Greetings NENSA Community ~
What an awesome finish to the Olympics for Team USA this past weekend! Jessie racing that incredible 30k race, under such adverse conditions, both with the weather and her food poising just 30 hours earlier, to win the silver medal! Her teammates, Rosie Brennan finished 5th, Sophia Laukli was 15th in her Olympic debut and Novie McCabe was 18th - the best-ever cross country performance by American women at the Olympic Winter Games. And the day before, Scott Paterson finished a very impressive 8th in the men's 30k freestyle race. Then to be able to watch Jessie receive her medal at the Closing Ceremonies, and in front of the world stage, was a very special moment indeed!
This past Sunday, at the conclusion of our final Eastern Cup races in Dublin NH we named our 2022 New England Junior National Team. 53 athletes will be heading to Minneapolis MN late next week to represent New England in the US Junior Nationals.
This week, World Juniors are happening over in Norway. Our men's USA Team won the bronze medal in the 4x5 relay today, which included New Englanders Will Koch & Brian Bushey (as well as Walker Hall & Michael Earnhart) on the team ~ congrats to them!
And Championship March has not even started yet ~ so much more great racing and events still to come, including the New England BKL Festival, Junior Nationals, U16 & Eastern High School Championships, and lots of Popular Racing too, including the Rikert Grand Prix. Be sure to check out the Calendar of events at the bottom of this newsletter.
NENSA continues to partner with SWIX through the month of February to help spread the message of the importance of fluoro free waxing. Enter to win one of four chances of $1000 in SWIX waxes next season, and coaches will have an opportunity to win one of four chances for $5000 in SWIX waxes for their team. See box below for full details and links. NENSA has committed to be flour-free at all our events and races (since November 2019) and we hope these great SWIX videos and coach courses will help give you the tools and tips to wax safely and responsibly, and maybe win some great new wax too!
Here is what we have for you in this edition of KickZone:
- Jessie Diggins wins the silver medal in the final Olympic race ~ the women's 30k
- The New England Junior National Named
- SWIX's Responsible Waxing Project
- NENSA's Bill Koch League is USA Nominee for FIS SnowKidz Award (!)
- Eastern Cup Season Wraps with Dublin Double
- The Rikert Grand Prix is coming March 18-20
- For Sale ~ NENSA's brand-new custom fabric SKIDA hats & neck warmers
- Responsible Fluoro Wax Disposal at the BKL Festival and Registration closes this Sunday 2/27 at 8pm
- From our Partners & In the News:
- From U.S. Ski & Snowboard ~ Olympic Updates for the final skate 30k races and it's a bronze medal for our World Juniors men's USA Team in the 4x5k relay today!
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From Salomon ~ SKIING ACROSS THE PAGE a short film by watercolor artist and backcountry skier Max Romey.
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And be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter for our NENSA calendar of racing and events for the season ~ even this weekend ~ there is something for everyone!
NENSA continues to do all we can to host safe outdoor races and events this winter. We are proud of and continue to count on all of you to do your 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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Diggins Wins Silver ~ Leads Four Into Top 18 In 30k Freestyle |
Jessie Diggins turned herself inside out to win the silver medal in the women’s 30k freestyle Sunday - her second medal of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. But just as impressive as her gutsy performance, all four Team USA athletes finished in the top 18 on another extreme weather day at the Kuyangshu Nordic Center, in Zhangjiakou, China.
Rosie Brennan just missed the podium for the second time at these Games, finishing fifth; while Sophia Laukli was 15th in her Olympic debut and Novie McCabe was 18th - the best-ever cross country performance by American women at the Olympic Winter Games. Norway’s Therese Johaug won her third gold medal of the Games, finishing with a time of 1:24:45. Diggins was 1:23 back, while Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen led a strong chase in the closing kilometers to take the bronze at 2:43 back.
Despite suffering a bout of food poisoning on Saturday, Diggins came out firing on all cylinders Sunday. She matched the early pace and eventually made the front group selection on the first of four 7.5k laps. “I went from having not the race prep I had envisioned - laying in bed, force-feeding myself oatmeal and soup from a can - to here we go,” she said. “But I just wanted to race because I love to race.”
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New England Junior National Team Packet and Team Naming Info |
Congrats to the 53 athletes named to our New England Junior National Team this past Sunday! They, along with 13 coaches and wax techs, will be headed to Minneapolis MN on March 5th for a week of Championship racing!
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2022 JN Team Athlete Nominations HERE
- Our 2022 New England Team Packet is can be found HERE
- Our New England Team page on NENSA.net with all the info and links for athletes going in this trip can be found HERE
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SWIX Responsible Waxing Project
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Competitive skiing programs around the country are moving away from fluorinated waxes as we learn more about their negative impact on the environment. NENSA in 2019 was among the first to adopt a fluoro-free policy, which continues today, and as of Jan. 17, fluorocarbon waxes are banned at all FIS-sanctioned cross country races in the United States.
We encourage all our skiers to learn more about skiing fluoro-free. One new option is the Responsible Waxing Project at the Swix Education Center.
For a limited time, Swix is offering coaches a chance to win $5,000 of Swix fluoro-free wax and products for their team just by completing an online, 45-minute course on responsible waxing. Every coach who completes the course will earn one entry into the giveaway. And … there’s more: Coaches who complete the course also earn a continuing education credit from U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
For all skiers, you can earn a chance to win $1,000 in Swix fluoro-free products by watching a responsible waxing video at the Swix Education Center website. Swix will have multiple drawings so the sooner you sign up and watch the video, the more chances you’ll have to win.
To participate, start at the Swix Education Center. Under available courses, coaches should choose “Responsible Waxing Project.” You will be prompted to register for the course. Skiers should choose the video option listed as “Enter for a Chance to Win $1,000 of Swix Products.” You’ll be promoted to register. Once you complete the video, you’ll be entered in the drawing.
And if you have just been wondering how to use the new updated SWIX line ~ how their new fluoro-free waxes replace the old CH, LF and HF waxes we all had in our wax boxes ~ just check out this quick video below!
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NENSA's Bill Koch League
is USA Nominee for
FIS SnowKidz Award (!)
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We are honored that US Ski and Snowboard chose our NENSA Bill Koch Youth Ski League as the 2022 USA nominee for the FIS SnowKidz award! The vision of FIS SnowKidz is that “All children between the ages of four and fourteen should have the chance to experience the fascination of snow.” Other nominated programs include “Ski School Education Program” in Andorra, “Snow Moves!” in Finland, “Shred Kids” in Germany, “Moe’s Wintersport Club” in the Netherlands, “Mision Sandkids” in Peru, “My First Snow Day” in Spain, “Everyone on Snow” in Sweden, and “Simon Ammann Jump Parcours” in Switzerland.
Stay tuned for the Top 8 announcement from FIS SnowKidz on May 1st, 2022.
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THANK YOU TO OUR ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
L.L.Bean and SWIX & Salomon!
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Returning to a normal Eastern Cup season was not a given at the beginning of the year. And despite some challenges with Mother Nature, our venues, fortified with manmade snow, created a landscape that brought joy to everyone involved in this competitive sphere. Taking a jog back to Quarry Road and the Roy Varney Opener it was almost surreal to see entire population of New England’s juniors back together racing at a high level, but perhaps most importantly enjoying each others company, albeit on a 1.6 kilometer loop. A spell of deep winter was perfectly timed for the back to back SuperTour/Eastern Cup weekends in Lake Placid and Craftsbury. Despite frigid temperatures these weekends saw near record participation and our first truly international races since the start of the pandemic. To bookend the season Dublin was prepared for an unseasonable meltdown less than two days before the races — bolstered by a preemptive snowmaking session and accommodations to courses and training times — the show went off in style!
...read the full story and see lots a great photos HERE
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New England Junior National Team custom drink belt covers made and donated to us by
Lindsey Masterson and her company HydroM8 ~ one was given to each
NE JN team member at the naming ceremony.
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Whether you are a coach, parent, volunteer, or athlete, we all play a role in providing a safe environment for the sports that we love. U.S. Ski & Snowboard Athlete Safety policies, the SafeSport Code, and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard MAAPP help us support that culture of safety.
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If you witness or are aware of inappropriate behavior or misconduct - REPORT IT!
- Reports may be made anonymously!
- Child Abuse and Child Sexual Abuse – Report to law enforcement or child protective services in your jurisdiction immediately.
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Reports to the Center - SafeSport hotline at 833-5US-SAFE (587-7233) or CLICK HERE to complete an online reporting form.
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Reports to U.S. Ski & Snowboard - CLICK HERE
You may see QR codes posted at events this season. The QR codes open a page on www.usskiandsnowboard.org for quick links to reporting from your smartphone.
Learn more about reporting and try the QR Code:
Thank you for your diligence in maintaining sport safety and protecting our athletes.
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FOR SALE!
NENSA's custom fabric SKIDA Hats & Neck Warmers will be for sale on www.NENSA.net
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This custom fabric was designed by Kait Miller, NENSA's Youth & Introductory Program Director. Each snowflake contains one of 5 Northeastern states that NENSA had our programing ~ Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and New York! We are excited to offer these great new custom NENSA hats and neck warmer to our ski community!
Link to purchase HERE. Thanks for supporting NENSA this way ~ $40 for the fleece lined alpine hat and $30 for the fleece lined neck warmer ~ this includes shipping & handing. |
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS: |
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Don't Forget ~ Fluorinated Wax Disposal at the BKL Festival, and, Registration Closes this Sunday at 8pm |
NENSA is happy to share that the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments and Quarry Road Trails will offer free collection of fluorinated waxes at the 2022 Bill Koch League Festival at Quarry Road Trails March 5-6, 2022. These harmful materials, now disallowed by FIS & NENSA rules, are still taking up space in the wax boxes, garages, and basements of skiers across the East. We invite you to bring these waxes with you to the Bill Koch League Festival where they will be collected and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.
Review NENSA’s BKL-specific wax policy HERE.
Still not registered for the Festival? Sign up HERE
Registration closes this Sunday 2/27 at 8pm!
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA SUPPORTING SPONSORS: |
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February 19:
Patterson Eighth In Shortened 30k Freestyle Mass Start
On a cold, blustery day at the Kuyangshu Nordic Center, in Zhangjiakou, China, Team USA’s Scott Patterson turned up the heat, finishing eighth in the shortened Freestyle mass start. Patterson’s finish was the second-best ever Olympic result for an American man behind Bill Koch’s silver medal at the 1976 Games. ...READ MORE
BREAKING NEWS TODAY: February 23:
USA Takes Bronze In Team Relay At Junior World Championships
The strength of the U.S. Cross Country development program continues to shine as the next generation has already made their mark on the world stage. On Wednesday, the junior men’s relay team won the bronze medal at the 2022 Junior/U23 World Championships in Lygna, Norway. ...READ MORE
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The team of Michael Earnhart, Brian Bushey, Walker Hall, and Will Koch won the bronze medal at the 2022 Junior World Championships in Norway Wednesday. (@flyingpoint) |
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SKIING ACROSS THE PAGE ~ a short and beautiful film by Max Romey that incorporates his love of watercolor painting with backcountry skiing!
With a Sketchbook and Nordic backcountry skis painter Max Romey heads out into his Alaskan backyard to try and overcome the fear of a blank white page. But while trying to capture this snowy landscape on skis he learns to see the blank white spaces in a whole new way.
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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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