Greetings NENSA community,

The news in this week’s Kickzone spans the white-capped peak of a recent rollerski hill climb, a fun foliage rollerski festival in Maine (this weekend), an urban ski Expo, a snowy and social tour of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, and the first ever Dutch Caribbean Island Ski Festival. We hope this is a nice reflection of our mission, to “to nurture and sustain an active cross country ski community for all ages and levels”. It is certainly an indication of diverse programming all coming together for 2023-24. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for news and announcements as many plans are rolled out for the season.

In this week’s KickZone

• The Maine Event: Oct. 22, Rumford, ME
• NENSA Rollerski Clinic at The Maine Event
• Membership Reminders from USSS and NENSA
• Call For Coaches for Junior Nationals 2024
• Tour de Greensboro
• Saba Ski Festival - Free Lodging Offer for 1st three NENSA Members
• NENSA's TD and Event Organizer Seminar: Dec. 2-3, Holderness, NH
• NENSA Gear Swap
• Club Liability Insurance
• Open Coaching Positions
• Scenes from the Community

From Our Partners

• Craftsbury Ski Club: Ski and Bike Swap, 10/22
• CCSAA, EMXC, and NENSA teaming up at the Snowbound Expo in Boston
• Fischer and Catamount Trails Association: 300 Miles Melting Film
• Toko Team Orders
• Concept2 SkiErg World Sprints
• Skirack: Winter Swap, Junior Lease, and Nordic Team Night

In the News

• US Ski & Snowboard: 2023-24 Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Announced 
• Nordic Insights: Julia Kern and Ben Ogden Lead SMS Sweep in Schützenski Sprints

I hope you enjoy the Community Scenes this week and the winter preparation and resurgence of club activity they represent! All of us at NENSA look forward to seeing you very soon.

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!

Exciting to see registrations rolling in from high school and college teams for our most exciting Rollerski race of the season. First 50 signed up get a free event T-shirt! Black Mountain and the Chisholm Ski Club are excited to welcome this show to town! Beyond skiing, we have live music and food available for participants and spectators for a $5 donation to the Club. There are a block of rooms at a discounted rate for Saturday night at the Best western for those traveling.

Come join the fun!

If you’re a youth or BKL skier (or an adult looking to try rollerskiing!), come join NENSA for rollersking fun at Black Mountain of Maine! This learn-to-roll opportunity will take place from 2-3:30pm after the “Maine Event XCX” rollerski race. All clinic participants can use NENSA’s Swenor Rollerskis, but remember to bring your own boots, poles, and helmet! We can accommodate SNS and Prolink/NNN bindings.

Only 18 days ago we were standing atop Whiteface Mountain after the Climb to the Castle — good timing one might say for a rollerski event! While Whiteface might be a little ahead due to elevation — seeing white stuff on the ground on the East Coast is certainly exciting for all of us, and a reminder to prepare for the upcoming season and tend to membership renewals.

US Ski and Snowboard memberships renew on Juy 1 and are required for all nationally sanctioned events including Eastern Cup, US (Senior) Nationals, and Junior Nationals. PLEASE NOTE that if you did or will turn 18 between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, you will need to complete Safesport training and a background check to maintain eligibility and points.

NENSA Memberships renew on May 1 each year and are great to get done at the same time to eliminate unneeded stress once the winter season has begun.

Your 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

NENSA is pleased to report that planning for the 2024 Junior Nationals is well underway and that we aim to keep on the ground costs in line with recent trips. The New England Team will stay and eat at the Ampersand Bay Resort. If you are interested in joining our staff for Lake Placid, please click below:

What's even better:

Organizers of this first Dutch Caribbean Ski Festival are extending a special offer to NENSA members: the first three to register for the Inaugural Saba Ski Festival will receive free accommodations!

NENSA is pleased to announce that we are collaborating with the Holderness School to host the annual Event Organizer’s and Technical Delegate Training Seminar on their campus. The event will occur December 2nd & 3rd.



Venues that are hosting an Eastern Cup, the Bill Koch Festival, U16s or Eastern High School Championships are required to send their Chief of Competition and one other representative (ideally the Race Secretary). Popular Series/Zak Cup/Club Cup hosts are not required to attend, but are strongly encouraged. Coaches looking to broaden their knowledge of event hosting in our sport are welcome to attend. We have lots of talks/conversations and hands-on activities to help us all become better event organizers and officials!

NENSA members are invited to join the new NENSA Gear Swap group!

Current NENSA membership number (or your child's) must be provided. Please contact us if we can help locate that: staff@nensa.net

Whether you are trying to find some new-to-you gear for the upcoming winter, or you are looking to free up a little extra space in the ski closet, this page is for you!

THANK YOU TO OUR SILVER SPONSORS

General Liability coverage for clubs is available under the NENSA Master policy.

A Master policy aggregates coverage for the community, offers better coverage than what clubs may find individually, and saves our clubs the costs of these separate policies. It is a member benefit that we are proud to offer and that we believe will benefit our community directly through the local savings it offers to clubs.

As winter approaches, coaching opportunities are being announced regularly. Please keep an eye on this page for updates.

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

Whether you’ve got stuff you want to find a new home for or are looking for just the right ski to complete your quiver, join us for Sunday’s Ski Club Ski and Bike Swap, Sunday, October 22, 10:00am - 2:00pm. 

Snowbound Expo is back Nov 3-5, 2023 at the BCEC. Snag yourself a discounted Snowbound Expo ticket and kick off the 2023/24 snow sports season with your friends and family. Just like the old days, you can get your swag and stickers, but you’ll also see legends from the scene including Shaun White, Ted Ligety, Lindsay Jacobellis, Julia Kern, LJ Henriquez, Alex Hackel, Jeremy Jones, Brenna Huckaby and so many more!

We at Toko are continuing with our popular team night program to facilitate team orders through Toko dealers. We offer this program using two order forms:

1. Gloves and Bags
2. Waxes and Tools.

Team orders can be collected and submitted by a coach or volunteer to a local ski shop (hopefully a Toko dealer). The shop can then place a special order to us at discounted pricing, receive the team’s bulk order, and collect payment at pickup.

Junior Cross Country Ski Lease

Are your kids first-time Nordic skiers? Or are they rapidly outgrowing their old equipment? If you're looking for high quality gear that fits and performs well, but don't want to break the bank, Skirack’s Junior Nordic Ski Lease Program is a great solution.

2023-24 Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Announced 

October 10, 2023 | by Leann Bentley

PARK CITY, Utah (Oct. 10, 2023) - U.S. Ski & Snowboard formally announces the 23 athletes representing the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team for the 2023-24 season. All athletes nominated to the team in May were selected based on predetermined selection criteria and have formally accepted their nominations to the national team. 

The roster is complete with longtime veterans and promising newcomers ready to compete on the sport's biggest stage come November. Returning athletes include three-time Olympic medalist and 2023 world champion Jessie Diggins, 2022-23 FIS Rookie of the Year Ben Ogden and two-time Olympian Rosie Brennan. The roster also includes new talent with five athletes being called up to the national team for the first time. 

Julia Kern and Ben Ogden Lead SMS Sweep in Schützenski Sprints

October 16, 2023 | by Nordic Insights

There were two new winners, but four of six repeat podium finishers, in Sunday’s skate sprints, the last day of rollerski racing at this year’s Schützenski Festival in Soldier Hollow. Julia Kern and Ben Ogden ascended to the top step of the podium this time, as SMS swept the day’s victories. They were joined by Jessie Diggins and Tilde Bångman, in the women’s race, and Logan Diekmann and Gus Schumacher, in the men’s. Here’s what happened out there

THANK YOU TO OUR OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS

New England Nordic Ski Association

P.O. Box 97

Lyme, NH 03768

Phone: 802-331-0762