Greetings NENSA community,

The climate realities we face seem to be around every corner this summer, manifesting from one extreme to another. Our hearts are with all who have been impacted by the devastating floods in our region this week and all of the communities where significant recovery efforts are underway.

We share some uplifting news in this week’s newsletter. Through grim forecasts, the REG and RDG development camp and coach development projects were hugely successful thanks to the contributions of USST and NENSA coaches and the energy and dedication of the invited athletes. A full recap is linked below with many wonderful photos.

We are also thrilled to recognize Kristina Joder Casey of Holderness Nordic with the 2023 NENSA BKL Leadership award. Congratulations, Kristina, and thank you for all that you do to share your skills and your passion in fun, creative ways with the next generation!

In this week’s edition of KickZone

• A message to our community
• 2023 BKL Leadership Award Goes to Kristina Joder Casey!
• Development Camps in the East
• 5th Annual Roy-llerski
• Good Times Roll: July 23
• NENSA Membership
• 2023-24 NENSA Recreational Events
• Scenes from the Community
• NNF Summer Auction Ends Today
• Best Cycling Great Escapes - Special offer for NENSA members
• Summer Camps

In the News

• The Nordic Approach: Unexpected Adventures: Green Woodlands, Dorchester, NH
• US Ski & Snowboard: Diggins a Semifinalist for AAU James Sullivan Award
• FasterSkier: “What Makes a Champion”...US Ski Team Video Campaign
• Fort Kent Outdoor Center: Fort Kent Outdoor Center Seeks Venue Manager/Nordic Skiing Coach
• FasterSkier: Sophia Laukli—Pro Skier or Pro Trail Runner? Both!

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!

NENSA would like to extend our heartfelt thoughts to the people in Vermont affected by the flooding and devastation that swept the region. We are thinking of all of the individuals, communities, and businesses affected, and hope we all can recover quickly from this certain disaster.

The Bill Koch Youth Ski League is sustained by a large group of adults who give their time and energy to the sport that they love and every year the Bill Koch League Leadership Award honors one of these coaches, parent/caregivers, club leaders, volunteers, or officials from our ski community who embodies fun, community, and a lifelong love of skiing. This year we are thrilled to give this award to Kristina Casey of the Holderness Nordic Club.

Kristina spent her adolescence into early adulthood training and racing and was a member of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic team. At the 2002 games, she competed in the 15k Mass Start and Sprint Freestyle events. She began her coaching journey in Idaho at the junior level and then went on to coach at her alma mater, University of Utah before moving east to work with the Holderness ski communities at the BKL and Junior levels. Today, she is the leader for K-4th grade programming for the Holderness Ski Club.

The past weeks in Vermont have been stormy in many ways. Despite heavy rains, and smoky skies some excellent training collaborations happened in two Eastern Development camps. Fifty-nine athletes were selected to attend either the REG (USST Regional Elite Group) or RDG (NENSA Regional Development Group) camps which took place in Stratton and Craftsbury respectively. Coordination with elite athletes, local club skiers and a strong pool of coaches multiply the reach and inspiration of these yearly gatherings.

Click below for loads of photos, results, and highlights of both camps...

Throughout the month we are excited to support the legacy of Roy Varney with the 5th annual Roy-llerski. There are many virtual Rollerski options based around time and distance — and this year a 5km trail run at the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center on July 15th.

There is just over a week to go until the Nonstop Nordic Good Times Roll and the kickoff of rollerski competition in New England.

Rollerski competitions offer a chance to test your fitness, but more importantly bring the skiing community together.

Click below for for more details and how to register.

NENSA membership is about so much more than licensing and individual benefits. As a NENSA member, you are part of a broader community helping to grow and support cross country skiing in the Northeast, ensuring that the sport we love continues to grow and thrive.

Our membership year began May 1 and now is an excellent time for sign ups and renewals. Membership revenue sustains our organization and directly supports our year-round offerings and subsidizes low and no-cost programs that make our New England ski community vibrant and inclusive.

NENSA is excited to share that in addition to our race support model, we are now also offering noncompetitive recreational event support for ski clinics and touring events. Whether you want to host a learn-to-ski day for people who’ve never skied before or you want to offer a recreational ski tour adventure with food stops along the way, NENSA is happy to help. Interest in cross country skiing is growing and there are many people who want to try our awesome sport and/or grow their skills. In addition to bolstering your own ski community, recreational events such as ski clinics and tours also bring in new people who will return to your venue for years to come. 

NENSA is looking for venues/clubs interested in growing recreational offerings in our region. Our goal for 2023-24 will be to incentivize participation through shared experiences and adventures all across our region. Venues interested in having their event supported by NENSA should complete the bid form HERE by July 15th. Early submissions are encouraged so we can help shape a calendar that minimizes event overlap.

THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS

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 NENSA SUPPORTING SPONSORS

The auction runs from Monday, July 10th until Friday, July 14th. Now’s your chance to support the next generation of US Skiing while taking a unique piece of it home!

All proceeds from this year’s NNF summer auction go directly towards funding our Pillar Projects next winter, including Junior World Championships, the U18 Nordic Nation’s Cup, and the Trail to

Gold Fellowship.

Our goal is to raise $25,000 during this year’s auction, which will allow us to start laying the tracks for a successful winter in 2023-24, building off our Pillar Project milestones from last season. By participating in this year’s auction, you help make dreams come true to developing skiers, coaches, and the communities they come from across the United States!

Welcome to Best Cycling Great Escapes, a new quality travel guide launching soon for cycling lovers the world over who are eager for travel, adventure, romance, and to explore nature.

Featuring many top spots across North America, Cuba and Europe, this new travel resort guide offers a great selection of routes, trails, lodging, dining, events, attractions etc. for road, MTB and gravel, along with superb photos.

Take advantage of our 30% NENSA Member discount and SAVE - click link below.

Pay only $6.95 (reg. $9.95) and start planning your summer cycling vacation today.

A must for all passionate and committed cyclists across the USA, Canada and Europe. This one-of-a-kind guide is a great partner to help you find your perfect cycling vacation spot.

July 25-30, 2023

Build training volume on foot and on rollerskis while exploring our local roads, mountains, trails, and rivers. Increase your strength in our world-class Racing Performance Center, and enjoy rejuvenating recovery sessions led by our experienced coaching staff. This year's camp will conclude with a race effort!

BKL Camp: Aug 7-10

Junior Camp: Aug 10-13

The SMS Nordic Program has combined sports science, a variety of proven training methods, a culture of athlete-driven excellence, and of course, FUN(!) to boast one of the most successful Nordic programs in the world. The program's unprecedented national and international success has produced 16 Olympians in the past seven Winter Olympics. Over 35 SMS Nordic athletes have made the U.S. World Junior Team, and 25 have made the U.S. National Team. Each Summer, SMS Nordic hosts two summer camps for young skiers filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

BKL Camp: Aug 9-11

High School Camp: Aug 9-12

Join us for a training camp that covers all aspects of dryland training for nordic skiing and will prepare you to be the best skier you can be next winter. Our camp has developed a reputation for its perfect balance of hard work and fun!

Dublin is the optimal setting for our nordic ski camp. Our quiet, paved roads provide great opportunities for rollerskiing, the Nordic Center has miles of single track for running and mountain biking, and the pristine Dublin Lake offers a great way to cool off after every workout. We’ll reside on the Dublin School campus where we will take advantage of the dining hall’s tasty meals, a fully equipped weight room, and an alpine ski slope that’s for the camp’s famous hill bounding workouts. Mount Monadnock is a quick jog from campus and provides an optimal venue for our distance hike at the conclusion of camp.

Unexpected Adventures: Green Woodlands, Dorchester, NH

July 10, 2023 | by Pete Wilson

If you hear a ski venue described as rugged, or wild, or remote, you probably envision the precipitous slopes and snowcapped peaks of the Rockies, or perhaps an expanse of arctic tundra fit for an Iditarod. You would probably not, however, think of a quiet collection of relatively flat cross country ski trails that loop through the forests just twenty miles east of Hanover, New Hampshire. And yet, skiing on the trails at Green Woodlands—which sits on a sizeable swath of preserved land between Hanover and Plymouth—it is easy to feel that civilization is a world away, and that nothing but miles and miles of snow-blanketed fields and ice-crusted trees lay before you.

Diggins a Semifinalist for AAU James Sullivan Award

July 12, 2023 | by Leann Bentley

Jessie Diggins, a three-time Olympic medalist, six-time World Championship medalist and the most decorated American cross country skier, was named a semifinalist for the prestigious AAU James Sullivan Award. As the only cross country skier on the list of semifinalists, Diggins has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the sports landscape.

Diggins' journey to becoming a semifinalist for the AAU James Sullivan Award is one filled with immense dedication and countless hours of training. Hailing from Afton, MN., she discovered her passion for cross country skiing at an early age. Since then, she has relentlessly pursued her dreams, continually pushing herself to new heights of achievement.

“What Makes a Champion”...US Ski Team Video Campaign

July 11, 2023 | by FasterSkier

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is launching a new campaign called, “What Makes a Champion” which will highlight an athlete from each of our teams, and focus on what makes them a champion. Jessie Diggins kicks it off.

Leann Bentley—Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Press Officer—informs FasterSkier that a new “What Makes a Champion” video will be introduced each month leading into the 2023-2024 World Cup season. We’re looking forward to seeing—and hearing from—these great American cross-country champions. Naturally, the video featuring the energy and the exploits of Jessie Diggins is a great place to start.

Fort Kent Outdoor Center Seeks Venue Manager/Nordic Skiing Coach

Pineland Farms / FKOC have an immediate opening for a Venue Manager / Nordic Skiing Coach. This position will require 40 hrs/week and will require flexible hours including some nights and weekends.

Working together with the Pineland Outdoor Recreation Director, FKOC Board of Directors and local volunteers, the Venue Manager will establish a consistent presence at FKOC welcoming and assisting users and in the community promoting the activities available.

Sophia Laukli—Pro Skier or Pro Trail Runner? Both!

July 6, 2023 | by Ken Roth

Competing at a professional level in any sport requires great skill, talent, and focus. Thinking of going pro? Unless you’re in the top 1%, don’t bother trying out. Then, once you reach the professional level of competition, the athletic quality is so high that there is simply no margin allowing time to participate in more than your primary sport. Despite all those seeming truisms, occasionally an athlete emerges with the talent and determination to be able to compete in multiple sports. Incredible athletes such as Connie Carpenter-Phinney and Eric Heiden did so with speed skating and cycling, but they went from a career in one sport to a career in the other. It’s far more rare for an athlete to be a professional in two sports simultaneously. The list of such two sport pro athletes is very short: Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders come to mind (football and baseball simultaneously). After that, the list is extremely short.

THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS

New England Nordic Ski Association

P.O. Box 97

Lyme, NH 03768

Phone: 207-688-6503