Summer Greetings NENSA Community!
It's June, but so much is going on here at NENSA! We are busy planning our summer rollerski race series, coaching & technique clinics, our REG program, and our winter 2019-2020 programs and races. June is also the time to start rolling out our annual NENSA Awards! This week we are thrilled to announce that Sue Wemyss is the winner of the NENSA BKL Leadership Award, and that Callie Young and Josh Valentine, are our overall Eastern Cup Gallagher Cup winners! See full stories below.
June is also the official start of our membership year for 2019-20, and this season we are introducing something new - a FREE
GET SKIING
Membership to anyone who has
never
had a NENSA membership before. Read all about it in the box below. This is for youth, juniors, seniors, masters, parents and grandparents! We want to introduce everyone to the joys of XC skiing and we are offering this first year
GET SKIING
free membership as a way to get folks out and trying our programing.
NENSA's Eastern Regional Group (REG) program has been announced, and 42 Eastern athletes, from New England and the Mid-Atlantic will be training together with Matt Whitcomb, USST WC Coach, as well as with a bevy of our top Eastern junior and collage coaches, in Lake Placid the last weekend of June - read all about it in the box below.
Save the date ~ Saturday morning June 29th, USST WC Coach Matt Whitcomb will be teaching an awesome technique clinic in Lake Placid, following our week of Eastern REG camp. This is an amazing opportunity for Coaches, Masters and anyone wanting to improve their ski technique to attend. It will also count as an L100 technique clinic for anyone wanting to get their L100 coaching certification. NENSA Swenor rollerskis will be available to use for free! See box below for link to SkiReg registration for this NENSA clinic.
And one final save the date & mark your calendars ~ NENSA's annual Coaches Symposium will be combined with our Technical Delegate (TD) and Event Organizers training weekend this year, on September 21-22, at the Dublin School in NH. More soon on that great weekend - just save the date for now! Be sure to check out the full summer (into fall & winter) calendar below ~ there is something for everyone, and more being planned everyday!
Best,
Amie
Amie W. Smith
Executive Director
New England Nordic Ski Association
Amie@nensa.net
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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NENSA Announces
GET SKIING
FREE Membership
for First Time Members
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2019-2020 NENSA
GETSKIING
MEMBERSHIP: FREE
Good for First-Time NENSA Members only
Yes, you heard that correctly ~ we want everyone to
GET SKIING
, so we are offering anyone, of any age ~ Youth, juniors, seniors, masters, parents, grandparents, a FREE membership to NENSA
(if you have never been a NENSA member before)
. This is a great way to try our NENSA programing this coming season and join in all the summer, fall and winter fun! You can try out that rollerski race, BKL program, an Eastern Cup race, a Citizen’s race or a coaching clinic, and your NENSA membership is FREE!
If you are already a NENSA member ~ THANK YOU! Click here to
RENEW
your membership today. June is the official start of our new membership year, so take a few minutes to renew, or join for free, and
GET SKIING
today!
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2019 BILL KOCH LEAGUE LEADERSHIP AWARD: SUE WEMYSS OF GREAT GLEN BKL
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NENSA is excited to present this year’s Bill Koch League Leadership Award to Sue Wemyss of Great Glen BKL!
Sue truly embodies the philosophy of the Bill Koch League, which can be summed as “give kids the opportunity to have fun while learning to how to cross country ski.” It is a simple mantra, but one that serves as the driving force behind New England’s youth ski community, and NENSA’s approach to ski instruction. Sue is a true torchbearer of this approach to skiing, keeping things fun for the youth skiers of northern New Hampshire while also providing excellent instruction and helping them learn the joy of going fast on skis.
Read full story
HERE
and see more great photos!
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In 2014 NENSA began the tradition of honoring the top ranked male and female Eastern Cup skiers with the Gallagher Cup. NENSA is pleased to announce that Callie Young (Dartmouth) and Josh Valentine (GMVS) are the 2019 Eastern Cup Champions – their inspired efforts are a perfect way to celebrate Mike Gallagher’s legacy as an athlete, coach, and community leader. The two skiers who win this award each year do so by being consistently dominant in New England’s premier race series
(winners are determined by the lowest average points from seven of the nine EC events).
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Josh Valentine (GMVS) and Callie Young (Dartmouth) are NENSA's 2019 Gallagher Cup Winners!
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EASTERN REGIONAL GROUP (REG)
PROGRAM SET FOR LAKE PLACID, NY
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42 athletes from the Eastern Division have been selected to take part in the 2019 US Ski & Snowboard Regional (REG) Program. This intensive program brings together the top junior skiers from throughout the East for a week of testing and instruction, led by US Ski Team World Cup Coach Matt Whitcomb and 10 regional coaches. This year we return to the Northwood School campus in Lake Placid, New York – an ideal venue with the prestige of an Olympic Village and fantastic training opportunities.
