Happy 2020 NENSA Community!

NENSA is so grateful to all our Sponsors for their support of our non-profit organization and our sport! 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 UnTapped Maple nutritional products, Concept2 SkiErgs, Nokian Tyres, TOKO wax and savings from ShareWinter.com and the Trapp Family Lodge. It's another way we can say thank you to you all for being NENSA members and supporting us too!

Check out what's in this weeks issue in the boxes below:
  • NENSA's New England JN coach & wax tech staff named for Truckee 2020. Check out the retro photo from our 2014 JN Team - some of those athletes are now JN coaches and staff this year (!), and some are skiing the World Cup, and other coaches in that photo are still supporting our New England Team!
  • World Juniors and U18 Championship Teams named at US Nationals
  • Updates from US Ski & Snowboard on the Tour de Ski and US Senior Nationals
  • Sign up for NENSA's Women's Day! Sunday February 23rd in Bethel ME
  • The latest Zak and Club Points Updated!
  • NENSA's 2019-20 Wax Policy
  • SafeSport Information
  • NENSA's Calendar of Events (click HERE to see all the January events coming up!)

We have a great season of racing and events planned for you! There are also many great "popular" citizen races happening all over New England this coming month, starting with both the Bogburn Classic in Pomfort VT and The Race to the Cabin in Stowe VT this weekend. Check out our full calendar with links to all of the races this season at the bottom of this newsletter. NENSA is looking forward to our next Eastern Cup weekend, The Lost Nation Cup in Craftsbury which will be a combined Eastern Cup/Supertour and the UVM Carnival weekend 1/24-1/26. See you out on a snowy trail soon!
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
NENSA News from the Field
Highlights and Notes from NENSA and the Nordic World
2020 Junior National New England Coach and Technician Staff Named
This March a staff of fourteen will lead the 2020 New England Team at Junior Nationals in Truckee, California. The Championships will be held between March 9th and 14th with three individual and one relay competition. New England athletes are selected by season long rankings from four Eastern Cup weekends – bringing the strongest regional U16 – U20 skiers together for this National Championship. Although athletes strive for individual success – New England strives to promote a team culture – and the team reflects the depth of talent found in our home region.

This year’s coach and service staff represents all four states of the New England division and brings together a wealth of experience from local to international competition. The staff composition is aimed to promote coach development within the region and provide top-level support to our athletes – whether they are seasoned junior racers or making their first trip to Junior Nationals. This volunteer staff will work together to support a team culture, helping our athletes excel and enjoy the experience of racing at the national level.

Click HERE to see our staff of 14 for this years trip to Truckee, and their thoughts on being a part of the 2020 New England Team.
Congratulations to the athletes named to the teams that will represent the U.S. at the  World Junior Championships  in Oberwiesenthal, Germany and the  U18 Scandinavian Championships  in Falun, Sweden. The teams are named based on results at the L.L. Bean U.S. Ski and Snowboard National Championships that are ongoing in Houghton, Michigan. The top 6 athletes based on World Cup scoring of the best 2 or 3 races are named to the team. Full qualification standings are  here .
For more details on selection criteria go here:  World Juniors Selection Criteria  or  U18 Selection Criteria

Click HERE to see the World Juniors Championship Team and the U18 Championship Team ~ including our top New England athltetes who made both of these teams!! CONGRATS!!!
NENSA Announces our GET SKIING
FREE Membership
for First Time Members
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! 
Click here to   JOIN NENSA TODAY
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!
NENSA's Women's Day Registration is OPEN
Don't miss out on all the fun ~ sign up today! Women's Day will be at the Bethel Village Trails at The Bethel Inn, Bethel, ME, on Sunday February 23, 2020

Link to more info and registration page click HERE
Zak and Club Points Update!
Click HERE to see all the latest rankings for the Zak Cup and Club points so far this season!
NENSA WAXING POLICY
2019-2020 SKI SEASON
Mission Statement:  NENSA is committed to making safe and supportive competitive events for all cross country skiers. Concerns about fluorinated waxes have emerged from three schools of thought: the health implications of exposure, the environmental effects involved with the raw materials in many of the wax products, and the competitive advantage certain clubs may gain due to the perceived complexities of available products. NENSA would like to address these issues and help reduce the dependence on fluorinated waxes through education and waxing guidelines.
It is important to note that the wax industry will shift as the international market responds to mounting regulation of ingredients in Europe. We hope our stance will promote a healthy environment for athletes, technicians, spectators and New England venues. These policies are based on trust and NENSA cannot enforce compliance.

Click HERE to see our NENSA Wax Policy for the 2019-20 Season
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
E xciting News from our Partners:
 Three Americans In Top 15
Overall at Tour de Ski
The Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team wrapped up the 14th Tour de Ski Sunday with three athletes in the top 15 overall, including Sadie Maubet Bjornsen with a career-best seventh, Jessie Diggins in ninth, and Rosie Brennan a career-best 15th.

The seven-stage Tour de Ski was spread out over nine days this year and featured the most grueling stage for the final showdown - a mass start 10k freestyle hill climb up the Olimpia Ill alpine ski trail at Alpe Cermis resort in Italy’s Val di Fiemme region.

“Wow, it felt good to make it to the top of that climb,” said Sadie, who finished 13th in the final stage. “I think it is safe to say, making it up that alpine slope after six hard days of racing is quite possibly the most physically painful thing I have ever experienced. Just crossing the line is such an achievement. This is only the third time I have made it, so it still feels just as exciting as the first one!”

Jessie led the way for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, finishing sixth in the final stage. "I was happy with my climb; I think I managed to pace it right so that I could keep moving up the hill steadily without blowing up - a line that is hard to find, but pretty crucial to get right," Jessie said. "I had good energy and it’s nice to know that my fitness is in a good place even at the end of the tour."

Rosie was just a few seconds back in seventh. "I love the climb and I love the feeling of finishing the tour," Rosie said. "I had some rough days and some good days, but to finish the tour on such a high note was really fantastic."

Katharine Ogden posted a career-best World Cup result, finishing 21st. Katharine also scored World Cup points, finishing 28th overall. 

Read full story HERE
Jessie Diggins led the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team in sixth place in final stage of the 14th Tour de Ski. (www.nordicfocus.com. © Modica/NordicFocus)
Also from US Ski & Snowboard News:

January 4th:
Diggins, Maubet Bjornsen 3-4 in Tour de Ski Classic Sprint
Read full story and see video HERE

January 3rd:
Solid Seventh For Maubet Bjornsen in 10k Classic
Read full story HERE

January 3rd:
Swirbul, Schumacher Win U.S. Sprint Championship Titles
Read full story HERE

December 31:
Diggins Leads U.S. Cross Country Team in Stage 3
Read full story HERE

December 29th:
Diggins 4th, Maubet Bjornsen 5th in Tour de Ski Sprint
Read full story and see video HERE

December 28th:
Brennan Leads Three Americans Into Top 30 at Opening Tour de Ski Stage
Read full story HERE
Sadie Maubet Bjornsen (left) led the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team in seventh-place in Friday's 10k classic mass start. (www.nordicfocus.com. © Modica/NordicFocus)
Upcoming Events
A Look Ahead at the NENSA Calendar
Upcoming NENSA Events: