Mid-July Greetings NENSA Community ~
Graham Taylor, a true legend here in the New England Ski community has passed away at the age of 96. Graham was a wonderful man, and a feel fortunate to have called him a good friend for the past 14 years. When Graham called, you better have more than just a few minutes to chat, because he loved to talk! I have been known to put my phone on speaker, and wax more than a few pairs of skis while planning for EHS with Graham over the years. Graham loved baseball, Harvard and the New York Times. He started our Eastern High School Championships 38 years ago, and coached the Lincoln-Sudbury (MA) High School team to 14 state championships, until the age of 90. See the box below for two great past NENSA articles on Graham, as well as the family obituary.
Building off the success of our first Learn-to-Rollerski clinic in Craftsbury last weekend, NENSA will be hosting our second Learn-to-Rollerski Clinic in Maine on 7/30 at the Non-Stop Nordic Good Times Roll event. NENSA staff are really excited and committed to bring these clinics to life this summer and share their love and technique for rollersking to anyone who wants to learn! Registration coming later today!
Here's what we have in store for you in this week's KickZone:
- Graham Taylor ~ a true legend in so many ways ~ has passed at 96
- Recap of the Lost Nation Rollerski Races held Sunday 7/11
- Recap of Eastern REG Camp and the Junior rollerski races at the new loop at Lake Placid
- The Third Annual Roy-llerski is in full swing - it's not too late to join the fun!
-
From our Partners:
- From Salomon: Bringing more sustainability to their events & athletes
- From L.L. Bean: Summer Across Maine ~ free summer programing!
Thank you to all of our NENSA Sponsors ~ they are such a HUGE part of our NENSA programing continued success, and we so appreciate all their support. I want to be sure we all acknowledge the businesses who support us and cross country skiing!
Best,
Amie
Amie Witten 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
|
|
Graham Taylor, a true legend here in our New England XC ski community has passed away at the age of 96 |
Graham Taylor, founder of the Eastern High School Championships here in New England, the Massachusetts State Team Leader for decades, and Lincoln Sudbury High School XC Team Coach until the age of 90, has passed away. Graham was a true legend, and a wonderful man.
...click HERE to read two wonderful NENSA articles on Graham, the first from 2000 and the second from 2017, as well as the family obituary ~
|
|
It was a fast, furious, and fun day of racing in Craftsbury!! A big thank you to the Craftsbury Outdoor Center staff and volunteers. It was inspiring to see relative newbies to rollerskiing mixing it up out on the track with seasoned World Cup athletes!
...Click HERE for full results, VIDEO of the ramp action start and photos of the podiums
|
|
THANK YOU TO OUR ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
L.L.Bean and SWIX & Salomon!
|
|
|
|
Last week saw 36 athletes and 15 coaches come together from all across the East for a week of training, racing, learning, and collaboration at the Eastern Regional Elite Group Camp. Camp kicked off at the Green Mountain Valley School with an uphill run test and double pole challenge before moving to Lake Placid, NY for some camping, a skate sprint competition at Mount Van Hoevenberg’s new sport complex, and a long combo run/roll to close out camp.
A big thank you to all the coaches who dedicated their time, energy, and expertise to making this camp the best it could be for the athletes! We are also grateful to our host venues–GMVSand Mt. Van Hoeveneberg–in addition to the National Nordic Foundation, Matt Whitcomb and Kate Johnson of the US Ski Team, Bullitt Timing, and NENSA’s generous sponsors–Salomon, LL Bean, and Swix. Stay tuned for more summer events on the horizon that will be open to all! We plan to return to Lake Placid for an Open Sprint Competition on September 18th.
|
Click HERE for a great article on the July 1st REG Camp Race on the new roller loop in Lake Placid from the Adirondack Daily Enterprise |
|
THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS: |
|
Half way through our
Third Annual Roy-llerski
|
NENSA and The Maine Outdoor Wellness Center are thrilled to host the third annual Roy-llerski and Fundraiser this year during the month of July. The event, originally created by Jenny Wilbraham, was created in memory of Roy Varney to bring together the nordic community for support and to enjoy the sport they all shared.
This year, the event will be virtual again, but we encourage anyone that can participate with a group and make the most of it! Using the date of Roy’s passing (7/1/19), the challenge is to ski, run, or ride 71.19km OR for 71:19 (1h:11m:19s), spread over a couple of days, weeks, or the entire month if need be.
Have fun, stay safe, and take the spirit of the journey with you!! Sharing photos or GPS tracks is highly encouraged.
Registrant Categories:
Rockstar: For those aiming to ski 71.19 in one shot – for time or challenge.
Speedy Repeater: Combine multiple skis to reach 71.19km.
Bill Koch/Recreational/Time Trial: Ski 7.119km non-stop or use the event as a time trial.
Art for Roy: Design the coolest fitness tracker art file to honor Roy! #forRoy
1:11:19: Ski as far as you can in 71 minutes and 19 seconds.
Prizes:
The first 10 registrants, 8 raffled registrants, and 2 randomly selected social promoters will win an event bag with swag from The MOWC and LL Bean.
To qualify as a social promoter be sure to post your public photos of the event to Instagram or Facebook and tag @nensa_nordic and @theMOWC #Royllerski2021 #summernordic
Participation Data:
Enter your participant data HERE and check this page to see what other participants are up to. Event Facebook Page coming soon!!
|
|
THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA SUPPORTING SPONSORS: |
|
Salomon: bringing more sustainability to our events & athletes:
Salomon has long been known for its collaborations with athletes and its connection to local sports communities, and today we are announcing new sustainability goals centered around those areas of our sports marketing efforts.
The goal is to improve the carbon footprint of our in-person events and reduce the environmental impact of our athletes and ambassadors. Many of the actions included in what we are calling our new ‘sustainable sports marketing charter’ have already been implemented and we have set a list of related sustainability goals to meet by 2025.
This two-pronged approach around events and athletes will begin with sustainability studies of existing in-person events, which will allow organizers to set specific goals around Salomon gatherings such as Golden Trail Series races, the Salomon freeski team’s annual Mountain Collective, and community events like the Salomon Mountain Academy on Snow. In addition to these “owned” brand events, we will also onboard the hundreds of Salomon-supported community events worldwide on our journey to a more sustainable sports marketing program.
“One of Salomon’s strengths is its genuine connection to a loyal base of outdoor enthusiasts who practice our sports and share our love for nature,” said Bruno Laroque, Salomon’s Manager of Global Sports and Community Marketing. “That’s why, in addition to our ‘owned’ gatherings, we are taking measures to support the local communities who stage Salomon-sponsored events around the globe. The event parameters we set will influence what we commit to as community event organizers and what we support as event sponsors.”
. ..click HERE to read full article
|
|
Thank you r.k. Miles for the awesome lumber and supplies to make our new NENSA rollerski racks and ramps!
It's gonna be a fun summer!!
|
|
THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS: |
|
Upcoming Events
A Look Ahead at the NENSA Calendar
|
|
STAY TUNED for our full Rollerski Race and Clinic schedules ~ dates being finalized right now!
Full NENSA.net Calendar Listing HERE
Link to our NENSA Equality & Diversity Policy HERE
Link to our NENSA BLM Resources Page HERE
|
|
If you already shop Amazon ~ please link to Amazon Smile
with NENSA as your beneficiary!
|
Did you know that NENSA could benefit from the Amazon purchases you are already making??! Please link your Amazon account to Amazon SMILE (with /smile) and choose NENSA as your non-profit beneficiary! All the purchases everyone is already making, all add up, and we would love to be able to benefit from that! Thank you!! |
|
New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA)
49 Pineland Drive, Suite 301A
New Gloucester, ME 04260
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
