Greetings NENSA Community ~
We would like to thank everyone ~ our donors, sponsors, and bidders for making this year's Auction our most successful to date! We raised $19,421 surpassing our $15k goal. Thank you to everyone for supporting NENSA and all we do to bring you great programming year-round!
Our winter race season is in full swing with two races this coming weekend at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. The Rodrigues Sprints on Saturday and the Kendall Classic on Sunday ~ both races named after two amazing humans that we miss greatly in our ski community. Next weekend, December 18th & 19th will be our Eastern Cup Opener at Quarry Road in Waterville ME. See the box below for more information and to register.
Kait Miller, our Youth & Introductory Program Director, and I hosted a BKL Parent/Leader Coaching clinic at Prospect Mountain on Sunday 12/5 that was attended by 40 BKL leaders from Prospect and the Notchview BKL programs. It is so wonderful to see the enthusiasm for our NENSA BKL youth program here in New England, and I am happy to report that our youngest athletes are in great hands!
Here is what we have for you in this edition of KickZone:
- Recap of our first Popular/Citizen Race of the season held last Sunday at Quarry Road
- Winter Competition Primer 2021-2022
- NENSA is partnering with the outdoor activity App Pastimes
- NENSA's BKL BINGO is open for the season!
- Registration Open for 2022 Women’s Day at Rikert Nordic Center 1/23/22
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From our Partners & In The News: From U.S. Ski & Snowboard ~ Lillehammer World Cup Recaps from last weekend; From the Bennington Banner, an article on climate change and cross country skiing
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!
Best,
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!
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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Popular Racing Kicks Off in Style
at Quarry Road last weekend
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On a beautiful sunny December day, skiers descended upon the trails at Quarry Road, where the snowmaking crew had worked their magic to create a loop for the first race in NENSA’s season long Popular Race Series. We saw lollipop skiers, middle school, high school, collegiate, seniors and masters in action at the event. The return of spectators to ski races was marked by a sizable cheering squad of parents, coaches, and teammates.
Even with 157 racers, there was ample room on the course. Granular snow made for fast and fun conditions. The stars of today’s race showed their alacrity of keeping up with the glide speed of the snow. They were also challenged by the lap lane’s hairpin turn.
...read full story, see results, and lots of great @flyingpointroad photos HERE
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THANK YOU TO OUR ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
L.L.Bean and SWIX & Salomon!
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Striding into the Future:
Winter Competition Primer 2021-2022
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The following weekend 12/18-12/19 we return to Quarry Road for the first Eastern Cup of the Season, the Roy Varney Memorial.
The Eastern Cup Series features a balance of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS sanctioned events, and a few additional Popular racing opportunities.
NENSA would like to highlight that Club Cup Standings will include all Popular and Eastern Cup races for the winter of 2021-2022. The goal is to bring the entire community together across our competitive programming and provide an overall ranking of Club participation and performance. Eastern Cups will also be scored as individual events...click HERE for the full story
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS: |
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NENSA Partners with Pastimes |
We are excited to announce that we are partnering with Pastimes to promote our programming and races!
Pastimes is a mobile app that makes it easy to find outdoor partners, groups, cool events and gear near you. Pastimes makes discovering and building community a snap. We are working with Pastimes to raise the visibility of NENSA and attract new folks to our programming. For our existing members, Pastimes offers an easy centralized way to discover our programming. Find all NENSA events on Pastimes including registration links, info, and more. You can also find new outdoor friends near you and share your availability for 90+ outdoor activities!
Pastimes was built by a team of outdoor enthusiasts that wanted to help connect folks to get outside and recreate. Professional Cross Country skiers – Julia Kern and Adam Martin are enthusiasts that have helped build Pastimes. You can download Pastimes from the App Stores – Google and Apple.
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA SUPPORTING SPONSORS: |
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2021-22 XC Ski Bingo Started December 1st! |
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.
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Registration Open for 2022 Women’s Day at Rikert Nordic Center ~
Sunday January 23, 2022
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Women’s Day registration is open!!! We are excited to announce that this year’s event will be held at Rikert Nordic Center in Ripton, VT. They hosted back in 2015 and we are looking forward to being back on their beautiful trails.
New England Women’s XC Ski Day was started in 2002 by former Olympian Trina Hosmer of Stowe, VT. Trina was inspired by her “sisters in skiing” in Anchorage, Alaska, who started the Alaska Ski for Women in 1997. The highlight of the day is learn-to-ski clinics with self-identified women instructors; the emphasis being on relaxed, fun learning with other self-identified women. Registration includes cross-country ski clinics, wax demonstrations, a fantastic prize drawing, a fabulous lunch, and a donation to our benefit organization
This year our benefit organization is 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. If you would like to make a donation to the organization, you can do so through registration. You can also pre-order this year’s official Women’s Day Skida hat!
Please click HERE for the Women’s XC Ski Day Page on the NENSA website for full details on lodging, rentals, and clinic information.
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IN THE NEWS:
Lillehammer World Cup Recaps
December 3
Diggins Second, Brennan Fifth in Lillehammer Freestyle Sprint
Jessie Diggins earned her first podium of the season, finishing second, while Rosie Brennan was fifth in Friday’s FIS Cross Country World Cup freestyle sprint on a new course in Lillehammer, Norway. Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist edged Digging by 0.35 seconds to win her second World Cup sprint of the season, as Norway’s Tiril Udnes Weng earned her first career individual World Cup podium, finishing third. ...READ MORE
December 4
Fresh Snow, Cheering Fans Power Brennan Onto Lillehammer Podium
Fresh snowfall and cheering fans have a way of bringing out the best in Rosie Brennen.
“It was a great day for me today,” Brennan said after posting her first FIS Cross Country World Cup podium of the season, finishing third in the 10k freestyle individual start in Lillehammer Norway. “It snowed a bit overnight and the winter conditions were beautiful. I love skiing in new snow. It was great to have spectators out there today too! I forgot how fun it is to have fans.” ...READ MORE
December 5
Kern Powers USA 1 to Fourth In Lillehammer Team Relay
The Davis U.S. Cross Country Team wrapped up three days of FIS World Cup racing by fielding four teams in the men's and women’s relay, with the women’s Team USA 1 fighting back to finish fourth Sunday. “The team relay spirit was out in full force!” said Julia Kern, who skied a tactical final leg for USA 1, pulling back five positions and out-sprinting Finland’s Jasmi Joensuu to finish in fourth. “It has been a blast to have such a big team on the road, with veterans, but also a lot of first-timers, adding a lot of new energy to the team.” ...READ MORE
Live SuperTour Streaming
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Julia Kern out-sprinting Finland’s Jasmi Joensuu to lead USA 1 to a fourth-place finish in the 4x5k team relay in Lillehammer, Norway, Sunday. (Modica/NordicFocus) |
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December 2
From the Bennington Banner:
For cross-country skiing centers, a warmer, wetter Vermont means an uncertain future
The Vermont Climate Assessment released last month says the state has gotten warmer and wetter in the past 120 years, as climate change from greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continues.
“Average winter temperatures in Vermont are generally well below 32 degrees Fahrenheit ... but have steadily increased by roughly 3.3 degrees Fahrenheit since the early 1900s,” states the report, which was drafted by the University of Vermont’s Fund Institute for Environment. “Winter temperature variability also is significant, as temperatures may range more widely during the winter season.”
But cross-country skiing centers and longtime supporters of Nordic skiing throughout Southern Vermont didn’t need to see a report to know the state’s winter climate is changing — or that they need to adopt new strategies for the sport’s long-term survival.
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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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