Mid-March Greetings Everyone ~
First off, I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to Jessie Diggins (yes, she gets KickZone too!) for becoming the first U.S. woman to WIN the Overall FIS Cross-Country World Cup Title, and first U.S. skier since Bill Koch who won in 1982. WOW!! What an awesome accomplishment, and we are so proud of you Jessie! I also want to highly recommend the Instagram Live chat with Jessie and Patrick Dempsey, done last week (link in our Partners section below).
NENSA is heading into the final weekend of our "Championship" season, pandemic style for 2021. This Saturday and Sunday both Vermont and New Hampshire will be having their own NENSA State U16 & EHS Championships, Vermont's at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center and New Hampshire's at the Dublin XC Center. Good luck to all those athletes!
Last weekend BKL clubs around New England hosted mini-festivals within their own clubs, and two incorporated regional clubs into one mini-fest. The feel and the spirit of the annual Bill Koch Festival was present in each and every celebration! Check out the recap below, and a special video nod to all our graduating 8th graders!
Here's what we have in store for you in this week's KickZone ~
- Maine NENSA State U16 & EHS Championships Recap from 2/27 & 2/28
- The NENSA BKL mini-festival weekend recap, including the 8th grade Graduation Video (get out your tissues!)
- Popular, Zac Cup and Hall Mark of Excellence standings and updates
- Some fun photos from our Nordic Rocks programing ~ an introductory program to skiing in schools across New England
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From our Partners:
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U.S. Ski & Snowboard, World Championship updates for the March 5-7th races
- From NNF: meet the Rookies ~ including 3 New England athletes!
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Voice in Sport March sessions: 3/17, 3/24 & 3/31
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TOKO's US Athlete interviews ~ Caitlin Gregg post double Berkie!
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 everyone!
Best,
Amie
Amie Witten 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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Maine Eastern State Champs Recap |
Maine was the second state to hold their Eastern State Champs event. Mainers raced at Quarry Road Trails over the weekend of February 27th and 28th with boys competing Saturday and girls on Sunday. To ensure the event met state gathering size limits, the field was split each day by region.
The Maine event consisted of a 5k individual start skate race followed by some XCX racing action! We’ve highlighted the top three finishers in each category of the 5k race below with full results (including the XCX event) available here. A big congratulations to all the racers and to the coaches supporting them! Once each state has competed, we will announce and celebrate all those who made their respective state U16 and Eastern High School teams.
U16 Boys Region 1
1. Aksel Yeo, Yarmouth
2. Daniel Niles, Portland
3. Owen Redfield, Yarmouth
U16 Boys Region 2
1. Luke Streinz, Quarry Road Ski Club
2. Ellis Slover, Quarry Road Ski Club
3. Benjamin Condit, Quarry Road Ski Club
U16 Girls Region 1
1. Elise Creagan, Maine School of Mathematics and Science
2. Annie Bergeron, Yarmouth
3. Katherine Garcia, Edward Little
U16 Girls Region 2
1. Kayley Bell, Caribou
2. Ruth White, Orono
3. Nyla Scott, Telstar
High School Boys (U18 and U20) Region 1
1. Joey Rouhana, Falmouth
2. Leif Harvey, Greely
3. Ryan Gray, Falmouth
High School Boys (U18 and U20) Region 2
1. Caden Cote, Quarry Road Ski Club
2. Miguel Sanclemente, Fort Kent
3. Nate Livingood, Gould
High School Girls (U18 and U20) Region 1
1. Eva Celment, Falmouth
2. Avalaine Dreis, Falmouth
3. Leska Whitmarsh, Cheverus
High School Girls (U18 and U20) Region 2
1. Emma Charles, Mt. Blue
2. Eliza Skillings, Gould
3. Kamryn Joyce, Mt. Blue
Last but note least… a huge shoutout to the staff and volunteers who made this event a success! A lot more work goes into hosting an event during a pandemic to keep everyone involved as safe as possible and everyone at Quarry Road was more than up for the task.
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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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A weekend of BKL Mini-Fests! |
The strength of the cross country ski community was exemplified through action last weekend with hundreds of young skiers participating in locally organized Mini-Fests whether with their club, a few clubs, their whole district, or their entire state! Many young skiers found the smaller event size and more relaxed atmosphere a comfortable environment in which to try racing for the first time. While not every Mini-Fest had a race opportunity, all the Mini-Fests had fun and engaging non-competitive activities. A big shoutout to the clubs and leaders that brought their enthusiasm and put in the work to make this all happen! Read on to learn a little about each unique event (in alphabetical order) and to view the BKL graduation slideshow.
