Greetings Everyone ~
We are winding down the winter season, but still more races happening and to report on!
Stay tuned on the Hall Mark of Excellence Award ~ a tight and fierce club race indeed! We encourage teams to participate in these two races below as the final standings and winners of the $5000, $3000 and $1000 cash prizes and SWIX poles are still up for grabs!
3/21/2021
3/20-28/2021
Hot off the press ~ the 2021 Eastern High School and U16 Team naming for each state has just been finalized! Congrats to all the athletes who participated in their individual state races and for making the teams!
Here's what we have in store for you in this week's KickZone ~
- NENSA's 2021 Eastern High School and U16 Team Naming!
- VT & NH NENSA State U16 & EHS Championships Recaps from 3/13 & 3/14
- A Hall Mark of Excellence Update
- Craftsbury accepting applications for their 21-22 season for GRP, biathlon and U23 summer programs
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From our Partners:
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U.S. Ski & Snowboard: The final weekend of WC racing; Jessie Diggins overall World Cup Champion!
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In the News:
- Sophie Caldwell Hamilton Retries
- Cross-Country Skier Jessie Diggins Makes History In A Year of COVID-19 And Climate Change
- Why Cross Country Ski Clubs are Key for Olympic Development
- Jessie Diggins Calls World Cup Overall Title 'The Biggest Thing I Could Ever Possibly Achieve'
- The Top Benefits of Cross-Country Skiing, According to an Olympian
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Two more Voice in Sport March sessions: 3/24 & 3/31
Thank you to all of our NENSA Sponsors ~ they are such a HUGE part of our NENSA programing continued success, and we appreciate their support, even in these very difficult times. I want to be sure we all acknowledge the businesses who support us and cross country skiing!
I hope you all have an opportunity to get out and do some late March skiing before the snow disappears!
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
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NENSA News from the Field
Highlights and Notes from NENSA and the Nordic World
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2021 Eastern High School
& U16 Team Naming
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While there is no regional Eastern High School or U16 Championship event this year, it is still a special honor to qualify for your state team and today we want to acknowledge and celebrate the top athletes in Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire who trained hard, raced fast, and earned a spot on their state’s 2021 Easter High School or U16 team. A big thank you to all the state coaches and race organizers who made the state-based events happen during these challenging times.
To recap a little… Massachusetts kicked things off on February 13th with an under-the-lights 6k individual start skate race at the Leo J Martin Ski Track. Next up was Maine with a two day event taking place on February 27th and 28th. The Maine event featured boys on Saturday and girls on Sunday (split by region) and all skiers competed in a 5k individual start skate race followed by an XCX event. Vermont and New Hampshire wrapped things up this past weekend. Like Maine, New Hampshire’s event also offered two races with a classic individual start race shortly followed up by an XCX event. Vermont stuck to the single race format with boys on Saturday and girls on Sunday but they got creative and integrated some XCX features into their 5k individual start skate race.
View the links below for results and named teams. Please note that the qualification criteria was expanded this year (28 skiers per gender per team), teams are listed in alphabetical order, and all U16s are named to their state’s U16 Team even if they also qualified for their state’s Eastern High School Team. Congratulations to all! We wish those of you who are graduating high school the best of luck in your future endeavors and we hope to see you all ripping it up out there next winter.
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VT Eastern State Champs Recap |
This past weekend, Vermont hosted it’s NENSA Eastern State Champs event at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. This 5k individual skate race, featuring some exciting XCX features, also doubled as Vermont’s Open Junior Championships. Congrats to all the racers and a big thank you to the staff, volunteer, and coaches that organized and supported this event. Below are the top-10 overall results. We will be splitting results out by age group and naming the Vermont State Eastern High School and U16 teams later this week.
- Finn Sweet, Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club
- Jack Young, Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club
- Fin Bailey, SMS
- Jack Lange, SMS
- Mathias Boudreau-Golfman, SMS
- Aidan Burt, GMVS
- Tabor Greenberg, GMVS
- Wyatt Teaford, SMS
- David Shycon, SMS
- Luke Rizio, Twin Valley Nordic
- Ava Thurston, Mansfield Nordic Club
- Rose Clayton, Mansfield Nordic Club
- Camille Bolduc, Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club
- Hattie Barker, Mansfield Nordic Club
- Nina Seemann, Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club
- Emma Strack, GMVS
- Rebecca Cunningham, Mansfield Nordic Club
- Charlotte Brown, GMVS
- Emma Crum, Champlain Valley Union High School
- Isabelle Serrano, Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club
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THANK YOU TO OUR ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
L.L.Bean and SWIX!
