Winter Solstace Greetings!

As 2020 comes to a close, I want to thank you all for your support of NENSA. Your memberships and donations all directly support the programing we do. If you are able to do some year end giving, we want you let you know that year end giving to NENSA just got a lot easier! The CARES Act added a new $300 charitable contribution deduction for 2020, and we have some incentive gifts for you to choose from. See the box below for more information, and thank you!

Here's what we have in store for you in the boxes below ~

  • This week we are honored to announce our NENSA 2020 Chummy Broomhall Volunteer Award recipient ~ Jim Rodrigues
  • Quarry Road Maine Cup Opener Recap
  • December Club KM Challenge update
  • Year End Giving to NENSA ~ we have some lovely incentive gifts for you to choose from for gifts of $250 or more
  • BKL Youth BINGO is in full swing ~ this state by state virtual game started on December 1st and will run all season. Join the FUN and win some great LL Bean prizes including US Ski Team hats and gift cards!
  • Change of date for our NENSA Women's XC Ski Day ~ now to be held on February 21st in 4 states and 5 different locations, so you don't have to travel far to be a part of the fun!
  • From our Partners: U.S. Ski and Snowboard recaps from the World Cup action from Dresden Germany

I also want to say a special thank you to ALL of our NENSA Sponsors ~ they are all such a HUGE part of our NENSA programing continued success, and we so appreciate them all continuing to support NENSA, even in this very difficult time.

Happy skiing in your corner of New England ~ Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
Best,
Amie

Amie W. 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
NENSA News from the Field
Highlights and Notes from NENSA and the Nordic World
Our 2020 NENSA
Chummy Broomhall Award
recipient is Jim Rodrigues
Chummy Broomhall Award: This award is named after Chummy, who was the Chisholm Ski Club leader for 70 plus years, 2 time Olympian, and builder of the Olympic race courses for Squaw Valley, Lake Placid and Black Mountain. He embodied the spirit of being a volunteer as he was a man who gave his time to generations. It is in this spirit that this award be in his honor for the unsung heroes of ski racing.

This year’s recipient of our NENSA 2020 Chummy Broomhall Award is Jim Rodridgues ~ posthumous.

Last February, during one of our weekly NENSA staff meetings, we started talking about our NENSA Awards for 2020. Two awards were easily and unanimously decided that day – our Chummy Award and our John Caldwell Award recipients. This was just a few short weeks before Jim’s sudden and unexpected death. We wish he could be here now to receive this award – we know he would have been thrilled – for the honor, and for the association with Chummy – a dear friend of his and part of his Chisholm Ski Club.  

After growing up in the city of Oakland California, Jim learned to ski when he was 18 at Yosemite National Park, and soon became a backcountry guide for 10 years. In 1985 Jim moved to New Hampshire, as the XC Ski Director at Temple Mountain in Peterborough New Hampshire, where he built ski trails, and by 1989 had a 1 km lighted loop with snowmaking. During that time he was also the Milford High School XC Ski Coach bringing the team along to five State Championship titles. 

Jim was the Event Director at the New England Nordic Ski Association for 12 years, and helped create a higher standard of New England Nordic ski racing. Jim launched an annual Event Organizer Seminar to help New England race directors and venues raise the bar in their operations ranging from homologation of championship level race courses to hosting youth events. He was a tremendous regional resource, quietly helping bring premier competitions to our region. Jim has been a tireless volunteer and resource to so many individuals and organizations for over 40 years...read full story HERE
NENSA Racing Update:
Quarry Road Maine Cup Opener Recap /
Zak & Club / DCKC
Please continue to be safe out there folks – stay local – and help us maintain the health of not just our skiers, but all the communities we visit.  If you feel off – DON’T GO.

Quarry Road Maine Cup Opener Recap:
This past Sunday, a strong field of Mainers toed the line at Quarry Road Trails for an individual start classic race. The course was in fantastic shape thanks to the hard work of the snowmakers and groomers. All event attendees complied with NENSA, state, and venue COVID regulation in addition to completing pre-event and morning-of screening processes to ensure the event was as safe as possible. Click HERE for the results highlights with links to full results, and some photos. Stay tuned for a lengthier recap, including video and more photos, later this week. Thanks to the Quarry Road crew for putting on a fun event and to Bullitt for the excellent timing!

Zak and Club Cup:
Zak and Club scoring look a little different this year with accommodations to provide competitive experiences for all, with a focus on getting clubs active throughout the season.   Zak Cup rankings have been updated for the first time this season and we have some clubs really getting after it in the December Club KM Challenge. We’re recording overall kilometers skied throughout all the events that will score for the overall Club Champions – incentivized by the A Hall Mark of Excellence award money.  As of today, we are just shy of 20,000 km skied in December!  There are a smaller number of events this season due to COVID complications – so get planning and figure out how you will make your mark. Popular Race Calendar.

December Club KM Challenge:
There are currently eleven clubs participating in the DCKC — logging nearly 20,000 km to date, or roughly 870km per day. As a reminder you can reach out to the Competitive Program Director directly to share club activity or update your data on the #DCKC form here.  There are likely many kilometers that haven’t been recorded or submitted – there’s no cost to NENSA clubs – and $9000 of reward for the top three clubs over the course of the season. Get out and enjoy the upcoming snow and join in the fun!
Year End Giving to NENSA just got a little easier! The CARES Act added a new $300 charitable contribution deduction for 2020
The CARES Act, which went into effect this spring, established a new above-the-line deduction for charitable giving. You can write off up to $300 in cash donations on your 2020 income tax return!!

The CARES Act, included a “partial above the line deduction” for charitable contributions. This allows people who take the standard deduction - which is $12,400 for single filers and $24,800 for married-filing-jointly in 2020 - to claim a deduction of up to $300 in donations.
You’d claim this tax break when you file your 2020 return next spring.

So giving a few bucks to your favorite charity (like NENSA!) by 12/31/20 means you can collect a tax break for it next spring! Click here to donate any amount, and we thank you for considering NENSA in your charitable giving plans!
GIVING: DONATE to NENSA today, and thank you!

For any donation of $250 or more, we have three incentive gifts for you to choose from:
  1. Our NENSA/SKIDA 25th Anniversary Hat ~ 25 years in 2020
  2. Our snowflake NENSA/SKIDA fleece line neck-warmer
  3. From our partners at Cabot Cheese Cooperative ~ a $25 gift box of cheese!
NENSA/SKIDA 25th Anniversary Hat
Receive a Gift Certificate for a $25 Gift Box of Cabot Cheese!
BKL XC Ski Bingo Opened December 1st
It was all smiles for our first BKL Vermonter who submitted her completed Bingo Card to us this week!

NENSA is psyched to be partnering with LL Bean and some northeastern Ski Centers in a fun, free, engaging youth cross country ski game this winter: XC Ski Bingo! Every few weeks we will raffle off LL Bean US Ski Team Pom Hats and $20 LL Bean gifts cards to players who completed Bingo. Players can submit more than one Bingo throughout the season if each one is unique.

Download and print the Bingo card for your state and get ready for some winter adventuring. Be sure to fill out the BINGO ENTRY FORM when you get Bingo. We’ve got Bingo cards specific to Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont with local Ski Centers to ski at and fun activities to complete. Activity descriptions and info about participating Ski Centers included in the Bingo card downloads below.


Rules of the Game:
  1. Must be under 14 years of age to play.
  2. Game runs from December 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.
  3. Get “Bingo” by completing the activities and skiing at the Centers in a full row, column, or diagonal.
  4. Document your activities and the Ski Centers you skied at with photos and mark your Bingo card.
  5. Fill out the Bingo entry form once you’ve completed Bingo. You will include your activity and Ski Center photos and a picture of your marked Bingo card.
  6. Follow all state COVID-19 Regulations: MA, ME, NH, NY, or VT.
  7. Get outside and HAVE FUN!!!
  8. Direct any questions to kait@nensa.net
NENSA's Women’s Day postponed to
February 21st
We have moved Women’s XC Ski Day from Sunday January 24th 2021 to Sunday February 21st 2021. Our priority is keeping everyone as safe and healthy as possible, and we believe we will have a better chance of hosting the whole event in each state, and that our events will be safer, if we postpone by a month. We are also keenly aware that such an event is not possible right now in Vermont and we are waiting to see how those regulations change. We appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we navigate this uncertain winter!
We still have space available for Vermonter’s in the Woodstock event, and if you’re based in Massachusetts, Maine, or New Hampshire, you can add yourself to the event-specific waitlist under registration.
We also want to let registrants and future registrants know that, thanks to UnTapped, we will be offering pre-packaged Maple Chai Waffle snacks at Women’s Day this year! And don’t forget about the fuzzy LL Bean flannel shirt also included in registration…
Hey NENSA members ~ click on this banner ad below from Trapp Family Lodge to purchase your season's pass membership ~ and get ready for a great season of cross country skiing and exploring the trails at Trapps!
Hey NENSA members ~ check this new offer out ~ subscribe to Cross Country Skier Magazine for just $12!! Click on the ad below for the offer, and to enjoy a years worth of gorgeous photos and wonderful articles!
NENSA COVID-19 Considerations ~
Contingency Planning
for our Events and Races
this coming season
The Covid-19 pandemic poses significant challenges to NENSA’s 2020-21 winter event schedule. We are committed to hosting races and will make every effort to safely put on events in whatever form they might take. Our first objective is to ensure the health of our community in New England. Our second objective is to host our major events: Eastern Cups, Popular Races, U16 and Eastern High School Championships, the Bill Koch Festival, and Women’s Day as scheduled. To further foster excitement and an inclusive and community-centric atmosphere around skiing, NENSA will also be organizing some new fun season long challenges and goal-oriented activities.  Skiers are encouraged to limit their travel and attend events that are within their region and state.

....click HERE for the current NENSA plans for Eastern Cups, Popular/Citizen Racing, U16 & EHS Camps, BKL Festival and Women's Day

Venues, event hosts and event organizers, BKL Club Leaders check out:
From our NENSA Partners:
December 19: Caldwell Hamilton Second In Dresden Sprint As Eight Americans Score Points
Sophie Cladwell Hamilton led another huge day for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, finishing second in the freestyle sprint in Dresden, Germany, Saturday. 

Eight Americans advanced to the heats, with four advancing to the finals. Sophie took her 10th career individual World Cup podium as Jessie Diggins posted her best result of the season so far, finishing fourth. In the men’s race, both Simi Hamilton and Kevin Bolger advanced to the finals, with Simi finishing fifth, and Kevin posting a World Cup career-best result in sixth. ...READ MORE / RESULTS

December 20: Diggins, Caldwell Hamilton Fourth in Dresden Team Sprint
The chaotic, exciting, rough and tumble season of FIS Cross Country World Cup team sprinting opened Sunday in Dresden, Germany, with three Davis U.S. Cross Country Teams advancing to the finals, led by Jessie Diggins and Sophie Caldwell Hamilton finishing fourth. ...READ MORE / RESULTS

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Park City Cross Country Skier Rosie Brennan Sitting Atop The World Cup Hill
Rosie Brennan chose to go sledding as her way of celebrating her back-to-back World Cup cross country skiing victories last week. And that seems like a perfect metaphor for how she came to own the No. 1 overall World Cup ranking, plus two wooden Swiss sleds, in the first place. ...Read the Full Story at SLTrib.com
Upcoming Events
A Look Ahead at the NENSA Calendar
Upcoming NENSA Events:
Please Note: Winter events/races and dates are subject to change as per NENSA's COVID-19 contingency plans:

Eastern Cup/VT Cup Race Series Calendar HERE
Popular/Citizen Racing: Zak Cup Race Series Tentative Schedule HERE

February 21: NENSA's New England Women’s XC Ski Day (State by State)


Full NENSA.net Calendar Listing HERE

Link to our NENSA Virtual Resources Page HERE
Link to our NENSA BLM Resources Page HERE
Link to our NENSA Equality & Diversity Policy HERE