Greetings NENSA community,

It takes a village and New England coaches from Bill Koch parent leaders to US Ski & Snowboard Certified Coach Developers are at the core of ours. When 50 such folks gather to learn, share, and collaborate, the results are synergistic and our community benefits enormously. This is what we had the privilege to witness in Dublin last weekend: collaboration, cross-pollination, and community building on the cusp of fall and with an eye toward winter. #SkiingBetterTogether at its roots.

It is said that skiers are made in the summer. It seems that Coaches, Event Organizers and Officials, Volunteers, Communities, and Clubs are reenergized in the fall. Enjoy all of the photos and news to that effect below. At NENSA, we can feel the buzz of club organizing, registration openings, and team gatherings! We can't wait to see you soon.

In this week’s KickZone

• 2023 YES Rollerski Clinic
• NENSA Eastern Coaches Conference Recap
• Climb to the Castle Video Recap
• The Maine Event: Oct. 22, Rumford, ME
• NENSA's TD and Event Organizer Seminar: Dec. 2-3, Holderness, NH
• New NENSA Gear Swap!
• NENSA Club Liability Insurance
• Open Coaching Positions
• NENSA Membership
• Scenes from the Community
• 2023 Women in Ski Coaching Summit: Virtual Registration Open
• Swix: How to clean fluoros from skis and tools
• Toko Team Orders
• SkiErg World Sprints: Save the Date
• US Ski & Snowboard Club Excellence Fall Summit
• Skirack: Winter Swap, Junior Lease, and Nordic Team Night

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!

This past Sunday, NENSA, EMXC, and YES collaborated to put on the third annual Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Rollerski clinic where we shared a sunny afternoon of fun and games on rollerskis with YES and Eastern Mass Cross Country. The goal of this clinic was to introduce young people in the Boston area to the summer version cross country skiing, build excitement for the winter season, and provide an opportunity for YES participants to get acquainted with the EMXC athletes who assist with coaching YES’s winter ski program. This program grew from last year’s 12 participants, more than doubling for a total of 26 participants all learning how to fasten their ski boots, strap on their skis, and get rolling! We even had a special guest working with Boston’s newest rollerskiers, SMST2/US Ski and Snowboard athlete, 2022 Olympian and Boston local, Julia Kern.

It was a fun and illuminating day of education and discussion at the Dublin School for this year’s Coaches Education Conference. Pathways included a BKL Coaches Training as well as U.S. Ski & Snowboard L100 and L200 in-person coach practicums, which continue to be offered as Continuing Education opportunities. This year, in addition to the group-specific education, we extended our day to include a Coaches Forum with a panel led discussion.

Rollerski Races have an extra positive vibe this year. From World Cup stars prepping for the upcoming season to masters focused on the events themselves, and everything in between.

The magic recipe is found somewhere in focussed efforts with low stakes and heightened encouragement.

Next up, we have a special one - The Maine Event - to be hosted at the Black Mountain of Maine. On October 22nd the Chisholm Ski Club is welcoming the progressive XCX event with live music, food and a hometown crowd ready for a show.

While we all look forward to some fast sprint racing, the event is designed to be so much more. With opportunities for exposure to agility features and clinics to simply try rollerskiing for the first time - this event has it all.

The first 50 to register will receive an event T-shirt!

Get on it - come join us!

NENSA is pleased to announce that we are collaborating with the Holderness School to host the annual Event Organizer’s and Technical Delegate Training Seminar on their campus. The event will occur December 2nd & 3rd, starting at 11:00am on the 2nd to accommodate driving times. The Holderness School is excited to share their newly renovated nordic venue with us and if we get cold enough temperatures they might have skiable snow for the event as well!

The Seminar is a combination of traditional presentations, outdoor group activities and hands on experiences, with an emphasis on collaboration. Our goal is to help the participants gain skills in event hosting for our sport, whether it be how to manage chip timing, stadium flow, or best practices hosting a jury meeting. We will cover a wide variety of topics some of more interest to event organizers and others of more interest to TDs and coaches. And back by popular demand – video review of rules infractions – what skiers think they can get away with.

Venues that are hosting an Eastern Cup, the Bill Koch Festival, U16s or Eastern High School Championships are required to send their Chief of Competition and one other representative (ideally the Race Secretary). Popular Series/Zak Cup/Club Cup hosts are not required to attend, but are strongly encouraged. Coaches looking to broaden their knowledge of event hosting in our sport are welcome to attend. We have lots of talks/conversations and hands-on activities to help us all become better event organizers and officials!

NENSA members are invited to join the new NENSA Gear Swap group!

Simply scan the QR code or visit this link. Current NENSA membership number (or your child's) must be provided. Please contact us if we can help locate that: staff@nensa.net

Whether you are trying to find some new-to-you gear for the upcoming winter, or you are looking to free up a little extra space in the ski closet, this page is for you!

