Greetings NENSA Community,

“One powerful tapestry” is how the National Nordic Foundation beautifully sums up the state of US Skiing in a powerful message below (see “US Nationals Showcases Ski Community's Collective Strength, Collaborative Spirit”). What a joy to be part of the fabric of this community and to revel in our shared success!

With the welcome arrival of snow to New England, we are thrilled to share a packed newsletter this week including a wonderful coaches ed opportunity offered by Andy Newell/Nordic Team Solutions for NENSA coaches TOMORROW, some MLK Day events, and exciting news from US Nationals and the World Cup:

In this week’s KickZone

• Gunstock Freestyle Recap
• NENSA Coaches Membership Giveaway
• Nordic Team Solutions Virtual Session for NENSA Coaches, Jan. 11
• John Ogden Youth and Introductory Program Endowment
• U.S. Cross Country Ski National Championships
• NENSA Women’s XC Ski Day Update
• The 48th Annual Geschmossel Classic Ski Race
• NENSA Community Tours & Events
• Moonlit Guided Walk in the Woods Recap
• XC Ski & Snacks Tour | January 15, 2024
• Tour de Stowe and Expo | January 20, 2024
• New England BKL Festival | March 2-3, 2024

From Our Partners

• Nordic Skater: Youth Ski Packages for NENSA members
• Garnet Hill Lodge: Lodging Offer for NENSA members

In The News

• National Nordic Foundation: US Nationals Showcases Ski Community's Collective Strength, Collaborative Spirit
• US Ski & Snowboard: Diggins Wins Overall Tour de Ski; Laukli Wins First World Cup at Alpe Cermis
• Nordic Insights: Laukli Wins Final Climb, Diggins Wins Tour Overall in Val di Fiemme

Have a wonderful week!

All my best,

Heidi

Heidi Lange

Executive Director

New England Nordic Ski Association

heidi@nensa.net

www.nensa.net

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!

This year’s Gunstock Freestyle was a great collaboration between the Gunstock Nordic Association and the Holderness School. Lacking enough natural or machine-made snow at Gunstock, the event was moved to the Holderness School who provided a groomed 1.4km machine-made loop. Skiers at the event were rewarded with several inches of new fluffy snow – which is a good recipe for lots of smiles. It also made for slow driving and soft skiing conditions. Several of the racers noted that the snow made it tough, but it was a really fun race.

NENSA is pleased to offer a free one year coaches membership to a deserving high school coach in each of the New England states. This provides greater access to coaches education, course access at our events, our newsletter and other NENSA member benefits. One of the benefits is access to a webinar hosted by Nordic Team Solutions – this is Andy Newell’s coaches’ educational programming, which is run in collaboration with many other sport experts. Members will also be entered into a raffle for a Nordic Team Solutions membership. For more background information please check out their website.

This year’s winners were selected from a pool of nominees by popular vote among each state’s high school coaches associations. The goal of this year’s program is to promote professional development for newer coaches who take a highly active part in our skiing community. And the deserving winners are:

• Massachusetts: Hillary Greene of Mt. Greylock High School
• Vermont: Ross Scatchard of Stowe High School
• New Hampshire: Alyssa Krause of Sunapee High School
• Maine: Casey Spenser of Maranacook High School

Congratulations to the year’s winners. We look forward to seeing you in action on the trails this season!

Last week over 100 Eastern skiers competed at the 2024 U.S. Cross Country Ski National Championships in Midway, Utah. These races served as qualification for a number of events including the U18 Nordic Nations Cup and World Junior and World U23 Cross Country Championships.

The top-20 juniors also prequalified for Junior Nationals in Lake Placid, NY, March 11-16. Eastern Clubs and Teams qualified a potential of 15 athletes via this criteria. College coaches are encouraged to reach out to NENSA’s Competitive Program Director justin@nensa.net with potential intents for JN’s.

Congratulations to Eastern skiers who qualified for the following teams:

Junior World Championships: Planica, Slovenia, Feb. 5 - 11, 2024

Women

• Ava Thurston - Dartmouth
• Evie Walton - Dartmouth
• Sofia Sirica (alt) - Middlebury
• Hattie Barker (alt) - UNH

Men

• Jack Lange - Dartmouth
• Tabor Greenberg - GMVS

U23 World Championships: Planica, Slovenia, Feb. 5 - 11, 2024

Women

• Haley Brewster - UVM
• Nina Seeman - Dartmouth
• Shea Brams (alt) - Middlebury

Men

• John Steel Hagenbuch - Dartmouth
• Logan Moore (alt) - Middlebury

U18 Nordic Nations Cup: Falun, Sweden January 15-124th, 2024

• Tabor Greenberg - GMVS
• Amelia Circosta (alt) - Craftsbury

Each year the NENSA Women’s XC Ski Day event raises money for a nonprofit local to the event venue doing meaningful work in the community. The event raises money through registration fees, raffle ticket sales, and direct donations to the benefit organization on the registration page.

This year’s event is raising money for Safe Voices . Safe Voices currently operates the only shelter and support services for victims of domestic violence and sex trafficking and exploitation in Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford counties of Maine. Safe Voices provides one-on-one safety planning, support groups, information and referral, court advocacy, transportation and accommodation for shelter, community education, and professional trainings.

If you would like to make an additional donation to the organization, you can do so through registration. Please note that the 2024 Women’s Day event has only a few spots remaining! Inland Woods + Trails has 7km of skiable terrain and it is sure to be another spectacular event this year. Don’t delay, as we have had waitlists for the event for the past few years. There is no day-of registration this year and we will not be accepting day of substitutions for folks who are no shows. Thanks for understanding!

THANK YOU TO OUR SILVER SPONSORS

Carter’s XC Ski Center hosted the first of their Moonlit guided tour for this season. This is the second event in NENSA’s Community Tours & Event Series. The tour was led by Jes Carter, a second generation touring center operator and 7th generation steward of the property. The group enjoyed learning about the Carter’s connection to the land, how they came to operate the touring center, along with great colorful stories. Participants also enjoyed the wooded trails at night – looking for animal tracks and marveling at the dark shapes of giant conifers. The tour reached the bank of the Androscoggin River, who’s black and glassy surface flowed quietly by.

Carter’s XC Ski will be hosting a second Moonlit Guided Tour on February 10th. If you’re headed to Bethel for the Flying Moose Race, this Tour is great entertainment the evening before. For more details HERE.

NENSA memberships expire on April 30 and must be renewed annually. Now is a perfect time to check your membership status and take care of your renewal as various announcements of a fun and full winter season are being rolled out!

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!

NENSA membership provides...

• Access to Eastern Cup, Bill Koch Festival, and U16 and Eastern High School Championship events
• Education at Eastern Coaches Conferences and TD/Event Organizer Seminars
• Eligibility for the NENSA Development and Elite Teams and the New England Junior National Team
• Discounted entry to NENSA events
• Scoring and ranking in our Eastern Cup, Popular, and Rollerski series
• NENSA Kickzone and Trail Tales youth newsletter subscriptions
• Exclusive discounts and special offers from NENSA sponsors, continually updated on the Member Benefits page
• Access to the NENSA Gear Swap

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

Youth Ski Packages!

Introductory Junior Classic Package

Classic Fishscale Skis, Bindings, Poles, Classic Boots - $250

Junior Race Classic

Classic Skin Skis, Bindings, Poles, Combi Boots - $450

Junior Race Skate

Skate Skis, Bindings, Poles, Combi Boots - $450

Contact AJ Parks and provide your NENSA membership number: (603) 763-2727

Lodging Offer for NENSA Members

NENSA members receive free 20% discount off standard published rates from Jan 2 through Jan 18 and during all of March.

Contact Garnet Hill Lodge, provide your 2023-24 NENSA membership number to make a reservation, and present your valid NENSA member card (you receive this on your confirmation email after renewing or joining NENSA) when checking in.

US Nationals Showcases Ski Community's Collective Strength, Collaborative Spirit

by NNF | January 10, 2024

After a solo victory during the Junior Men's 10 K Skate Mass Start in Soldier Hollow, Utah last week, Dartmouth Ski Team's Jack Lange couldn't help but think of a team effort. In post-race remarks, he told Nordic Insight's Gavin Kentch that amid the pack, the largest ever to race a US Nationals junior race, there wasn't a drive away from each other, but instead a drive together:

"The camaraderie and mutual drive for excellence shared among my friends, teammates, and competitors truly embodies the spirit of the American ski community. This collective effort and inspiration are what make achievements like this possible." - Jack Lange, Dartmouth Ski Team

Read Nordic Insight's Entire Coverage of the Race HERE

There were other signs that a collective drive for excellence is animating the entire US Ski Community as it was, geographically speaking, as centralized as its mission last week. While the largest US Nationals field ever raced a full week together in Utah, everyone also kept their eyes turned half a world away to the US Ski Team racing its best ever Tour de Ski. The effect, as Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher raced to their first World Cup podiums, Sophia Laukli raced to her first World Cup victory, and Jessie Diggins captured the Tour de Ski Overall title, was to trace the lineages and the connections of some of the world's best skiers through a community stretching a continent.

