Greetings NENSA community,

I would like to acknowledge and thank ALL of the skiers who participated in this season’s Eastern Cup series, one that hosted some of the deepest and most competitive fields we have seen even in spite of the challenging weather circumstances we navigated. The 49 athletes of this year’s New England Junior National Team were named at the completion of this weekend’s races in Dublin and they are headed to Fairbanks to defend the Alaska Cup. We send this team off with the very best wishes and the knowledge that they are buoyed by deep fields of competitors and friends, challenging races under their belts, and a vibrant New England community rooting for them at home! Please see below for the Dublin race recap, team naming, important deadlines (9:00 PM Wednesday/tonight!), and…

In this week’s edition of KickZone

• New England Names 2023 Junior National Team
• Junior Nationals: Important Update and Deadlines
• Dublin Double Eastern Cup Recap
• BKL Festival Registration Deadline on Friday
• Stratton Terrain Challenge and more this weekend
• Open Junior Nordic Championships Update Jyvaskyla, Laajavuori (Finland)
• Research Opportunities
• NENSA membership
• Scenes from the Community
• Stowe Derby 2023 discount codes for NENSA members
• Toko Newsletter
• Mathias J. Bartels Community Nordic Ski Race 2023

In the news

• NNF: Team USA at the U18 Nordic Nation’s Cup in Jyvaskyla, Finland
• FasterSkier: My Friend Anni Goes to the World Cup: The Trail to Gold Fellowship Experience

Wishing you a wonderful week, and hopefully a bit of accumulation wherever you are located.

All my best,

Heidi

Heidi Lange

Executive Director

New England Nordic Ski Association

heidi@nensa.net

www.NENSA.net

Thank you!

Memberships directly support all of our year-round programming,

backing us in our mission to nurture and sustain an active cross country ski

community for all ages and levels throughout the East. 

Thank you for taking a minute to join or renew your NENSA membership,

and for the important support that it provides!

Please join me in thanking and supporting our wonderful NENSA Sponsors 

for their generous contributions and the ongoing impact that they have on NENSA programming and cross country skiing in New England!

CONGRATULATIONS to the 49 athletes who will represent the New England Junior National Team in Fairbanks, Alaska. The event takes place at the Birch Hill Trails March 13-16th. Click HERE for the full team roster. photo: D. Slover

Please update your personal on-line data on your NENSA membership

profile, acknowledge waivers and pay by no later than

Wednesday, February 22nd at 9pm. 



1. Log into your NENSA membership profile to complete / edit all required information including: 2023 NEW ENGLAND JN TEAM (roommate preferences, medical / allergies, insurance information), PARENT/ ATHLETE INFO ( emergency contacts).
2. Pay via credit card ($3279.96) HERE.
3. Fill out google form to submit Vaccination Card
4. Order your SWIX Team uniforms! (access code: swix) *Order your uniforms before the Monday 12pm 2/27 deadline – all team uniforms will be shipped to Beckwith with distribution in Boston 3/10 at flight check-in (or in AK).
5. Fill out google form to submit Negative COVID test (72 hours prior to travel)

The final Eastern Cup weekend is the last chance for juniors skiers in New England to qualify for the region’s Junior National team. These races show case some of the best racing of the season and a stacked junior field, with over 250 skiers toeing the start line each day. The weekend got off to a quick start with freestyle sprints on some very fast snow. With so many juniors racing and making the Open rounds, nearly half the field had to opportunity to race in the heats and gain valuable experience!...click HERE for more including many photos, results, and updated rankings and club scores.

Just a quick note to remind you all that online Festival registration closes this coming Friday (2/24) at 5pm!!!

Also, a quick reminder that to register for the Festival, you need to be a NENSA member. By being a member you help support our Northeastern ski community and you get member benefits including discounts from our sponsors. We also offer bulk member uploads for clubs to simplify the membership process. You can direct any membership-related questions to Preston at preston@nensa.net and read more about membership HERE.

The Bill Koch Youth Ski League Festival is the marquee event of the Bill Koch Youth Ski League. This fun annual Festival features races as well as a wide variety of exciting non-competitive winter activities for skiers of all skill and ability levels from kindergarten up to 8th grade! This year’s Festival will be held March 4-5, 2023 on the beautiful trails at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury, VT. The dedicated folks at Craftsbury are planning fun races and exciting activities with the theme North Woods in Winter! Read more about the Festival HERE and check out the Event Schedule HERE.

THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS:

Reporting Misconduct and New QR Code for Reporting

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.  

• 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.
• Reports to the Center - SafeSport hotline at 833-5US-SAFE (587-7233) or CLICK HERE to complete an online reporting form.
• 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.

Thank you for your diligence in maintaining sport safety and protecting our athletes. 

This coming Sunday is full of exciting cross country ski racing! Last year's Stratton Terrain Challenge was quite a thrill with all sorts of fun obstacles and a good mix of single track and groomed trails. In a sense it was a throw back to the days of skiing over rough natural terrain, where skiers had to be flow with the bumps and turns. This idea combined with some artificial features, like slalom gates and hay bales to traverse makes for a wicked thrill. Get out and try it at the second running of the Stratton Terrain Challenge!

If downhill thrills or long distance skiing are more up your alley, the Stowe Derby and the Lake Placid Loppet should be on your list of must-do ski events. The next stop on the NENSA Marathon Series is the Lake Placid Loppet. Based out of the newly renovated competition center at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, this event is a beautiful show case of the 1980 Olympic Legacy trails. And if those aren't hard enough for you, you can always climb the Mt. Washington Auto Road in the Ski, Shoe & Fatbike to the Clouds. Make the most of what is sure to be a memorable Sunday of skiing, by bringing along some friends and sharing in the adventure and stories! For more details on this weekend's cross country ski event choices, check out the links below:  Stratton Terrain Challenge Stowe Derby Lake Placid Loppet Ski, Shoe & Fatbike to the Clouds   

Congratulations to the New England skiers who represented Team USA at the Open Junior Nordic Championships in Finland!

Highlights:

Men's 1.4km Sprint Final Classic:

• Fin Bailey (4th)

Men's 10km Individual Start Free:

• Tabor Greenberg (1st)
• Fin Bailey (6th)

3x3km Relay Classic/Free:

• USA (1st)

Hydration Status of Endurance Athletes

A local skier, Dr. Suzanne Young, is researching hydration practices of XC skiers in New England. Please click HERE to learn more and to participate in the study by completing a survey that will take less than 5 minutes of your time. Thank you!

Role of Media in Adaptive Sports Participation

My name is Tracy Willauer. I am a doctoral student at Northcentral University and am conducting a research study on how adaptive sports are portrayed in media. The name of this research study is "Adaptive Sports Athletes' and Adaptive Sports Event Organizer's Perceptions of the influence of Media on Adaptive Sports Participation."

Please read this document to learn more about this study and determine if you would like to participate. I am seeking your consent to participate in this study. Your participation is completely voluntary, and I am here to address your questions or concerns at any point during the study.

It is time to renew NENSA memberships. NENSA membership is required for attendance at the BKL Festival, Eastern Cup, U16 and EHS Championship events, as well as for Junior National, Zak, and Club Cup rankings. NENSA members receive discounted entry fees to many of our events as well as exclusive offers from our sponsors that are constantly added and updated HERE. Membership directly supports our year-round programming, backing us in our mission to nurture and sustain an active cross country ski community for all ages and levels throughout the East. Thank you for taking a minute to tend to your renewal, and for the important support your membership provides!



THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

Stowe Derby 2023

Mt Mansfield Academy would like to extend the following coupon codes to NENSA members for the 2023 Stowe Derby:

BKL50OFFSHORT (BKL 50% discount)

BKL50OFFLONG (BKL 50% discount)                 

Remember: NENSA numbers are required for Club and Zak Cup scoring and

NENSA members receive a 20% discount on the entry fee using

the coupon code provided with membership signup/renewal. 

Mathias J. Bartels Community Nordic Ski Race 2023

The 15th annual Mathias Jessup Bartels benefit cross-country ski race and tour will be held on Sunday, February 26th at 11:30 AM at Mt. Greylock Regional School. The event will feature a lollipop race for young children at 11:30 followed by a 3K or 6K (you choose 1 lap or 2) classic race at approx. 11:50. Races are suitable for all ages and abilities.

Prizes will be awarded to overall and age category winners. A $15.00 donation is requested at day-of-race registration beginning at 10:30 AM. All proceeds benefit the Mathias Jessup Bartels Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Mt. Greylock Nordic Ski Team. Checks can be made out to: Mt. Greylock Regional School - M.J. Bartels Scholarship Fund.

In the event of limited snow coverage or for more information, please email Hilary at hgreene@williams.edu.

Can't make the race, but would still like to participate? Check out the details on how to participate virtually here: https://forms.gle/ubFXy89KCDkgAUn36

Mathias was an outstanding young man - a scholar, athlete, and leader of his class. He was a high school junior and standout member of the Mt. Greylock Nordic Ski Team when he died in his sleep on January 31, 2004 of sudden cardiac arrest due to a heart arrhythmia of unknown cause. The Mathias Jessup Bartels Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating senior who exhibits the integrity, kindness, and commitment to excellence shown by Mathias.

PHOTOS: Team USA at the U18 Nordic Nation’s Cup in Jyvaskyla, Finland

February 20,2023 | by Ben Theyerl

Each year, NNF is proud to send a delegation of the USA’s best U18 skiers to the Nordic Nation’s Cup for their first international racing experience, and to foster the exchange of nordic skiing tradition between Norway, Sweden, and Finland, and the United States. This year had a special significance, as it marked the first time the US had been able to send a delegation since the COVID pandemic began in 2020.

The results too, were extra special, as the young US skiers that remained steadfast in their commitment to skiing through the past couple of seasons made their way onto the world stage in style. Highligted by a win in the Boys Team Relay Sunday, the weekend saw individual podium finishes for Finegan Bailey (Stratton Mountain School) and Tabor Greenberg (Green Mountain Valley School), and top 10 results for Sydney Drevlow (Loppet Nordic Racing/Hopkins), Neve Gerard (Mt. Bachelor), Rose Horning (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail), and Davis Isom (Minneapolis Ski Club/Highland Park). Full results can be found from FIS here.



Stay tuned for a full recap, and in the meantime, enjoy the sights captured by team members, coaches, and supporters in Jyvaskyla, Finland this past weekend!

My Friend Anni Goes to the World Cup: The Trail to Gold Fellowship Experience

February 21, 2023 | by Ben Theyerl

All friendships have a mythology, and all mythologies have their origin story. For Annika Martell and me, that origin story takes place in a marsh outside of West Bend, Wisconsin.

Anni and I did not meet until college—we were both part of the incoming class of 2020 at Colby College that arrived on campus in Waterville, Maine in August 2016, but my mother and her father were both raised in this same heart of heartlands north of Milwaukee. At our first practice as members of the Colby College Nordic Ski Team, Anni pulled out a set of rollerskis from a ski box. Seeing that she had stuck a Green Bay Packers sticker on both rear fenders, I exclaimed, “Go Pack Go.” The smile she returned let me know that in those nerve-racked early days in the world of high-brow liberal arts education, I had found an allie in my uncut Midwestern goofiness. Through those early uneven steps out into the world, Anni was there as a steady presence to celebrate who I was in my most unfashionable, and true, self—a kid who had seen very little of the world beyond Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was all in on loving his God, his family, and the Green Bay Packers, and for whom the American Birkebeiner may as well have been the center of the universe...read more HERE

THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS:

STAY CONNECTED