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NH Eastern State Champs Recap |
Last Saturday New Hampshire hosted its Eastern State Champs event with a jam packed schedule featuring a total of 6 races! Each racer competed in two events: a 5k classic individual start distance race and a skate XCX race. A huge thank you to the Dublin School Nordic Center for hosting this fun day of racing. Also a big shoutout to all the volunteers and coaches that made this event possible. And last, but not least, congrats to all the racers! Below are links to results and video coverage.
Results:
Video Coverage:
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IMPORTANT TIMING CHIP RETURN PSA:
If you are done racing this season, and you still have your rented timing chip in your possession - you must mail it back to Bullitt Timing ASAP, to avoid the $50 replacement cost fee.
Please send your chip to:
Despard Design
1027 Winhall Hollow Road
South Londonderry, VT 05155
If you have any questions regarding the return of your rented chip, please reach out to Ed Despard directly at: edwarddes@gmail.com
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A Hall Mark of Excellence |
It's been just over a year since the skiing world was shut down for the foreseeable future by the Covid pandemic -- fortunately this season was a great success because of the nature of cross country skiing, our communities adherence to guidelines and the creativity of event organizers. Last season the New England Club Championships were not able to be held. A relay by nature brings people together -- and there is no more fitting way to celebrate the end of this season -- and hopefully the beginning of a new normal by bringing this event back, albeit in a virtual arena.
As many clubs know there is money on the line -- provided by the generosity of Kathy and Marty Hall (and now prizes from Swix). While larger clubs have a distinct advantage at the top of this contest, A Hall Mark of Excellence allowed NENSA to create a new format for Club scoring this season. The system brings together competitions across the spectrum of our racing programs -- allowing clubs with junior athletes, colleges and those with robust masters programs to stack up against each other. The intention of the competition is to reward participation as well as excellence.
Mansfield Nordic, who currently sits atop the leaderboard, is providing a final virtual opportunity for clubs across New England (and beyond) to compete regardless of their location. Registration and the period to submit results begins today. There is even a discounted registration fee for interstate teams. NENSA's statisticians are currently reviewing and verifying the elaborate data that only a pandemic can create. We hope we will have robust participation in this event -- create your dream team and dream route and get out on the snow before it's gone!
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS: |
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Craftsbury now accepting Applications for GRPSki & Biathlon 21-22 and
U23Ski Summer Training
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GRPSki & Biathlon are now accepting applications for the 2021-22 training year as well as for their summer U23 training program. Applications for what is likely to be limited spaces in either the ski or biathlon program will be due by end of day March 31 and decisions will be made by April 15.
In exchange for coaching, travel support, room & board, year-round GRP skiers, biathletes and summer athletes are asked to take on projects that contribute to work of the Center. Projects in the past have included: ski trail mapping and improvements, construction of single-track trails, coaching of youth and junior skiers, outreach to area schools, growing vegetables and raising animals to help provide food for the Dining Hall, organizing events and programs at the Center, design of the GRP website and clothing, blogging and writing articles, helping develop a regional trail system, and working to bring more local food into the Center’s Dining Hall.
If this sounds like work you would enjoy, while taking your skiing and/or biathlon to the next level, then you may be a good fit.
Athletes applying, or thinking of applying, should email and schedule Facetime or a Zoom call with Pepa or Mike. Contact Pepa at the skiing@craftsbury.com address, or call 802-586-7767 ext 33. Biathletes may address questions to Coach Mike Gibson at biathlon@craftsbury.com.
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA SUPPORTING SPONSORS: |
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Jessie Diggins is the second American, and first American woman, to win the FIS World Cup Overall Crystal Globe. (Modica/NordicFocus) |
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Final Weekend of World Cup Racing Recaps: |
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March 14:
Diggins Fourth in 30k, Wraps up Overall, Distance World Cup Titles
Jessie Diggins made history Sunday, becoming only the second American to win the overall World Cup Crystal Globe, and the first American woman to win the title. But in her true “deep into the pain cave” gritty fashion, she also secured the distance discipline World Cup Crystal Globe following her fourth-place finish in the 30k freestyle pursuit in the final race of the season. ...READ MORE / RESULTS
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March 13:
Diggins Leads Three Into Top 14 In Classic Mass Start
On a challenging, and beautiful track in the scenic Engadin Valley of Switzerland, Jessie Diggins skied to a fifth-place finish, leading three Davis U.S. Cross Country team athletes into the top 14. Hailey Swibul was 12th, followed by Rosie Brennan in 14th. ...READ MORE / RESULTS
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March 12:
World Cup Champion Diggins Leads U.S. Team Into Season’s Final Event
Jessie Diggins will wear the FIS World Cup Cross Country yellow leader’s bib into the final races of the season this weekend in the beautiful Engadin Valley in Switzerland. But most importantly, she’ll take that yellow bib home next week along with the Crystal Globe as the first American woman, and second American, to win the overall title. ...READ MORE
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IN THE NEWS:
Sophie Caldwell Hamilton Retires
Last weekend wasn’t the retirement party that Sophie Caldwell Hamilton planned for, but the two-time Olympian still radiated grace and gratitude while hanging up her skis at the professional level. ...Read Full Story at RutlandHerald.com
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Peru's Sophie Caldwell Hamilton Calls It A Career
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Cross-Country Skier Jessie Diggins Makes History In A Year of COVID-19 And Climate Change
Cross-country skiing has boomed during the pandemic year: skis are out of stock and parking lots are full at trailheads across the Snowbelt, because it’s an almost covid-proof activity. (The skis are about six feet long, so social distancing is essentially self-enforcing.) But recreational cross-country skiing—a gentle trek beneath snow-laden boughs, with a cup of hot chocolate as the reward—is a very long way from high-level cross-country ski racing on the World Cup circuit, which had to figure out a covid-19 strategy in order to pull off its season. ...Read Full Story at NewYorker.com
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Why Cross Country Ski Clubs Are Key For Olympic Development
For anyone who watched the women’s 4x5km relay at the 2021 FIS Nordic World SkiChampionships, the U.S. team gave an edge-of-the seat performance. Hailey Swirbul led off for Team USA, tagging Sadie Maubet Bjornsen just 14 seconds from the lead. By the time Maubet Bjornsen tagged Rosie Brennan for the third relay leg, the U.S. was in medal contention. In her anchor leg, Jessie Diggins then did everything she could to drop her rivals. By the finish, Diggins crossed the line in fourth place, 0.80 seconds from a medal. It was the closest the U.S. had ever come to the podium a world championship relay. ...Read Full Story at TeamUSA.org
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Jessie Diggins Calls World Cup Overall Title 'The Biggest Thing I Could Ever Possibly Achieve'
In a way, Jessie Diggins wishes she had won the World Cup overall title in a more normal year. She knows some people will attach an asterisk to her historic achievement, given that cross-country skiing powers Norway, Sweden, and Finland sat out several races because of COVID-19. ...Read the Full Story at StarTribune.com
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The Top Benefits Of Cross-Country Skiing, According To An Olympian
Unlike alpine skiing, cross-country skiing involves gliding across relatively flat terrain, relying on your own power and strength — not the decline of a hill — to get you from point A to B. The classic style of cross-country skiing, which most skiers typically start off with, entails moving your legs forward and back as if you’re running with skis on, while the more-complex skating method involves moving your legs side to side in an ice skating-like motion. The result of both styles: A seriously tough workout, says Rosie Brennan, a 2018 Olympic cross-country skier and a two-time winner on the World Cup circuit. ...Read the Full Story at Shape.com
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Voice in Sport ~ Two more March Sessions!
Please spread the word to all females 13-22! It's free, but you need to sign up ahead of time.
3/24: Transition season (winter to spring sports or just winter to spring training)
3/31: Different Paths: Skiing in College, Skiing Post-college, Skiing for a club team, all the options to find success
Voice is Sport is a (free) membership platform that provides mentoring for females ages 13-22. There are collegiate and professional athletes from all sports on the platform providing mentorship sessions inaddition to some field experts that have more education based sessions on various topics. Athletes need to become members to sign up for a session, but once a member, they have access to all sessions. I will be doing 2-4 sessions a month on a wide range of topics. 1 on 1 sessions are also available and athletes can write us directly through the platform if they have specific questions.
So when you go to voiceinsport.com you will have to click become a member or join us, once an athlete is a member, then they will be able to access a calendar that has all the mentorship sessions that are available this month and sign up. It does take a bit to become a member because the platform must approve each person for security reasons, however, once a member, sign up for sessions is quick and easy.
Rosie Brennan
2018 OLYMPIAN and US SKI TEAM ATHLETE
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THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS: |
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Upcoming Events
A Look Ahead at the NENSA Calendar
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Popular/Citizen Racing: Zak Cup Race Series Schedule HERE
Full NENSA.net Calendar Listing HERE
Link to our NENSA Virtual Resources Page HERE
Link to our NENSA BLM Resources Page HERE
Link to our NENSA Equality & Diversity Policy HERE
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If you already shop Amazon ~ please link to Amazon Smile
with NENSA as your beneficiary!
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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!! |
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New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA)
49 Pineland Drive, Suite 301A
New Gloucester, ME 04260
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