Around wax cabins, and out on course, those that supported and helped those American skiers grow let out collective shouts of exaltation, joy, and revelry, each punctuated as the success of their skiers came a little closer to home. The New Englanders, and the University of Vermont, hailed Ben Ogden's journey from the Bill Koch League to the World Cup podium. Cheers abounded from the Alaskans - concentrated in the Alaska Winter Stars and Alaska Pacific University - as Gus Schumacher charged to a World Cup podium. The University of Utah was their to hail their alumni Sophia Laukli on Sunday, along with an entire community changed by the attitude and passion of Jessie Diggins. Up close, it was a the support and growth cut and grooved through individuals, but from afar the whole thing was one, powerful tapestry.

That tapestry, the entire US Ski Community driving together, is ultimately the animating force we're dedicated to supporting at NNF. While Team USA made everyone gathered for Nationals proud on the Tour de Ski last week, there was also a cadre of tomorrow's champions who qualified for the trips and Pillar Projects that NNF supports, and will now have the opportunity to represent the US while taking their first steps onto the world's stage later this month. Stay tuned, as these Pillar Projects unfold over the next month:

U18 Nordic Nation's Trip, Starting Jan. 15th, Falun, Sweden - The top U18 skiers in the country get their first chance to race internationally at one of skiing's most historic venues.

U23/Junior World Ski Championships, Starting Feb. 5th, Planica, Slovenia - The top Juniors and U23 skiers in the country head to the host of last year's World Ski Championships to represent the United States.

Qualifying lists for all trips available HERE

Click Below for Further Coverage from US Nationals:

Diggins Wins Overall Tour de Ski; Laukli Wins First World Cup at Alpe Cermis

by Courtney Harkins | January 7, 2024

On a historic day for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team at the final stage of the Tour de Ski, Jessie Diggins clinched her second overall Tour de Ski victory and Sophia Laukli won her first ever World Cup on the famed Alpe Cermis hill climb and is now the youngest American to ever win a cross country individual World Cup. 

After six stages of races, the athletes were drained, but the last six athletes on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team left in the stage race lined up on the start line to finish out the 2023-24 Tour de Ski. The final stage was a mass start, where all the athletes left in the tour are off the line at once. Off the start line, everyone took a lap around the previous day's 2.5k course, then on a windy path to the start of the infamous climb, which concludes with 4 kilometers straight up an alpine ski mountain. The hill has an average gradient of nearly 12% and peaks with a gradient of 28%.

Diggins led the overall by 43 seconds after the last stage in Val di Fiemme, Italy, and attacked, but two-time Tour de Ski winner Heidi Weng of Norway threatened and pushed the pace. Diggins used everything she had to maintain her overall lead and cross the finish line in sixth, winning the overall by 31.6 seconds. Weng was second in the overall while Kertuu Niskanen of Finland finished third.

But it was Laukli who had the glory of the World Cup stage win. Even with a fall, she powered past her competitors to win easily—barely looking winded as she crossed the finish line. Laukli, this summer’s winner of the overall Golden Trail World Series trail running series, excels at hill climbs and had her first podium in 2023 at the same venue. It is the first time an American has won the Final Climb. 

Laukli Wins Final Climb, Diggins Wins Tour Overall in Val di Fiemme

by Nordic Insights | January 11, 2024

Sophia Laukli dropped the field, then dropped the mic. Over the final kilometer of the epochal climb up Alpe Cermis that closes out the Tour de Ski, the pride of Yarmouth, Maine, skied away from her closest challenger, Heidi Weng, like she was standing still. She crossed the line in 38:16.5 with a 17-second lead, then effected an unmistakable mic drop with her right hand. She was wearing gloves, and ski poles, and had just destroyed an hors catégorie climb, and she still pulled it off. It ruled.

It is Laukli’s first career World Cup victory. She was third and fifth in this stage the last two years.

Laukli reflected on her victory in post-race comments. “It feels really insanely good,” she said. “Super fun to get my first victory but it also feels great to have one of the best races of my life, feelings-wise and tactics, and how everything just played out. This is really motivating for the rest of the season, and future seasons in general, and trying to do this thing in more than just the hill climb. I’m feeling really motivated for skiing in general!”

THANK YOU TO OUR OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS

New England Nordic Ski Association

P.O. Box 97

Lyme, NH 03768

Phone: 802-331-0762