Late December Greetings NENSA Community!

Hard to believe it will be 2020 next week and the start of a new decade. NENSA turns 25 in 2020, and we look forward to sharing our history and celebrating our many milestones with you in the coming year! If you are considering making a year end donation to NENSA in 2019, we would greatly appreciate that, and, if you give $250 or more, you can be one of the first to receive our 25th Anniversary NENSA hat as a thank you! Thanks for your help in keeping NENSA going strong for another 25 years! See box below for a photo and link to donate.

Check out what's in this weeks issue in the boxes below:
  • Recap and photos of the Roy Varney Eastern Cup Opener weekend at Quarry Road in Waterville ME
  • Early season Rankings after first Eastern Cup weekend
  • NENSA Year End Donations and the debut of our NENSA 25th Anniversary Hat!
  • Updates from US Ski & Snowboard, including a recap of last weekends World Cup races ~ and a first WC podium from Julia Kern!! And, Hannah Haloverson has a long road to recovery after her pedestrian/car accident on November 1st, but has a focused and positive attitude, and a clear goal of skiing in the next Olympics!
  • NENSA's 2019-20 Wax Policy
  • SafeSport Information
  • NENSA's Calendar of Events (click HERE to see all the January events coming up!)

Lots of great racing and skiing to still come this winter. Many of our top New England juniors, collegiate and senior athletes will be competing in US Senior Nationals in Houghton Michigan the first week of January. There are also many great "popular" citizen races happening all over New England this coming month, as well as our second Eastern Cup weekend, combined with a US Ski & Snowboard Supertour and the UVM Carnival the last weekend of January in Craftsbury! 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
Maine Shines at Eastern Cup Opener:
Recap and Photos of the Roy Varney
Eastern Cup Opener at Quarry Road
Putting on an Eastern Cup Opener is a challenge for any venue due to unpredictable temperatures at the brink of the official start to winter. This season, NENSA visited Maine for the beginning of our premier race series, hosting an event to honor the life of Roy Varney, a standout skier from Leavitt High School, who tragically lost his life last summer in a farming accident. The races were originally scheduled for Sugarloaf, but needed to be moved to the Quarry Road Trails in Waterville a week before the event. The Central Maine Ski Club rose to the challenge of recruiting an army of volunteers on short notice to highlight their trail system and the fantastic manmade snow they’ve been blowing and grooming to near perfection since early November. Together with the Sugarloaf staff the entire organizing committee created a welcoming and first class race experience.
300 competitors travelled from throughout New England and Eastern Canada for the freestyle sprint and classic interval start races. The majority of the field consisted of junior skiers, with the notable exceptions of some top EISA skiing talent from UVM, Middlebury and Dartmouth and older club skiers from the US and Canada. Despite being open races the majority of the competitors travelled to Maine to earn their first New England Junior Nationals ranking points ( full rankings here). Over 30 Maine High School skiers participated in the weekend and on Sunday the top U16 & U18/20 boys and girls were awarded the first Roy Varney Award (the award will continue into the future – rewarding the top Maine High School skier at a selected Eastern Cup hosted in Maine).
Read full story HERE , including links to complete RESULTS, more amazing PHOTOS from @FlyingPoint and a VIDEO of the Sprints
Thinking about Year End Giving?
Here is a great incentive! All Donations of $250 or more to NENSA this December will get our special
25th Anniversay Hat!
December is the time for Year End Gifts/Giving. If you make your charitable donations in December, please keep NENSA in mind! A gift to our Annual Fund is greatly appreciated by NENSA, and, this December, all gifts of $250 or more will be the first to receive our special 25th Anniversary NENSA/SKIDA Hat! Yes, NENSA will be 25 years old in 2020! Be the first to own and proudly wear this hat! (Hat will be for sale starting in January 2020) Go to NENSA.net to donate today! And thank you!
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 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:
 Julia Kern Earns First Career World Cup Podium at World Cup Races
Last Weekend in Planica, Slovenia
December 21: Kern Earns First Career World Cup Podium Result!!!
Julia Kern overcame challenging snow conditions, rain, and lightning delays to claim her first career World Cup Podium, finishing third Saturday in Planica, Slovenia. Sophie Caldwell was fourth. On the men’s side, Simi Hamilton led three Americans into the heats, finishing 12th, Kevin Bolger was 18th and Logan Hanneman was 25th. 

“The conditions were so crazy and I think that was so fun and amusing,” said Julia, who kept the podium streak going for the U.S. women with the fifth-straight top-three result. “It was weird to stand on the podium, honestly it didn’t feel real, but I am sure the feeling will kick in later.” ...READ MORE / WATCH

December 22: U.S. Fifth, Seventh In Planica Team Sprint
The Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team women’s team of Julia Kern and Sophie Caldwell finished fifth in the team sprint in Planica, Slovenia, Sunday. The men’s team of Kevin Bolger and Logan Hanneman finished seventh. ...READ MORE
Julia Kern ROCKED the World Cup last weekend with her first WC podium
placing 3rd in the Sprints on Saturday December 21st!
New England and NENSA are SO proud of you Julia!!
Hannah Halvorsen Supported By Teammates Along The Road To Recovery
Hannah Halvorsen is as strong as any athlete on the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. Her athletic potential is remarkable. But it’s not just her athleticism that shines. Her broad smile and outgoing personality are two infectious traits that make her a great teammate too. ...READ MORE
Hannah Halvorsen gives a thumbs up following surgery in Vail at The Steadman Clinic on Dec 5.
Upcoming Events
A Look Ahead at the NENSA Calendar
Upcoming NENSA Events: