Greetings NENSA Community ~

Lots of news to share this week ~ the first one being that NENSA is hiring our next Youth & Introductory Program Director. This is a full-time year-round position. This is a bittersweet announcement, as it means we are loosing our beloved current Y&IP Director, Tom Weir. Tom will be starting grad school in the fall getting a Masters teaching certification to be an elementary school teacher - a job we know already he will excel at! Tom has made a lasting impact on our Youth and Introductory programing here at NENSA over the past two years. We will miss Tom, and wish him well!

Our April Fund Drive is in full swing! To celebrate our 25th year as a non-profit organization here in New England, we are asking each NENSA member to donate $25. If each member gave $25, we would reach our annual fundraising goal, but we need every NENSA member to participate in order to make this happen!
Thank you in advance for supporting NENSA, and our mission of implementing educational, recreational, and competitive programs at all levels to sustain a vital and active cross-country skiing community throughout New England! #NENSA25in20

Here's what we have in store for you in this week's KickZone ~
  • Info on how to donate in our April Fund Drive #NENSA25in20
  • NENSA is hiring our next Youth & Introductory Program Director
  • A wonderful reflection from Fynn Bailey, (SMS and NE JN Team Member) on his JN experience this year in Truckee CA
  • Looking for some fun workouts and a fitness challenge during these shelter at home times? Check out the three below from Craftsbury, GMVS and Concept2
  • FasterSkier Nordic Nation Podcast of the week: Holly Brooks on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Tons of news from US Ski & Snowboard
  • A great BOSTON urban video submission to our NENSA Virtual Video Challenge! See all the great videos we have received so far on our NENSA fb and Instagram, and keep those videos coming! Box below gives you all the info!
  • Link to special SAVINGS and OFFERS from our NENSA Sponsors! Take a look at all these great offers and please support the companies that support NENSA and cross country skiing!

Be well everyone ~
Amie

Amie W. Smith
Executive Director
New England Nordic Ski Association
Amie@nensa.net

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
NENSA is Hiring!
We are looking for our next
Youth & Introductory Program Director
The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) seeks to find a dynamic, outgoing individual to be our next full time Youth & Introductory Program Director. This individual will be responsible for NENSA’s Youth programming, including the New England Bill Koch League and Festival, the Nordic Rocks for Schools program, Bill Koch League coach and parent trainings, U16 and Eastern High School Championship events, the New England Women’s XC Ski Day, and summer programming. This person should be familiar with NENSA and the New England Nordic ski scene. If interested, please read more below...
Click HERE for full job description and how to apply
Keep Skiing Alive April Fund Drive! Please help sustain NENSA into the future and celebrate our 25 years! #NENSA25in20
NENSA is committed to making sure that cross country skiing here in New England continues to thrive and grow while encouraging our next generation to enjoy the outdoors and sport we all love so dearly. We are lucky to have had a great foundation of leadership and programming these past 25 years, and it is our goal to continue to bring that to our members in the next quarter century too!

NENSA April Fund Drive success depends on every member giving what they can. This year NENSA is asking each member of our ski community to give $25 in honor of our 25 years. We hope you will join us in making this goal happen. THANK YOU!

Click  HERE  if you are a NENSA member to give to NENSA

Click  HERE  if you are a guest supporter to give to NENSA

Of course, you can always mail a donation check into our NENSA office at:
49 Pineland Drive, New Gloucester, ME 04260

*Donations of $250 or more receive the commemorative NENSA/SKIDA 25th Anniversary hat show above
A sweet reflection on Junior Nationals
by Fin Bailey, SMS Nordic

When we first got to Reno 3 days before the competitions began, we took a trip over Mount Rose and down to Lake Tahoe. The lake was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I was amazed by how vast and breathtaking Lake Tahoe is and seeing it made me want to move out there immediately. We spent some time there skipping rocks, visiting the scenic overlook and taking incredible pictures. That whole day was spent exploring and I almost forgot that I was at a skiing competition. I really couldn’t believe I was at Junior Nationals for Nordic skiing too. 
Two of the best memories from the trip were the friends I made and the race experience. Hanging out with friends was really fun and our U16 boy’s group got along super well. Taking trips to Lake Tahoe, seeing everyone at dinner, or just hanging out in my room with friends was a really special part of the experience. I met a bunch of new people and had a ton of fun with my teammates. 
The other thing that was so much fun during the trip was the racing itself. Not only the racing but where the races took place. Truckee is amazing!! The mountains are like nothing I’ve ever seen and the first time we drove up to the venue I was speechless about the incredible landscape. Every time we drove up to Donner Summit it felt like I was in a dream. The first race day was the 5K classic. I was so excited and I still couldn’t believe that I was racing at Junior Nationals. I went out hard and didn’t have the race I was hoping for but I still had a blast and was still so hyped that I was out there in Truckee, CA racing my heart out. Then the sprint day came and this was the day I had been waiting for. The training day before the race I wasn’t even thinking about the result, I just wanted to have fun out there. Then once I finished the prelim and saw that I made heats, I was ready to go and I wanted to crush it. Throughout the heats, I just got in my zone and was thankful and happy that I was fortunate enough to be able to be out racing in Truckee. And that day I had the race of my life. I had the most fun racing that I’ve ever had. All the hard work, hard training, and focus I put in all season had paid off and I finished in 2nd! Unfortunately, the rest of the races were canceled. I was bummed that my first JN’s got cut short but I am super excited for next race season and hope to make JN’s next year too. 

Thanks for the great opportunity,
Fin Bailey
Join the NENSA Virtual Video Challenge!
Are you feeling cooped up at home? Do you miss your friends, teammates and coaches? Maybe you need an outlet for all your pent up energy? We get it, and that’s why we’re announcing the NENSA Virtual Video Challenge – a way for you to stay engaged with the ski community during these weeks of social distancing, support NENSA’s 25th birthday, and have some fun doing it...just remember to please follow all physical distancing rules and sheltering in place rules! We want you and our ski community to be safe!
Click HERE to find out full details on making and submitting your video to NENSA.

To see even more Video Challenge Submissions - go to NENSA's fb page and Instagram but for today ~ enjoy this Urban Rollerski Tour of Boston by Linden & Leah Niedeck, of CSU jus. and EMBK. Bravo!
Special Savings and Offered from our
NENSA Sponsors on NENSA.net
NENSA is SO grateful to all our Sponsors for their support of our non-profit organization and our sport! Did you know they also have some special offers for YOU, our NENSA members??! Be sure to check out the Members Only Benefits page on NENSA.net . There you will find savings on:

SIDAS, your footwear company: use code NENSA20 to receive 20% off your order at
sidas-usa.store
UnTapped Maple nutritional products: NENSA members receive a 10% discount on all nutritional products, use code NENSA10 at checkout
Concept2 SkiErgs: $40 off the retail price of a Concept2 SkiErg
Nokian Tyres: 20% Discount to NENSA Member off the purchase of any Nokian Tyres at one of their Vianor retailers listed on our NENSA website page (see above). You must present your valid NENSA membership card at payment.
TOKO: special Team Night and Team order forms pricing each fall (stay tuned for fall 2020)
EnjoyWinter.com: 15% off select product ~ To take advantage of your NENSA spring special visit www.enjoywinter.com and use “NENSASpring” as your discount code, while you are there apply for sponsorship at the bottom right corner. EnjoyWinter every day of the year.
Trapp Family Lodge: NENSA members will receive a 10% discount on mid-week (Sunday-Thursday) rooms they book this year! Some black out dates exist, including holidays and vacation weeks. Just mention this 10% NENSA member discount when booking, and then present your valid NENSA member card (you receive this on your confirmation email after renewing or joining NENSA) when checking in

It's another way we can say thank you to you all for being NENSA members and supporting us too!
Looking for some fun challenges and ways to stay fit and engaged during these shelter at home times? Check out some of these fun ideas from our NENSA partners and Clubs!
Click on the Cabin Fever Challenge to learn more about it! Enjoy!
Join the GMVSxc team for a #bingochallenge 

Thanks for sharing your unique approach to training @gmvsxc 

“We're going to try something fun and different for April and May in the form of weekly Bingo! I have created Week 1 and will include it in this email. Save it or a screen shot of it to your phone and you can check off the blocks as you complete them. If you make it to having a full board complete (every block checked off) you will also have completed our weekly training along with a few other tasks that are important right now.” Have fun!
Concept2
Workout of the Day:
Get the  SkiErg Workout of the Day delivered to your inbox every morning. Click on the link to sign up and get a custom workout delivered to your inbox each day!
More News from our NENSA Partners & Community!
NORDIC NATION • EPISODE 79

Check out the lasted PODCAST from FasterSkier and enoy!
Nelson, Laurin Stepping Down, Whitcomb Moving Up For Davis U.S. Cross Country Team
As with the completion of any season, there are always changes to staff and rosters moving forward, and the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team is no exception. This past season brought many successes, and unfortunately an abrupt end to the season.

With those many successes this season, the hardest part was not having the opportunity to celebrate, or wish a fond farewell to each other, especially the two departing staff members - development team coach Bernie Nelson, and World Cup service tech Jean-Pascal Laurin. Both of them are highly respected and will be missed tremendously by the athletes and staff.  ...READ MORE

Hamilton Commits to at Least One More Season on World Cup
Feel free to make fun of Simi Hamilton for becoming the old man who refused to hang it up. He won’t mind, as he did the same when he was younger. Of course, there is a drive behind the Aspen Olympian’s desire to keep going that is worth noting. ...Read the Full Story at AspenTimes.com

Swirbul Finds Perspective After Busy World Cup Season
The biggest takeaway from the season for Hailey Swirbul was about perspective. Whether it meant making the repetitive European breakfasts more enjoyable or being a better teammate, there was something to be gained from not focusing on the greater successes.  ...Read the Full Story at AspenTimes.com

Jessie Diggins Talks Gold Medals, Skiing, and Eating Disorders as Part of Wordplay’s Online Fest
At only 28 years old, cross-country skier Jesse Diggins is already the most decorated U.S. athlete of her ilk in World Championship history. Minnesota can certainly take some credit for her success: While Diggins was born to Canadian parents, she grew up in Afton, Minnesota, where she was surrounded by wilderness. She spent much of her time being active outdoors.  ...Read the Full Story at CityPages.com

2019-20 Davis U.S. Cross Country Team Season Highlights
The 2019-20 season provided the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team with a number of top World Cup and World Championship results, and a fair share of disappointment with the season cut short due to COVID-19.

“Overall, the season was a mixture of excitement and quite a bit of disappointment at the end, due to the cancellation of events,” U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Program Director Chris Grover said. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember all the great parts of the season in the face of the loss of the North American World Cups, given that most of the U.S. athletes were hyper-focused on racing well at home.” ....READ FULL STORY HERE
Sophie Caldwell, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen, Rosie Brennan and Jessie Diggins provided one of the many 2019-20 season highlights with their second-place relay finish in Lillehammer. (@nordicfocus)
SafeSport Program
U.S. Ski & Snowboard, our National Governing Body (NGB) requires the following individuals complete training provided by the U.S. Center for SafeSport:

Individuals associated with Member Clubs (that means any NENSA club)

  • Adult athlete members of Member Clubs, except Short Term Athlete Members due to their limited participation and Master Athletes who do not i) have regular contact with minor athletes or ii) have authority over minor athletes
  • Adult members (who are not athletes) of Member Clubs who i) have regular contact with athletes, or ii) have authority over athletes
  • Employees and Board Members of Member Clubs
  • Individuals providing services to Member Clubs, including but not limited to contractors, volunteers, interns, who i) have regular contact with athletes or ii) have authority over athletes
  • More info here: https://usskiandsnowboard.org/safesport-athlete-safety/safesport-training

NENSA urges ALL New England coaches, parent volunteers, venue volunteers and anyone working with youth to take the SafeSport on-line course and get certified. NENSA requires this of all our staff and volunteer coaches and wax techs at JN's and REG Camps. Please take time this season to be sure all your club volunteers and coaches are SafeSport certified. Do it today. Go to: https://www.safesport.org

Further information on SafeSport, and important updates made as of 4/15/19 to the SafeSport Program, can be found on our NENSA website HERE
Upcoming Events
A Look Ahead at the NENSA Calendar
U pcoming NENSA Events:
April 6th-30th: NENSA's annual Fund Drive and Club/Team Virtual Video Challenge!
April 1st-30th: Bids open for submission for Eastern Cup weekends and BKL Festival 2021
April 15- June 1: Bids open for submission for NENSA Popluar/Citizen Race & Marathon Series
May 2nd & 3rd: NENSA's Spring Board of Directors and Committee meetings, Hanover NH (virtual)
May 6: US Ski & Snowboard Congress (via GoToMeeting)

Full NENSA.net Calendar Listing HERE