THANK YOU TO OUR SILVER SPONSORS

General Liability coverage for clubs under the NENSA Master policy is back. We have worked closely with our provider and are thrilled to be able to restore this community benefit.

A Master policy aggregates coverage for the community, offers better coverage than what clubs may find individually, and saves our clubs the costs of these separate policies. It is a member benefit that we are proud to offer and that we believe will benefit our community directly through the local savings it offers to clubs.

Junior Coach

Stowe Nordic Hiring BKL/Youth Ski Program Coach

Seeking Part-time Youth Ski Coaches Winter '24

Open Coaching Positions With EMXC Skiing

Assistant Nordic Ski Coach

Designed by Kait Miller. Cost is $25 per hat (includes shipping and handling). All proceeds go to supporting NENSA's community-based programming and events.

NENSA membership is about so much more than licensing and individual benefits. As a NENSA member, you are part of a broader community helping to grow and support cross country skiing in the Northeast, ensuring that the sport we love continues to grow and thrive.

Membership revenue sustains our organization and directly supports our year-round offerings and subsidizes low and no-cost programs that make our New England ski community vibrant and inclusive.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard works to provide a safe environment in which athletes can train and compete, free from abuse and inappropriate behavior. Please review U.S. Ski & Snowboard's Athlete Safety policies, the SafeSport Code, and the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies and join us in sustaining a culture of safety.

If you are an athlete who has experienced inappropriate behavior or know of an athlete who has experienced inappropriate behavior, report a concern:

The U.S. Center for SafeSport

Hotline:  833-587-7233

Report:  CLICK HERE

U.S. Ski & Snowboard

Report: CLICK HERE

We all are part of promoting a culture of safety through education, listening, and speaking up.

THANK YOU TO OUR BRONZE SPONSORS

Learn how to become perfectly prepared for the fluoro-free era

As we approach the 2023/2024 ski season, all FIS and IBU races will use new fluoro-free waxes. It's essential to prepare your skis to match the new standards.

The rule before any competition is clear: You cannot start any race with fluoros on your skis.

We at Toko are continuing with our popular team night program to facilitate team orders through Toko dealers. We offer this program using two order forms:

1. Gloves and Bags
2. Waxes and Tools.

Team orders can be collected and submitted by a coach or volunteer to a local ski shop (hopefully a Toko dealer). The shop can then place a special order to us at discounted pricing, receive the team’s bulk order, and collect payment at pickup.

Whether you use the SkiErg for general fitness, CrossFit, adaptive conditioning or to train for competitive cross-country skiing, the 15th Annual SkiErg World Sprints on November 9–12, 2023 is a great challenge to look forward to. In addition to being an excellent training goal, it gives you a chance to put down your personal best for the 1000-meter distance and see how you stack up with others of your age and gender around the world. Check out our 4- and 6-week training plans to get you in the best shape ever for the SkiErg Sprints or for any of your athletic pursuits.

Please join us every Wednesday in October for our four-part 2023 Club Excellence Fall Summit Webinar Series - 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM MDT 

Each of these 4 sessions will provide content for coaches, administrators, parents, and volunteers to further their understanding of best principles and practices that are the foundation of a culture of continued improvement. Prior to each session, there will be an opportunity to consider your current level of knowledge; following each session you will ask and discuss questions and reflect on what you have learned. We hope you will join us for a great way to kickoff the 2023-24 winter season and we look forward to your engagement!  

• Session 1 - October 4th – Dave McCann, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Sport Education Director – “Unlocking Potential: The Blueprint for Long-Term Athlete Development”
• Session 2 - October 11th – Moderated Panel Discussion – “Elevating Excellence: The Comprehensive Program Plan” 
• Session 3 - October 18th – Bob Poehling, U.S. Ski & Snowboard High Performance Manager – “Striking the Right Balance: Achieving Peak Performance while Nurturing Long-Term Athlete Growth.”
• Session 4 - October 25th – Nadia Kyba BA, BSW, MSW, RSW, President, What Now Foundation – “Moving Your Team from Conflict to Cohesion” 

Winter Swap is a consignment type sale - you can buy, or sell, or both! Aligning with our mission of inspiring our community to pursue a lifetime of outdoor activity and environmental stewardship, we facilitate finding new homes for gear that would otherwise sit in a basement, garage or end up in a landfill.

Junior Cross Country Ski Lease

Are your kids first-time Nordic skiers? Or are they rapidly outgrowing their old equipment? If you're looking for high quality gear that fits and performs well, but don't want to break the bank, Skirack’s Junior Nordic Ski Lease Program is a great solution.

THANK YOU TO OUR OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS

New England Nordic Ski Association

P.O. Box 97

Lyme, NH 03768

Phone: 802-331-0762