Greetings NENSA community,

I have had the privilege to witness a multitude of first experiences recently and to reflect upon the value of learning something new. When a child straps on skis the first time in the schoolyard or enters their first BKL event, a high school skier skis a marathon or experiences their first Eastern Cup, an adult learns to ski at a clinic, or skiers start their first international or World Cup events, neural networks form, confidence grows, skills develop, and friendships form. All of this is guided by wonderful coaches, program leaders, instructors, and mentors in New England, a few of whom have just received special recognition from their peers for the impact they have. Congratulations to these deserving coaches and a sincere thank you to Nordic Team Solutions for supporting coach and skier development in New England and beyond. Please see below for the full story.

This winter is keeping us on our toes, that’s for sure! Please be sure to note the consolidation of this weekend’s Eastern Cup races to Sunday, happily not prompted by lack of snow, but extremely cold temperatures.  

In this week’s edition of KickZone

• Eastern Cup #3 Update
• Nordic Team Solutions Partnership Supports Local Coaches
• Craftsbury Marathon Ski Festival Recaps
• Invitation and State Qualifying Information for NENSA EHS and U16 Championships
• FIS World Junior/U23 Championships
• NENSA membership
• Scenes from the Community
• Stowe Derby 2023 discount codes for NENSA members
• Toko Newsletter
• Canadian Ski Marathon and Canadian Ski Challenge

In the news

U.S. Ski & Snowboard

• Kern Fifth in Les Rousses Classic Sprint

NNF

• Speaker Series: Next Speaker Series Talk with Travis Tygart February 2nd at 8pm EST
• World Junior Championships Reach Mid-Week After Strong Start

FasterSkier

• World University Games: Young Americans Shine as Lake Placid Returns to International Stage
• World Junior Championships Begin in Whistler: U20 Classic Sprint
• Whistler 2023: U20 Mass Start 20km Classic
• Whistler 2023: Norwegians Dominate, North Americans Surge in U23 20km Classic

Have a wonderful week.

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!

2023 CRAFTSBURY MARATHON: CLASSIC

After a two year hiatus the Craftsbury Marathon returned today as a 1 or 2 lap race, 18.5k or 37k. Lots of familiar names populated the results, as Craftsbury GRP alumni and Craftsbury ski club athletes won all of today's races through a morning of variable conditions. Your 2023 Classic podia:

37k:

1st - Caitlin Patterson, M1, GRP Alumni, 2:26:39.3

2nd - Annika Landis, SR, Craftsbury Green Racing Project, 2:27:45.9

3rd - Ida Sargent, M1, GRP Alumni, 2:28:23.3

1st - Adam Martin Caldwell, SR, GRP & Wildcat Alumni, 2:00:59.3

2nd - Leo Grandbois, SR, Club ski de fond Orford, 2:01:35.7

3rd - Kris Freeman, M3, Caldwell Sport, 2:06:42.0

18k:

1st - Amelia Circosta, U20, Craftsbury Ski Club, 1:14:53.8

2nd - Greta Kilburn, U20, Mansfield Nordic, 1:18:42.0

3rd - Maddie Leopold, SR, 1:20:21.2

1st - Leo Circosta, U20, Craftsbury Ski Club, 1:01:43.9

2nd - Parke Chapin, U20, GMVS, 1:03:08.7

3rd - Elvis McIntosh, U20, Green Mountain Valley School, 1:03:44.6

Women kicked off racing - and many of them would've likely opted to turn down the honor. The field faced tracks filled with freshly fallen snow from a passing morning snow shower. Many of the top 20 would negative split the event, after acting as snowplows for the opening lap.

Craftsbury Junior Amelia Circosta led the women's wave home after skiing with the 37k leaders thru about half of the first lap, pulling out a minute over that group to take the win. Mansfield Nordic's Greta Kilburn, whom Craftsbury also knows as the repeat winner of the Black River Grand Prix Mountain Bike race, took second over Maddie Leopold.

The 37k podium remained together thru lap one, with one-time teammates Landis and Patterson eventually battling it out for the win in the closing stages of the race. Each trip thru the Black River valley brought icing difficulties with wax into play - even the leaders were dealing with icing and caked up wax in between chasing one another. By the last ascent of Kirby's, Caitlin Patterson had pulled a gap on Annika that she'd never relinquish. Third placed Ida Sargent had a comfortable buffer in the contest for the last spot on the podium.

On the men's side, Leo Grandbois went out early, pulling thru lap one with a two minute and a half lead over recent GRP retiree Adam Martin. The Upper Valley's Martin skied with Kris Freeman early, before setting off in pursuit of Grandbois. By the time they went thru the last feed with 4k to go, Adam had made the catch, going on to pull 30s or so of time in hand to take the win. Freeman comfortably nailed down the bronze in the longer event.

The 18.5k men's podium was an all junior affair. Leo Circosta, Amelia's older brother, took the win after skiing in and around the lead of the men's pack all race. 2nd and 3rd were a GMVS duo of Chapin and McIntosh who had each other to work with much of the race, as well as a pack of 4th thru 6th from the 37k race.

It was such a treat to have the Marathon running again this year after what may be the longest hiatus of the event's history courtesy of the pandemic and weather conditions. Hope everyone can rest up; tomorrow will be here before you know it!

2023 CRAFTSBURY MARATHON: SKATE



The green wave continued today, with current GRP athletes taking the wins in the men's and women's 18k freestyle.

1st - Braden Becker, SR, Craftsbury Green Racing Project, 49:20.3

2nd - Adam Martin, SR, GRP & Wildcat Alumni, 49:21.1, 00:00.8

3rd - Raleigh Goessling, M1, GRP Alumni, 49:26.6, 00:06.3

1st - Annika Landis, SR, Craftsbury Green Racing Project, 55:51.1

2nd - Michaela Keller-Miller, SR, Craftsbury Green Racing Project, 55:51.4, 00:00.3

3rd - Sara Graves, M3, NWVE, 57:50.5, 01:59.4

Men opened today's racing on the same 18.5k course as yesterday's classic race. A pack formed at the front until around 10k, when Adam Martin made a move, Kris Freeman followed and a the selection of the eventual top five was made. Becker took the home win over former teammate Martin, with Goessling leading the remainder of the break in 6s back.

On the women's side, teammates Landis and Keller-Miller came to the line together, with Landis taking a close but clear lunging win. The two greenies had broken free of their pursuers by two minutes. Bronze medalist Sara Graves took third, leading three women to the line.

The completion of the second day also wraps the scoring of the Brodhead challenge. The Challenge is the combined time of a racer’s classic Saturday marathon and skate marathon. The man and woman with the lowest combined time in both races will be named that year's winners. Your 2022 winners are Adam Martin and Annika Landis, both with roughly a 6 minute gap over their closest competitors. Brodhead Challenge scoring is part of the results set above.

Thanks again to all the volunteers, the racers and event sponsors without whom this event wouldn't have been possible. We are as surprised as anyone that we could hold a 2023 Craftsbury Marathon after a winter of dismal conditions prior to this past week. So we're particularly grateful to have been able to welcome one and all to the Center for a weekend of competition and fun. Hope we'll see you again soon!

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. 

The New England Nordic Ski Association invites you and your friends to try for a spot at NENSA Eastern U16 Championships and Eastern High School Championships. This year’s Eastern High School Championship weekend will be held at the Rikert Outdoor Center in Ripton, Vermont on March 10-12th, 2023 and the U16 Championship weekend will be held at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center in Fort Kent, Maine on March 17-19th, 2023. Top junior racers from our Northeastern region and beyond participate in this event, vying for team bragging rights. All athletes must compete in their respective state’s qualification events to be eligible to participate in these two Championship events, this includes Para and non-Para athletes. Each state has a quota of 24 boys and 24 girls, plus Para athletes. See the links below to learn about each state’s qualifying process.

Maine Qualifying Information

Massachusetts Qualifying Information

New Hampshire Qualifying Information

New York Qualifying Information

Vermont Qualifying Information

Out of Region skiers or coaches please email staff@nensa.net

Further details can be found on our U16 Championship Event Page and our Eastern High School Championship Page.

These Championship events provide excellent opportunities for our skiing community to come together, celebrate, push ourselves, cheer each other on, and make new friends. We hope that the festive atmosphere of these events form warm memories for years to come.  

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. 

Kern Fifth in Les Rousses Classic Sprint

January 28, 2023 | by U.S. Ski and Snowboard

Julia Kern advanced to the finals for the second consecutive weekend, finishing fifth in the FIS Cross Country World Cup classic sprint in Les Rousses, France Saturday.



After struggling to advance through the semifinals earlier this season, Kern seems to have hit her sprinting stride. Last weekend in Livigno, Italy, Kern was sixth in the individual freestyle sprint, then she partnered with Rosie Brennan to finish third in the team sprint...see full coverage of the day, results, and updated standings HERE

NNF Speaker Series: Next Speaker Series Talk with Travis Tygart February 2nd at 8pm EST

January 26, 2023 | by Ben Theyerl

The National Nordic Foundation (NNF) is excited to announce the 3rd installment of our virtual speaker series with U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart on Thursday, February 2nd at 8:00pm EST.

NNF’s speaker series is free to attend, with a recommended $25 donation going directly to support our Pillar Projects this winter and beyond. Donation and registration for Travis Tygart’s talk on Thursday February 2nd at 8:00pm EST can be found here and here. Limited to the first three-hundred participants.

Tygart will deliver a lecture focused on creating a culture of “clean sport” from the earliest levels of athlete development on up, with specific knowledge applied to US nordic skiing. Coaches and skiers of all ages and ability are encouraged to attend for a talk with one of the world’s leading experts on anti-doping in endurance sports.

Travis Tygart has served as CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) since 2007, and is one of the world’s foremost experts on developing anti-doping protocols, policies, and a culture of “clean sport.” Under his leadership, USADA has become standard-bearer for anti-doping policy and research for international sport and been influential across a wide range of endurance disciplines, including nordic skiing.

World Junior Championships Reach Mid-Week After Strong Start

February 1, 2023 | by NNF

The National Nordic Foundation (NNF) is proud to send Team USA to the World Junior Ski Championships in Whistler, BC, January 28th-February 4th.

It's been a fast and exciting start to the week of racing in Whistler, with Classic Sprints and a 20 k Classic Mass Start taking place for both Juniors and U23 around Whistler Olympic Park.

Top ten performances from Samantha Smith (8th, Classic Sprint, 9th, Junior 20 k), Gus Schumacher (7th, U23 20 k), and Sydney Palmer-Leger (8th, U23 20 K) all highlighted a great start to the week for the United States.

As the athletes and wax techs get a break Wednesday, there's plenty to reflect on and take in, including race reporting and photos from our media partners. Catch up on the latest in Whistler through the links below!

World University Games: Young Americans Shine as Lake Placid Returns to International Stage

January 31, 2023 | by Ben Theyerl

Do you believe in miracles? Lake Placid is where they’ve happened before: speedskater Eric Heiden’s single-winter games medal record, Wassberg’s Olympic Gold by one hundredth over Mieto, and no less than the “Miracle on Ice.” If miracles were going to happen again, this was likely to be the place. 

With the State of New York having spent $500 million (through the Olympic Regional Development Authority) to dramatically overhaul facilities originally constructed for the Olympic Winter Games of 1980, Lake Placid was dolled up and ready to host the 31st World University Games, the first time these competitions had been held in North America since 1972. And so, not even the light drizzle outside on opening night could dampen the prospect of a week that promised competition, fellowship, and a glimpse at athletes likely to shape the future of winter sports.

The World University Games highlight collegiate athletes, and the gathering of American cross country athletes underscored just how central the collegiate circuit is to athlete development in the United States. With several members of Team USA using the World University Games as a pitstop on the way to their first World Cup starts—and plenty of the international athletes in the field representing American university teams—signs pointed towards the American collegiate circuit acting as a robust and competitive field for athlete development in the United States, and beyond.



By the close of cross country competitions in Lake Placid, Team USA had won five medals (three individual, two team) in events as diverse as the Mixed Team Sprint and the 30 Kilometer Skate Mass Start. The young Americans built a case for the the ever-deepening pool of US Skiing, and the dynamic athletes who are contained in that community...read a full recap of the event, coverage of the races, interviews with the athletes, and much more HERE

World Junior Championships Begin in Whistler: U20 Classic Sprint

January 29, 2023 | by Gerry Furseth

The U20/U23 World Championships kicked off in Whistler Olympic Park with classic sprints on a bluebird day. While the finals were filled with athletes from Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Italy, it was a good day for many more nations.



Coaches from Canada, the US, Andorra, and Taiwan were agreed on one thing: U20 results won’t make or break your skiing career, but what you learn here can change your life. That said, results are what every athlete is chasing...read more HERE

Whistler 2023: U20 Mass Start 20km Classic

February 1, 2023 | by Gerry Furseth

The World Juniors rolled on in Whistler with sunshine, easy classic waxing, and a new distance.

Most skiers had done a 20km event before today, some had done two, but it was a new pacing experience for many. Add in a 5km loop that an athlete from Holmenkollen described as ‘hilly’ and you have a recipe for good racing and a pretty good day for North American skiers.

Full coverage, photos, video clips and interviews HERE

Whistler 2023: Norwegians Dominate, North Americans Surge in U23 20km Classic

February 1, 2023 | by Gerry Furseth

Day four of the Junior Worlds at Whistler Olympic Park brought new weather and more excitement in mass start racing.



The day dawned with a light snowfall at -8C. The wax techs were as secretive as ever, but it was clear at the finish that most athletes were on hard wax. While Norway, Germany, and France owned the podiums, it was also a good day for North American skiers...read more HERE

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