Central VT Mini-Fest (Woodstock): Ford Sayre, Woodstock Nordic Runners and Mt. Top BKL teams came together on Saturday, March 6th to celebrate the end of a very different nordic season. Even with predicated cold temps, the sun came out to warm the 64 participants as they raced, played games and went off jumps in the Terrain Park. The day concluded with an 8th grade graduation ceremony. The graduates skied through a vintage ski arch which symbolized their passage to the next level of their ski careers! We are grateful for the generosity of the Woodstock Inn Nordic Center, all the parents, coaches and volunteers for their help and of course for our youth skiers for keeping nordic skiing alive and thriving this season. Reporting from Gretchen Czaja.
...click HERE to see the full article with all the clubs, including great photos!
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The BKL Graduation Video! |
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Happiness and snow adventures on skis from our NENSA Nordic Rocks introductory ski program ~ in elementary schools across
New England ~ Thank you Share Winter Foundation!!
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS: |
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Popular Racing Continues
Despite Pandemic
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73,755.752. The number of kilometers New England skiers have logged in competition (whether virtual or in-person) this season is a clear sign that skiing DID in fact happen this winter! Races have been smaller and organizers have been creative with formats and schedules allowing for skiers of all abilities to gather safely — but the skiers and their energy have remained constant. As we start to see our first serious meltdown ski areas are open and the racing continues!
Many clubs are energized by A Hall Mark of Excellence – a season long competition that ranks the top overall 20 male and female finishers in every event that has been listed on our “Eastern Cup” and Popular Race schedules. The intention of the award, which pays out $5000 – 1st, $3000 – 2nd, and $1000 – 3rd, was to encourage participation and performance across all of our adult competitions. While the larger clubs do have a distinct advantage for the top spots, the generosity of Kathy and Marty Hall has created a club based ranking system that captures the majority of our competitive winter programming. Tune into the Rankings Page to see how the last few races sugar out — currently Craftsbury has a nine point lead over Mansfield Nordic for the top honors. Ford Sayre, Stratton Mountain School and Eastern Mass Nordic (CSU) are also in a tight race for third place.
NENSA will be scoring five more events to this awesome competition: the Rangeley Loppet & Burt Kettle Classic that happened last weekend in Maine, the Long Hall Loppet at Jackson, NH this weekend, the Craftsbury S’Ender on the 21st and to wrap it all up Mansfield Nordic will be providing a Virtual opportunity for all clubs to join in the New England Club Relay Championships. There really is something for everyone – so get out there and have some fun!
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA SUPPORTING SPONSORS: |
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World Championship Updates ~
Racing Recaps for March 5th - 7th
March 5:
Americans Post Best Team Relay Result in Decades
Simi Hamilton, David Norris, Scott Patterson, and Gus Schumacher teamed up to represent the United States and post the best 4x10k relay finish in decades for the Americans, finishing eighth in Friday’s event at the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany. ...READ MORE / RESULTS
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March 6:
Maubet Bjornsen Finishes Career With Top-15 World Championships Result
In her last race as a professional skier, the decorated Sadie Maubet Bjornsen came out as the top American in the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships 30k classic race, finishing in 15th place. ...READ MORE / RESULTS
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March 7:
Patterson Top 10 in World Championships 50K
Scott Patterson led the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team in the last race of the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships, taking 10th place in the 50k classic. David Norris also had a stellar race, skiing into 16th place, while Gus Schumacher also cracked the top 30, taking 29th place in his first 50k attempt. Hunter Wonders was 37th. ...READ MORE / RESULTS
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Final World Cup Weekend is this weekend!
Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan go into the final World Cup weekend in 1st and 3rd for overall World Cup points! At 1,246 points, Jessie Diggins will become the first U.S. woman to win the Overall FIS Cross-Country World Cup Title (and first U.S. skier since Bill Koch won in 1982!).
Engadin, Switzerland World Cup
Saturday, March 13: 10/15k Classic
Sunday, March 14: 30/50k Pursuit
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Jessie Diggins and Patrick Dempsey
Catch Up on Instagram Live
March 5th: Olympic Champion Jessie Diggins caught up with U.S. Ski & Snowboard trustee and actor Patrick Dempsey on Instagram live! They talked about everything from Diggins' career and World Championships to the Emily Project, and more. ...WATCH
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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.
3/17: 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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From our friends at NNF:
World Championship Rookie Highlights ~ including 3 athletes from New England!!
We're keeping our eyes on these up and comers! First World Champs - and for some a first World Cup season - in the books!
U.S. Women's Rookie Highlights:
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Sophia Laukli - 25th in the Skiathlon and 23rd in the 10k skate
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Katharine Ogden - 32nd in the Skiathlon and 37th in the 30k classic
U.S. Men's Rookie Highlights:
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Ben Ogden achieved 11th in the classic sprint qualification and 17th overall
- JC Schoonmaker - 26th in the classic sprint
- Gus Schumacher teamed up with the men's 4x10k relay and skied a strong final leg to finish 8th, the best result for U.S. men in decades, and 29th in the 50k classic
- Hunter Wonders - 31st in the Skiathlon and 37th in the 50k classic
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TOKO's US Athlete Interview Series ~ Caitlin Gregg 3.3.21 post double Berkie weekend |
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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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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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