Greetings NENSA Community ~
Although we are still in need of snow in many parts of New England, our NENSA race schedule continues, and we have some great offerings for you this long MLK weekend.
Up next ~ the NENSA Popular Race Series has three different races all on Sunday 1/16. The Silver Fox Trot BKL and Citizen’s Race at Rikert Nordic Center, VT; The Race for Snow at the Leo J Martin Ski Track, MA (with virtual option non-Zak); and the Craftsbury Scramble at Craftsbury Outdoor Center, VT; Unfortunately, the 48th Annual Geschmossel Classic 1/17 at Bretton Woods, NH has been cancelled due to lack of snow. Be sure to check out the NENSA calendar listings for January at the bottom of this eNewsletter for registration and information.
Here is what we have for you in this edition of KickZone:
- NENSA recap of US Nationals, Qualifications & Junior National Staff Announced
- Updates for 2022 Women’s XC Ski Day to be held Sunday 1/23
- Popular/Citizen race offerings for the next two weekends
- NBC News piece on the Ogden siblings ~ Ben and Katharine ~ the Vermont siblings have sights set on competing in Beijing
- Registration is open for the 2022 BKL Festival
- NENSA's BKL BINGO
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From our Partners & In the News: From U.S. Ski & Snowboard ~ article on Jessie Diggins - Baseline Happiness and Rebounding; Les Rousses WC canceled for 1/14-16; Brennan, Schoonmaker, Patterson Siblings Dominate L.L. Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships; From SWIX Responsible Waxing Project and virtual learning center: From Toko interview with Chris Magerl with lots of great TOKO wax tips!; and the latest must-read book Trail to Gold
We are doing our best here at NENSA to run safe outdoor events and races and we are counting on all of you to do you part in helping us keep our ski community well this winter. Please follow our COVID guidelines and stay home if you are not feeling well.
Be safe and stay well -
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!
Thank you to all our NENSA Sponsors ~ they are such a HUGE part of our NENSA programming continued success, and we so appreciate all their support. I want to be sure we all acknowledge the businesses who support us and cross country skiing!
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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US Nationals, Qualifications
& Junior National Staff Update
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Last week approximately 100 Eastern skiers competed at the LL Bean US National XC Ski Championships in Soldier Hollow, Utah. There were many amazing results from Eastern skiers — but perhaps what stuck out most was the open collaboration between clubs throughout the region. In these uncertain and changing times (Covid and phasing out fluoros on a National scale), it is inspiring and reassuring to see how we have evolved to deal with challenges and how we can conduct safe events.
The races at Soldier Hollow served as qualification for a number of events including the Olympics, U18 Nordic Nations Cup and Junior World/U23 Cross Country Championships. Full qualifications for U18, JWSC and U23 can be found HERE. The top-20 juniors from the first three events also prequalified for Junior Nationals — which will be held this year in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the week of March 6-12. Eastern Clubs and Teams qualified a potential of 17 athletes via this criteria. College coaches are encouraged to reach out to NENSA’s Competitive Program Director justin@nensa.net with potential intents for JN’s.
Junior World Ski Championship Skiers:
Brian Bushey – University of Utah (GMVS)
Finn Sweet – University of Vermont
Will Koch – University of Colorado (SMS/SMS T2)
Kate Oldham – Middlebury College
Nina Seemann – Dartmouth College
Annie McColgan – University of Vermont
U23 World Championship Skiers:
Ben Ogden – University of Vermont / SMS T2
Lucinda Anderson – University of New Hampshire
U18 Nations Cup Skiers:
Jack Lange – Stratton Mountain School
Finegan Bailey – Stratton Mountain School
Ava Thurston – Mansfield Ski Club
Sofia Scirica – Eastern Mass XC
Trip Leader – Amie Smith – NENSA
Head Coach – Matt Boobar – SMS
U16 M – Evan Kendall – Dublin School
U16 F – Audrey Mangan – Craftsbury Ski Club
U18 M – Justin Fereshetian – Quarry Road Ski Club
U18 F – Sarah Falconer – Mansfield Nordic Club
U20 M (tester) – Jacob Volz – Gould Academy
U20 F (tester) – Hilary McNamee – Ford Sayre
Head of Wax Team (Team AC) – Justin Beckwith – NENSA
Kick – Alex Jospe – SMS
Kick – Colin Rodgers – GMVS
Glide – Adam Terko – Mansfield Nordic Club
Glide – Cate Brams – EMXC
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THANK YOU TO OUR ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
L.L.Bean and SWIX & Salomon!
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Updates for 2022 Women’s XC Ski Day
Benefit Organization & Raffle
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Every year our Women’s XC Ski Day event chooses a benefit organization to support and this year we’re fundraising for Stride, an organization whose mission is to remove barriers to entry and get girls in the game and on the trails by providing mentorship, gear, and learning opportunities to young female athletes in Vermont. A portion of every participant’s registration fee goes to Stride and you can make an additional donation to the organization through our registration page HERE (scroll to the bottom). We still have some spots open for registration so get signed up today!
There will also be a fundraising raffle on event day ($5/ticket) for a framed photo of the Bower Ski Trail from Vermont photographer Anne Majusiak. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to Stride. Take a sneak peak of the photo below and check out Anne’s website or follow Anne on Instagram to see more of her beautiful work. Thank you Anne for your generous donation! Raffle tickets will be available for sale on event day.
We also want to bring your attention to our COVID Guidelines HERE (updated January 7th, 2022). Please note that lunch will be bagged so you want eat in your car or picnic-style outside. Sue Wemyss’s presentation will take place after lunch in the Barn with masks. We will keep the Barn doors open so you will also have the option of bringing a chair outside and listening in. Please note that Rikert requires anyone utilizing indoor space be vaccinated!
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Upcoming Popular/Citizen Races over the next two weekend |
While our next Eastern Cup is a few weeks away, we have lots of Popular/Citizen Racing options over the next two weekends! There are three fun ski races coming up this weekend with offerings for all ages including youth/BKL. You can also download the @sharepastimes app to find the events there. Mark yourself at attending and see who else is going. You could even make some new ski friends in your area and plan training adventures to prepare for your next NENSA event!
This Sunday January 16th ~ 3 options:
Next weekend ~ 4 options:
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Vermont siblings have sights set on competing in Beijing |
Two athletes from Landgrove, Vermont, have been skiing together since they were little kids. Now they are hoping to qualify for the Beijing Games.
“I think we grew up in such a crazy community of cross country olympians that it felt like if you were a cross country skier, going to the Olympics is the goal,” said Katharine Ogden, a cross country skier for Team USA.
“It would be crazy, a lifelong dream for sure,” said Ben Ogden, also a cross country skier for Team USA.
A dream that runs in the DNA of Katharine and Ben Ogden.
“Ben and I, we have really grown up together in the sport,” Katharine said.
...Click link to see the NBC channel 5 News VIDEO story:
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS: |
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2022 BKL Festival Registration is Open! |
The New England Bill Koch Youth Ski League (NEBKYSL) Festival is the marquee event of the
Bill Koch Youth Ski League. This fun annual festival features races as well as a wide variety of exciting non-competitive winter activities for skiers of all skill and ability levels from kindergarten up to 8th grade!
This year’s Festival will be held March 5-6, 2022 on the beautiful trails at Quarry Road in Waterville, Maine. The dedicated folks at Quarry Road are planning fun races and exciting activities with the theme Soar Over Snow!
...click HERE full information on the Festival and to Register
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2021-22 BKL XC Ski Bingo
is in full swing!
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NENSA is psyched to be offering a new version of Bingo for the 2021-22 season!! Download and print your own 2021-22 Bingo Card and be sure to fill out the BINGO ENTRY FORM when you finish. Activity descriptions included in the Bingo card download.
Rules of the Game:
- Must be under 14 years of age to play. Game runs from December 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.
- Get “Bingo” by completing the activities and skiing in the states in a full row, column, or diagonal.
- Mark your Bingo card as you complete squares. Remember to take at least one activity photo or a picture of you where you skied!
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Fill out the Bingo entry form HERE once you’ve completed Bingo. You’ll include your activity or ski location photo and a picture of your marked Bingo card.
- Get outside and HAVE FUN!!!
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Direct any questions to kait@nensa.net.
What can you win?
Every player who completes Bingo gets a rainbow NENSA sticker. Each Bingo line completed gets players a raffle entry. At the end of every month we will raffle off NENSA monogrammed LL Bean flannel shirts and gift cards! You can get a bonus raffle point if you do any of the activities in costume. These two BINGO participants sent us photos of their "ski to the high point" and "ski with just legs" activities they had just completed!
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA SUPPORTING SPONSORS: |
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IN THE NEWS:
January 5:
Baseline Happiness: How Olympic Champion Jessie Diggins Rebounds from Setbacks
Jessie Diggins knows how to handle being knocked down, both in cross-country skiing and in life. Take, for example, her most recent outing on the Tour de Ski in Val di Fiemme, Italy on Tuesday (4th January). After winning two of the first three stages, the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic gold medallist crashed in Stage 4 when another skier obstructed her. ...Read the Full Article at Olympics.com
January 6:
Les Rousses World Cup Scheduled For Jan. 14-16 Canceled
Due to increasing concerns about holding international events in the current pandemic situation, Les Rousses, France, the French Ski Federation, and the National Authorities decided to cancel the FIS Cross-Country World Cup scheduled to take place from Jan. 14 to Jan. 16, 2021. The event will not be rescheduled. However, the option of adding a competition day to the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Planica, Slovenia, from Jan. 22-23 is being evaluated by FIS.
January 8:
Brennan, Schoonmaker, Patterson Siblings Dominate L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships
Rosie Brennan wrapped up her holiday break from the FIS World Cup Tour with a victory in the 20k freestyle at the L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow. “It was so great to race at home and have my family and friends cheering me on the whole way,” Brennan said. “With COVID, even my Mom has been unable to watch me race for years, so it felt really special to be able to race with a hometown crowd before heading to Bejing." ...READ MORE
Live SuperTour Streaming
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Welcome to the Swix Virtual Learning Center |
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Welcome to the Swix Learning Center, a portal to cutting edge online courses, technology and resources for the Nordic and Alpine skiing and snowboarding community.
The learning center will offer web-based courses, videos and visual learning experiences to enhance your skills as a coach, a technician, a competitive skier or snowboarder or someone who just wants to improve your winter sports experience.
Start by signing up for a free account to browse our free course offerings and enter for a chance to win $1,000 in Swix products.
Many of our courses will qualify for US Ski & Snowboard continuing education.
These courses will be marked with the US Ski & Snowboard logo.
As Skiers and Snowboarders, we are privileged to call mountains and trails our workplace and our playground. It is our responsibility to ensure that these beautiful landscapes remain healthy and clean for the next generation.
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Check out this great video with lots of great info from TOKO Wax Tip Manger Chris Magerl |
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A must read for your winter reading list!
WRITTEN BY THE US OLYMPIC WOMEN CROSS-COUNTRY SKIERS 1972-2018
Hardback, 160 Pages
Release Date: December 2021
Available for purchase HERE.
Will also be available for sale at the 2022 Women’s Day (where you can get your copy signed by at least 4 of the 53 US Olympic Women Cross Country Skiers!)
Fifty-three American women have participated in cross-country skiing in the Winter Olympics between the years of 1972 and 2018. In 2018, forty-six years after the first team competed, Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall won Olympic gold in the Team Sprint, in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the first Olympic medal for U.S. women’s cross-country skiing. Five decades of women skiers stood up and cheered, celebrating this long-sought-after achievement. This book shares the collective journey of these women Olympians, with the skiers themselves telling the story. Part I combines individual stories along a variety of themes, to collectively demonstrate the challenges of competing against the best in the world. In Part II, virtually every one of the fifty-three wrote her own profile to describe her skiing career and post-Olympic life. Photographs throughout put faces with the stories and add vibrancy to the narrative. The anecdotes in Trail to Gold: The Journey of 53 Women Skiers, paint the picture of women’s cross-country skiing over 50 years–a fascinating history recorded in personal heartbreak and triumph and in fun vignettes from life on the trail.
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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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Full NENSA.net Calendar Listing HERE
Link to our COVID Protocols HERE
Link to our NENSA Equality & Diversity Policy HERE
Link to our Health & Nutrition Resources Page HERE
Link to our NENSA Inclusivity Resource List 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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