Greetings NENSA Community ~

I am having a bit too much fun with the great cartoons my husband has been forward me from his office's daily 2:30pm stretch & humor emails, now that we are both working from home. I have decided to share one with you each week... Speaking of TP, check out the great video from GMVS (below) in our NENSA virtual video challenge, going on now!

NENSA staff have been busy gearing up for our upcoming NENSA Spring (virtual) Board Meeting, and planning for different alternative kinds of programing for the coming year. We have lots of ideas forming, and starting on May 1st, we will be sending out monthly program updates. NENSA is committed as an organization to be in this for the long haul. We plan to remain nimble and relevant, and do what we can to continue supporting our members, our venues, our sponsors, and our cross country ski community. We are planning on adding more virtual coach's education, race opportunities (when appropriate), virtual challenges and races, and do whatever it takes to come out the other side of this pandemic as vital and strong of an organization that we were going into this. Will things look different next season - for sure they will, and we are working hard to be sure we meet all the challenges we will face as a ski community, to the best of our ability.

Our April Fund Drive is 3/4 quarters of the way done, yet we are only at 30% of our goal. To celebrate our 25th year as a non-profit organization here in New England, we are hoping each NENSA member can donate $25. If each member gave $25, we would reach our annual fundraising goal, but we need every NENSA member to participate in order to make this happen! Thank you in advance for supporting NENSA, and our mission of implementing educational, recreational, and competitive programs at all levels to sustain a vital and active cross-country skiing community throughout New England! #NENSA25in20

Here's what we have in store for you in this week's KickZone ~
  • Info on how to donate in our April Fund Drive #NENSA25in20
  • NENSA is hiring our next Youth & Introductory Program Director
  • Bid sheets are open for our Popular/Citizen Races Series for 20-21.
  • A wonderful reflection from Cormac Leahy on his experience at JN's in March.
  • Looking for some fun workouts and a fitness challenge during these shelter at home times? Check out this weeks Bingo board from GMVS, as well as challenges from Concept2 and Craftsbury.
  • From US Ski & Snowboard: spotlight on Julia Kern!
  • Two video submissions to NENSA Virtual Video Challenge to share with you this week: GMVS & EMBK. See all the great videos we have received so far on our NENSA fb and Instagram, and keep those videos coming! Box below gives you all the info!
  • Link to special SAVINGS and OFFERS from our NENSA Sponsors! Take a look at all these great offers and please support the companies that support NENSA and cross country skiing!

I hope this eNewsletter finds everyone safe and well!
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
NENSA News from the Field
Highlights and Notes from NENSA and the Nordic World
2020-2021 NENSA Popular Race Bidding is Open (Zak/Club and Marathon)
Venues and Event Organizers:
Bidding for our growing Popular Race Series is open for the 2019-2020 season. We have extended the window for submitting bids until June 1st this year to give organizations time to adapt to our current health crisis. We encourage venues and organizers to bid with the assumption that we will be able to host events as normal next winter although all events on our calendar could be subject to future stipulations for the safety of our community. NENSA will constantly re-evaluate the viability of our event calendar and keep our membership up to date with any decisions.
Last winter our Popular Races showed strong growth with nearly 3000 racer finishes, with an average of 100 skiers per event.   We applaud the efforts of our venues and event organizers this past winter despite a slow start to winter and an abrupt end to the season. Damien Bolduc, the Chair of the Masters Committee had this positive report, “The series saw remarkable growth in racers and points awarded. The effect was incredible for the health of the sport as venues began competing with each other to attract athletes to their events, making improvements and doing what it took to host an event, even in challenging circumstances that in the past have been a reason to cancel. They snow-farmed, groomed, modified, and in some cases, were blessed, making for one weekend after another of bluebird conditions!”
...Read full story HERE and link to bid sheet and more information
NENSA is Hiring!
We are looking for our next
Youth & Introductory Program Director
The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) seeks to find a dynamic, outgoing individual to be our next full time Youth & Introductory Program Director. This individual will be responsible for NENSA’s Youth programming, including the New England Bill Koch League and Festival, the Nordic Rocks for Schools program, Bill Koch League coach and parent trainings, U16 and Eastern High School Championship events, the New England Women’s XC Ski Day, and summer programming. This person should be familiar with NENSA and the New England Nordic ski scene. If interested, please read more below...
Click HERE for full job description and how to apply
Keep Skiing Alive April Fund Drive! Please help sustain NENSA into the future and celebrate our 25 years! #NENSA25in20
NENSA is committed to making sure that cross country skiing here in New England continues to thrive and grow while encouraging our next generation to enjoy the outdoors and sport we all love so dearly. We are lucky to have had a great foundation of leadership and programming these past 25 years, and it is our goal to continue to bring that to our members in the next quarter century too!