Click
HERE
for full list of athletes attending, and some great video of the agility test from last years REG program.
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Please join NENSA for our first of the season L100 Technique Clinic with USST WC Coach Matt Whitcomb. Saturday morning June 29th in Lake Placid NY. Click
HERE
for more information and full details
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SafeSport Program
NENSA has always urged ALL New England coaches, parent volunteers, venue volunteers and anyone working with youth to take the SafeSport on-line course and get certified. NENSA has been requiring this of all our staff and volunteer coaches and wax techs at JN's and REG Camps for several years now. Please take time this season to be sure all your club volunteers and coaches are SafeSport certified. Do it today. Go to:
https://www.safesport.org
Further information on SafeSport, and important updates made as of 4/15/19 to the SafeSport Program, can be found on our NENSA website
HERE
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More NEWS from our NENSA Partners
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Fischer Skis Promotes Chris Hall to Nordic Racing Director
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Posted: May 31, 2019
AUBURN, NH Fischer Skis announced today the promotion of Chris Hall to Nordic Racing Director
Hall, who has held a half-time racing support position for the thirteen years moves to a full time role with a continued presence at races as well as grassroots support for marketing and outreach initiatives within the Fischer and One Way brands.
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After 20 years at the helm of Maine Winter Sports Center, and now the Outdoor Sport Institute,
Andy Shepard announces plans to step down on July 1. COO, Mike Smith, will step into the leadership role
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Caribou, Maine
After 20 years as the founder and head of the Maine Winter Sports Center, and now Outdoor Sport Institute (OSI), Andy Shepard announced his intention to step down as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective July 1, 2019.
Mike Smith, who has been with the organization since 2009 and is currently acting as the COO, will step into the role of Executive director. Mike has been the Program Director of the organization since 2014 and Chief Operations Officer since 2015. “Mike has led OSI’s effort to define an effective model for communities to change a culture that has prioritized time in front of a screen over time spent outdoors,” says Shepard. “I’m proud of the work that’s been done and how well that work is being received across the state, and although Mike and I have been working on this transition for years, he has clearly demonstrated though this initiative that he is fully ready to take on the challenges ahead.”
Shepard announced at OSI’s recent annual board meeting his intentions and believed the 20
th
anniversary in that role was the right time to step aside.
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Calling on all Clubs that offer Adaptive/Paralympic
Winter Sports ~ To Gather As One!
Individual organizations often join together to form a greater singular entity that creates a greater impact on not only those it serves but to achieve greater capacity to serve more. Organizations like NENSA achieve that in addition to many other goals established by its BoD and Executive Director. Capitol Region Nordic Alliance is looking to gather information and resources from the individual clubs all around New England now offering paranordic and adaptive programming within their capabilities.
Conversations between various clubs and athletes are focusing on reviving the network consortium of paranordic/paralympic clubs to do such wonderful collaborative programming initiatives as:
- Share equipment (sitskis, nordic rental equipment, biathlon, snowshoes, timing equipment, etc)
- Develop and share staff for clinics, camps, regional/national events etc.
- Implement a series of training/competition events supporting both NENSA Adaptive as well as US Paranordic
- Develop and implement a strategy to have financially healthy and growing adaptive programs and venues throughout New England
- Work with NENSA, CXC, US Paranordic, WPNS and above all to offer those with disabilities/special needs the same opportunities to be joyful on snow
If you and your club are interested in exploring how New England Adaptive Nordic can be as prominent and important as it can be, please contact Russ Myer, Executive Director, Capital Region Nordic Alliance at russmyer08@gmail.com , 315-396-9967
Once gathered, NENSA will also list these Adaptive Resources on their NENSA.net website.
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Upcoming Events
A Look Ahead at the NENSA Calendar
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Save these Dates ~ more info to come soon!
September 21-22
:
Technical Delegate & Event Organizer Training Weekend
(in conjunction with our NENSA Coaches Symposium Weekend, Dublin NH)
October 12
Jericho Classic Fall Rollerski Race, Jericho VT
February 29 & March 1
: New England BKL Festival (location to be announced soon)
March 7-15
: 2020, US Junior Nationals in Truckee CA
March 17
: 2020 World Cup Race in Minneapolis MN - USA!!!
Full NENSA.net Calendar Listing
HERE
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New England Nordic Ski Association
49 Pineland Drive, Suite 301-A, New Gloucester, ME 04260
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