no border.
Here are some of the mini-festivals happening this weekend:
Maine Mini-Fest at Quarry Road: March 6-7. Open to Maine residents only. There are race options as well as non-competitive Nordic Adventure opportunities. Grades 5-8 participate on Saturday and Grades K-4 participate on Sunday. Event details here.
Northwest VT Mini-Fest at Sleepy Hollow: March 6. Open to Vermont residents only who are also part of the Northwest VT BKL District. There are race options (including a non-competitive race) as well as a Mini-Marathon. Event details here.
Northeast VT Mini-Fest at Craftsbury: March 7. Open to Vermont residents only who are also part of the Northeast VT BKL District. Expect a mix of fun racing, costumes, jumps & bumps, raffle prizes, and a family-friendly scavenger hunt. Event details here.
Dublin NH Mini-Fest: Date TBD. Open to Dublin BKL skiers only.
EAMA BKL Mini-Fest at Leo J Martin Ski Track: March 6-7. Open to EMBK and Great Brook BKL skiers only. This Mini-Fest will be games focused.
WEMA BKL Mini-Fest at Notchview: March 7. Open to Berkshire Trails BKL skiers only. This Mini-Fest will include racing, an obstacle course, ski jump, and laser biathlon.
Concord NH Nordic BKL and Holderness NH BKL are teaming up on Sunday, March 7th at Waterville Valley and plan to have races and campfires (hot dog roast/smores) and ski play. They expect 35-50 skiers and a total of around 100 people with parents. It will be run as an open ski day. The only cost is for trail passes for the day and Waterville Valley is extending its $5 BKL passes to all for the event.
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA SUPPORTING SPONSORS: |
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World Championship Updates ~
Racing Recaps for February 28th - March 4th
February 28:
USA Fifth in World Championships Team Sprint
Sporting relay socks and facepaint, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen and Rosie Brennan sprinted for fifth place in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships freestyle team sprint in Oberstdorf, Germany. ...READ MORE / RESULTS
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Sadie Maubet Bjornsen sported relay socks and facepaint with her teammate Rosie Brennan to skate to fifth place in the team sprint. (Nordic Focus) |
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March 2:
Diggins Fourth To Lead Four Americans Into Top 23 at World Champs 10k
Jessie Diggins finished just off the podium in fourth to lead four of her Davis U.S. Cross Country Team teammates into the top 23 in Tuesday’s individual start 10k freestyle at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany. ...READ MORE
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Jessie Diggins battled under the warm sun in Thursday's 10k freestyle to finish fourth at the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard - Tom Horrocks) |
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March 3:
Patterson Top American in Men’s 15k World Champs Freestyle
On another warm, spring-like day in Oberstdorf, Germany, at the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships, Scott Patterson led the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team, finishing 27th in the men’s 15k individual start freestyle. ...READ MORE / RESULTS
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Scott Patterson powers up the final climb in the men's 15k individual start freestyle at the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships Wednesday in Oberstdorf, Germany.
(U.S. Ski & Snowboard - Tom Horrocks)
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LATEST UPDATE ~ TODAY ~ March 4:
Team Effort Overshadows U.S. Women’s World Champs Relay Result
Some days the team effort means so much more than the actual race result. Thursday was one of those days as the U.S. Women finished fourth—for the fourth time in a World Championships team relay event—in Oberstdorf, Germany, at the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships. ...READ MORE / RESULTS
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Jessie Diggins leads Finland's Krista Parmakoski on the final lap of the omen's 4x5k team relay Thursday at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany.
(U.S. Ski & Snowboard - Tom Horrocks)
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Voice in Sport ~ March Sessions!
Please spread the word to all females 13-22! It's free, but you need to sign up ahead of time.
3/7: Nutrition and Body Image
3/17: Mental Game of Racing
3/24: Transition season (winter to spring sports or just winter to spring training)
3/31: Different Paths: Skiing in College, Skiing Post-college, Skiing for a club team, all the options to find success
Voice is Sport is a (free) membership platform that provides mentoring for females ages 13-22. There are collegiate and professional athletes from all sports on the platform providing mentorship sessions inaddition to some field experts that have more education based sessions on various topics. Athletes need to become members to sign up for a session, but once a member, they have access to all sessions. I will be doing 2-4 sessions a month on a wide range of topics. 1 on 1 sessions are also available and athletes can write us directly through the platform if they have specific questions.
So when you go to voiceinsport.com you will have to click become a member or join us, once an athlete is a member, then they will be able to access a calendar that has all the mentorship sessions that are available this month and sign up. It does take a bit to become a member because the platform must approve each person for security reasons, however, once a member, sign up for sessions is quick and easy.
Rosie Brennan
2018 OLYMPIAN and US SKI TEAM ATHLETE
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A great Threshold PODCAST with Chad Salmela and U.S. Ski Team Head Coach, Matt Whitcomb ~ Enjoy!!
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TOKO's US Athlete Interview Series ~ Reid Pietcher |
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From our NENSA sponsor Salomon:
Racing – How can it Shape You?
By Todd Boonstra
It was January 1992, Biwabik, MN, site of the U.S. Cross-Country Skiing Olympic Trials. I was ranked in the top two in the country coming into the trials, and poised to qualify for my third Olympic games. As the trials began, I was fighting a virus that I had picked up at a racing series in Canada. I was hoping that I could find the energy at the trials to qualify for my third Olympic Team, get healthy, and then ski the best I could in Albertville, France, site of the XVI Winter Olympic Games. Unfortunately, things do not always go as you plan, and I did not qualify for the team that year.
Recently I was asked this question, “How has racing shaped you as a person?” I had been ski racing since high school, and been a part of the US Ski Team for fourteen years. With three Olympic Games (‘84, ‘88, ‘94) and five World Championships to my credit, the question asked of me made me think… How has all this racing influenced me as a person? ...read full story HERE
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS: |
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Upcoming Events
A Look Ahead at the NENSA Calendar
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Eastern Cup/VT Cup Race Series Calendar HERE
Popular/Citizen Racing: Zak Cup Race Series Schedule HERE
March 13-14:
Full NENSA.net Calendar Listing HERE
Link to our NENSA Virtual Resources Page HERE
Link to our NENSA BLM Resources Page HERE
Link to our NENSA Equality & Diversity Policy HERE
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If you already shop Amazon ~ please link to Amazon Smile
with NENSA as your beneficiary!
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Did you know that NENSA could benefit from the Amazon purchases you are already making??! Please link your Amazon account to Amazon SMILE (with /smile) and choose NENSA as your non-profit beneficiary! All the purchases everyone is already making, all add up, and we would love to be able to benefit from that! Thank you!! |
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New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA)
49 Pineland Drive, Suite 301A
New Gloucester, ME 04260
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