NENSA April Fund Drive success depends on every member giving what they can. This year NENSA is asking each member of our ski community to give $25 in honor of our 25 years. We hope you will join us in making this goal happen. THANK YOU!

Click  HERE  if you are a NENSA member to give to NENSA

Click  HERE  if you are a guest supporter to give to NENSA

Of course, you can always mail a donation check into our NENSA office at:
49 Pineland Drive, New Gloucester, ME 04260

*Donations of $250 or more receive a commemorative
NENSA/SKIDA 25th Anniversary hat!
A sweet reflection on Junior Nationals
by Cormac Leahy, Craftsbury Nordic

Today’s spotlight is on Cormac Leahy. The Craftsbury U16 made his first Junior National trip and placed 9th in the Sprint 💪💪 !
“Junior Nationals 2020 was the best experience I have had in a few years. Even though the races were cut short, I still had the time of my life. I enjoyed the beauty of the race venue. The trees towering over the race course, the snow on the side of the mountain, which was always in the shade, and the bare land on the side of the mountain, which was exposed to the sun. The food and the hotel were great and I wished everyday of my life could be spent in Tahoe, California.

It was so much fun racing alongside the top skiers in the country with my New England teammates. It was also really cool to realize how well the U16 boys team meshed together over only a few days. After those few days, I didn’t feel like we had been competing for six places in all of New England. We were all one team.

I was happy that I was lucky enough to have made it because the elite-level racing pushed me to be my best. Even though the races were at high altitude, I still had the best race of my entire ski racing career. Although my other race was not perfect, I was ecstatic about finishing my first race at such a high altitude and placing well despite the complications. The attention to detail by the wax team helped in these efforts.

Attending the Junior Nationals 2020 without my parents or my coaches taught me how to take care of myself. I learned that I have to stay organized and arrive early to everything, because if I try to arrive on time, I am almost always late.
Thank you NENSA for helping me get to the starting line in California. 
Thank you to the coaches and to the wax techs for their support and their assistance.”
~Cormac M. Leahy
Join the NENSA Virtual Video Challenge!
Are you feeling cooped up at home? Do you miss your friends, teammates and coaches? Maybe you need an outlet for all your pent up energy? We get it, and that’s why we’re announcing the NENSA Virtual Video Challenge – a way for you to stay engaged with the ski community during these weeks of social distancing, support NENSA’s 25th birthday, and have some fun doing it...just remember to please follow all physical distancing rules and sheltering in place rules! We want you and our ski community to be safe!
Click HERE to find out full details on making and submitting your video to NENSA.

To see even more Video Challenge Submissions - go to NENSA's fb page and Instagram but for today ~ enjoy this weeks videos:
  1. GMVS has brought this challenge to a new level with this great video below...
  2. As well as three young athletes from the Eastern Mass Bill Koch (EMBK) team...
Bravo to both submission ~ Game on ~ keep them coming!
Special Savings and Offered from our
NENSA Sponsors on NENSA.net
NENSA is SO grateful to all our Sponsors for their support of our non-profit organization and our sport! Did you know they also have some special offers for YOU, our NENSA members??! Be sure to check out the Members Only Benefits page on NENSA.net . There you will find savings on:

SIDAS, your footwear company: use code NENSA20 to receive 20% off your order at
sidas-usa.store
UnTapped Maple nutritional products: NENSA members receive a 10% discount on all nutritional products, use code NENSA10 at checkout
Concept2 SkiErgs: $40 off the retail price of a Concept2 SkiErg
Nokian Tyres: 20% Discount to NENSA Member off the purchase of any Nokian Tyres at one of their Vianor retailers listed on our NENSA website page (see above). You must present your valid NENSA membership card at payment.
TOKO: special Team Night and Team order forms pricing each fall (stay tuned for fall 2020)
EnjoyWinter.com: 15% off select product ~ To take advantage of your NENSA spring special visit www.enjoywinter.com and use “NENSASpring” as your discount code, while you are there apply for sponsorship at the bottom right corner. EnjoyWinter every day of the year.
Trapp Family Lodge: NENSA members will receive a 10% discount on mid-week (Sunday-Thursday) rooms they book this year! Some black out dates exist, including holidays and vacation weeks. Just mention this 10% NENSA member discount when booking, and then present your valid NENSA member card (you receive this on your confirmation email after renewing or joining NENSA) when checking in

It's another way we can say thank you to you all for being NENSA members and supporting us too!
Looking for some fun challenges and ways to stay fit and engaged during these shelter at home times? Check out some of these fun ideas from our NENSA partners and Clubs!
Click on the Cabin Fever Challenge to learn more about it! Enjoy!
Join the GMVSxc team for a #bingochallenge

“We're going to try something fun and different for April and May in the form of weekly Bingo! You can check off the blocks as you complete them. If you make it to having a full board complete (every block checked off) you will also have completed our weekly training along with a few other tasks that are important right now.”
Have fun!
Concept2
Workout of the Day:
Get the  SkiErg Workout of the Day delivered to your inbox every morning. Click on the link to sign up and get a custom workout delivered to your inbox each day!
More News from our NENSA Partners & Community!
FIS - Behind the Scenes With Julia Kern:
The FIS series - Behind the Scenes - talks with the world's best Cross-Country skiers, including 22-year-old Julia Kern.

Julia might be one of the most active and positive people you'll have ever met. Julia returned to the tracks of Oberwiesenthal, Germany, where she started skiing as a little kid to compete at this year's 2020 FIS U23 Cross Country World Championships where she won a bronze medal.   ...WATCH
J ulia NENSA Elite Team member who grew up in Waltham MA skiing for EMBK, CSU jrs., Dartmouth College, SMS T2, and now the US Ski Team!
We are all so proud of her accomplishments over the years, and this past year on the World Cup!
SafeSport Program
U.S. Ski & Snowboard, our National Governing Body (NGB) requires the following individuals complete training provided by the U.S. Center for SafeSport:

Individuals associated with Member Clubs (that means any NENSA club)

  • Adult athlete members of Member Clubs, except Short Term Athlete Members due to their limited participation and Master Athletes who do not i) have regular contact with minor athletes or ii) have authority over minor athletes
  • Adult members (who are not athletes) of Member Clubs who i) have regular contact with athletes, or ii) have authority over athletes
  • Employees and Board Members of Member Clubs
  • Individuals providing services to Member Clubs, including but not limited to contractors, volunteers, interns, who i) have regular contact with athletes or ii) have authority over athletes
  • More info here: https://usskiandsnowboard.org/safesport-athlete-safety/safesport-training

NENSA urges ALL New England coaches, parent volunteers, venue volunteers and anyone working with youth to take the SafeSport on-line course and get certified. NENSA requires this of all our staff and volunteer coaches and wax techs at JN's and REG Camps. 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
Upcoming Events
A Look Ahead at the NENSA Calendar
U pcoming NENSA Events:
April 6th-30th: NENSA's annual Fund Drive and Club/Team Virtual Video Challenge!
April 1st-30th: Bids open for submission for Eastern Cup weekends and BKL Festival 2021
April 15- June 1: Bids open for submission for NENSA Popluar/Citizen Race & Marathon Series
May 2nd & 3rd: NENSA's Spring Board of Directors and Committee meetings (virtual via Zoom) - details and schedule to be posted in the 4/29 issue of KickZone
May 6: US Ski & Snowboard Congress (via GoToMeeting)

Full NENSA.net Calendar Listing HERE