Greetings NENSA Community ~

In this weeks KickZone:
  • Our final Eastern Cup weekend #4 ~ two days of racing ~ three races total ~ at two venues! Saturday 2/15 will be the Dublin Double at the Dublin School in NH, and Sunday 2/16 will be the Cherri Walsh Memorial at the Holderness School in NH. There will be DOR registration for both days of racing! But you need to get there early to sign up if you are doing DOR ~ Thanks!
  • On Sunday February 16th, after the final Holderness EC race ~ our New England JN Team will be named on site! There will be an awesome raffle with $1500 in prizes for ALL EC racers at 1:30pm that day ~ as well as the JN Team naming, meet & greet the JN staff, trip logistics Q&A as well as JN uniform try-ons and the SWIX team hats given out!
  • FLOURO Wax collection at this weekends final Eastern Cup races
  • Recap and photos from last weekends Eastern Cup ~ the Chisholm Eastern Cup and Bates Carnival in Rumford ME.
  • Championship season approaches for high school skiers with the U16 & EHS VT, MA and NH State qualifier races recaps
  • Flying Moose Recap by Damein Bolduc
  • Two New England Nordic Combined athletes qualify for World Juniors (and our NE JN Team)
  • Upcoming Popular Races this weekend include: John Roderick Marathon & Zak Cup in Rumford ME.
  • Sign up for NENSA's Women's Day ~ Sunday February 23rd in Bethel ME ~ Cami Thompson Graves will be the special lunch Guest Speaker along with our fantastic morning and afternoon clinics for all abilities, THE raffle, and so much more!
  • The New England BKL Festival is fast approaching ~ February 29th and March 1st at Great Glen in NH.
  • The latest Zak and Club Points have been updated on the rankings page
  • World Cup recaps from last weekends races in Falun Sweden
  • NENSA's 2019-20 Wax Policy
  • SafeSport Information
  • NENSA's Calendar of Events ~ check out our full calendar with links to all of the races this season at the bottom of this newsletter.

Hope to see you 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
Fluoro Collection this coming weekend!
Driven by public demand and the clear notion that cross country skiing is moving towards a fluoro-free world -- NENSA would like to offer an opportunity for individuals to donate their unused fluoros (such as fluoro top coats, sprays, powders, and LF & HP paraffin's) which will either be used at 2020 Junior Nationals or disposed of in a proper manner, before the beginning of next season.

Collection will take place at registration both days of Eastern Cup Finals in Dublin and Holderness - a final opportunity will be available before the 1:30pm raffle and awards at Holderness at the conclusion of the Cheri Walsh Memorial.
Championship Season Approaches
for High School Skiers
For New England high school skiers, U16 Eastern Championships and Eastern High School Championships are some of the most exciting events of the year. The U16 Eastern Championships (U16s) began modestly in 1992 and has grown into one of the highlights of the season for junior athletes. U16s this year will be held at Mountain Top Inn & Resort in Chittenden, VT on March 6-8.

Eastern High School Championships (EHSC) is the premier event for high school and prep school racers in New England and New York. Athletes qualify for both championships through state qualifying races. Each New England state and New York can bring their fastest 24 boys and girls. EHSC this year will be hosted by Gore Mountain in North Creek, NY on March 13 – 15 and will feature the return of the popular Cross Country Cross (XCX) race in place of the traditional sprint race.
Click HERE for full story, MA, VT and NH results, and for more info on U16's and EHS
Chisholm Eastern Cup Recap
This past Saturday at  Black Mountain  in Rumford Maine, skiers arrived for the Chisholm Eastern Cup and day two of the Bates Carnival [ Day One Recap ]. The rain had stopped thanks to a biting cold wind that dropped temperatures below zero. As the parking lot filled, and the Racers, from as far away as Lake Placid, warmed up for a blue bird day of great racing, it was time to get skiing. Race headquarters was abustle the minute the doors opened, thanks to the tremendously helpful Chisholm volunteers, Bullitt Timing with the seed/start lists, and a smooth as silk bib delivery. As the course flags whipped, One hundred and sixty-six racers lined up for the start of the Womens 5k Freestyle.
The Middlebury Panthers had the podium at close to a full sweep, as Alexandra Lawson finished with a strong kick, well ahead of team mate Sophia Laukli, followed by as Margie Freed from the University of Vermont, who took third. The U18 women were led in by Nina Seemann from the Stratton Mountain School, followed by an amazing tied race for Amelia Tucker and Shea Brams both from Cambridge Sports Union. For the U16 girls CSU took first and second with Sofia Scirica and Evelyn Walton, followed by Hattie Barker from Mansfield Nordic Club in third. [RESULTS HERE]

Click HERE for full story, and to see a full gallery of RVG PHOTOS from the weekend
Will Koch crosses the finish line in first!
Flying Moose Classic Race Report
by Damian Bolduc – NWVE
Well over 100 skiers converged on Bethel, Maine for the Annual Flying Moose Classic. This family-oriented event has been a Club Series favorite for much over a decade, attracting racers of all ages and abilities. This year’s edition was no different. Participants were treated to a little slice of paradise on a Bluebird ski day!  Results
The previous two days of tumultuous weather gave way to a bright sunny day. Before the storm moved out, it left several inches of new snow. The Bethel Inn had a firm base before the storm, but what it left much-improved things. As we drove eastward, it was easy to tell that the big snow event was to the west, and we were driving into areas that saw a lot more rain. There was significant snow the whole way, but we were moving from feet of snow to inches.
We arrived in Bethel with little time to spare but saw the familiar scene of skiers going about preparations for a classic race. One of the defining elements of the Flying Moose is that there is always a large contingent of high school racers competing in the 10km. It is fun to see the coaches reining in a distracted young waxer, as well as, the egos of many who have never raced against such “old” people. The spectrum of skiing is broad, and while the youth are on a trajectory upward, many do not know how high the arc can go. While they may be right that the masters are on a downward trajectory, they are not prepared for whooping that the masters are about to issue to them in a race twice the distance. They need to look past the overhanging bellies, tight race-suits, and gray hair to see the precision to which we execute our waxing, warm-ups and as Jim Fredericks (MNC) once told me when I was their age, “elimination of all the variables to gain any advantage our experience, and income can afford us.”

Click HERE for full race report
NENSA's Women's Day is just a few short weeks away ~ sign up today!
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.

Cami Thompson Graves, Head Coach of the Dartmouth Cross Country Ski team will be our special guest lunch speaker. SKIDA once again is providing this great hat for our 2020 Women's Day, and as always the day includes both morning and afternoon clinics with top notch coaches, a great lunch and our amazing raffle! This photo to the left was taken TODAY!! The trails look amazing!

Link to more info and registration page click HERE
JN Team Naming, meet the JN staff, and the Holderness School awesome raffle (for all!)
on Sunday February 16th at 1:30pm
On Sunday February 16th, at 1:30pm, after the last Eastern Cup race at the Holderness School, NENSA will be naming our 2020 New England Junior National Team on site! We will have our usual team of 42 athletes, plus Autos and 13 staff members attending JN's in Truckee CA this March 7th-15th. Please come to the JN Team Naming ~ all are invited!

We will:
  • Name the 2020 New England Team
  • Distribute the 2020 Team Hats from SWIX
  • Distribute the 2020 staff vests from LL Bean
  • Sample sizes for trying on of our SWIX NE JN Team uniform (before ordering)
  • THE famous Holderness Raffle for ALL Eastern Cup racers that day ~ over $1500 in raffle prizes!
  • Do a final flouro collection (see box at the top of this newsletter)

**A reminder to please review the RANKINGS if you are hoping to be included on the team, and contact Justin@nensa.net if you have any questions or concerns. AUTOS ~ please confirm or decline your spot with Justin too!
Zak and Club Points Update!
Click HERE to see all the latest rankings for the Zak Cup and Club points so far this season!
Special Savings and Offered from our
NENSA Sponsors on NENSA.net
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!
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:
World Cup Race Recaps
World Cup Circuit Resumes in Scandinavia
Members of the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team geared up for the next round of the FIS Cross Country World Cup after enjoying a rare week off the race circuit. Racing resumed this past weekend in Scandinavia with classic sprint and freestyle distance races in Falun, Sweden.

Starting for the U.S. last weekend were Kevin Bolger, Logan Hannemann, Ben Saxton, Ian Torchia, David Norris, Sophie Caldwell, Jessie Diggins, Rosie Brennan, Sadie Bjornsen, Hailey Swirbul, Caitlin Patterson, and Alayna Sonnesyn.

February 8th: Caldwell Leads Four Americans Into Top 25 in Falun Sprint:
Sophie Caldwell led four Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team teammates into the points, finishing seventh in Saturday’s FIS Cross Country World Cup classic sprint in Falun, Sweden. ...READ MORE

February 9th: Four Americans Score World Cup Points in Falun
Four American’s finished in the points in Sunday’s FIS Cross Country World Cup distance races on a wet, sloppy track in Falun, Sweden, led by Jessie Diggins in 14th. ...READ MORE
Sophie Caldwell finished seventh in Saturday's classic sprint in Falun, Sweden. (www.nordicfocus.com. © Modica/NordicFocus)
2020 Junior World Championship Team Announced for Nordic Combined ~
including two athletes from New England
PARK CITY, Utah February 2, 2020 – A team of 17 American ski jumping and nordic combined athletes have been named to the 2020 Junior World Championship Team that will compete later this season in Oberwiesenthal, Germany. The team will compete in a total of nine medal events from February 28th to March 8th. The 2020 Nordic World Championships will also feature the first ever mixed team event for nordic combined, teaming up two male and two female competitors from each nation. 
Congrats to Henry Johnstone (Concord, Mass.) and Evan Nichols (Lyme, N.H.), who are the two New England athletes who have made this team. Both Henry and Evan also auto qualifed for our New England Junior National Team in Truckee CA.
Upcoming Events
A Look Ahead at the NENSA Calendar
U pcoming NENSA Events: