Greetings NENSA Community,

I’m often on the receiving end of kind words and appreciation from community members who work closely with our staff and this week I’d like to take a moment to express my own gratitude.

I’m thrilled to share that Kait Miller has rejoined our team (you’ll find the full announcement below). Their return has me reflecting on the power of team and the diverse experiences and perspectives the individuals contribute that result in something far greater than the sum of the parts. Our community is truly fortunate to benefit from the talents, insights, and vision that Ben, Isabel, Kait, and Mackenzie bring. I thank each of them and I hope you’ll join me in extending a warm welcome to Kait!

I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our many members (over 30%!) who were enrolled in our auto-renewal membership option. If you were among them, you’ve already received a separate note with details about the discontinuation of that option and, we hope, the decreasing need for the convenience it once provided. In many ways, auto-renewal functioned as a sustaining membership, and the continued support it represented meant a great deal. I’m personally grateful for your commitment and investment. Thank you!

We hope you’ll find similar, or even improved, convenience in our new member portal. Please take a moment to visit and explore when you can.

And with the heat letting up a bit, I hope you enjoy the rest of this early summer week!

All my best,

Heidi

Heidi Lange

Executive Director

New England Nordic Ski Association

heidi@nensa.net

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In this week’s KickZone

Job Openings

Partnership Corner

In The News

NENSA News From the Field

2026 Women’s Day to take place January 25th at Holderness School Nordic Center

NENSA is excited to share that the 25th edition of Women’s Day will take place where it all began in 2002, at the Holderness School Nordic Center in Holderness, NH on Sunday, January 25th. We could not be more thrilled to return to the original venue for this special event.

2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the New England Women’s XC Ski Day – a cherished tradition that brings together women of all levels for a day of inspiration, camaraderie, and winter adventure. At the heart of Women’s XC Ski Day are fun, welcoming learn-to-ski clinics led by all-women instructor teams. Whether you’re brand new to the sport or looking to refine your technique, the emphasis is on joy, community, and encouragement.

Learn More

Kait Miller Returns to NENSA as Community Engagement Director

NENSA is thrilled to welcome Kait Miller back to our team as Community Engagement Director!

Kait brings a lifelong love of skiing, a deep commitment to equity in the outdoors, and extensive experience within the cross-country skiing community and beyond. A NENSA member since childhood, Kait began skiing with friends through Stowe Nordic’s Bill Koch League and attended their first Bill Koch Festival in 1999. Continue reading...

THANK YOU TO OUR GOLD SPONSORS

New Membership Year: No More Auto-renew

The NENSA Membership year began May 1st for the 2025-26 season!

NENSA launched an improved Membership Portal during the past winter with the aim of making it easier to update the critical information your skiers need to make participation in NENSA's programs easier. As a result, all individual members and clubs must renew this season (rather than auto-renew).

Why the change? We recognize auto-renew was a convenience many of our members enjoyed, but our new member portal is designed to simplify the process so we've both eliminated the subscription model and hopefully addressed the need for it by creating a simpler, faster, and better option. We also wanted to avoid the scenario where folks get automatically charged for memberships they didn’t intend to renew. You can read more about the upgrade here.

Your support through membership is a foundational part of the events and programs we offer throughout New England. We truly couldn’t do it without you!

Join or Renew Today

THANK YOU TO OUR SILVER SPONSORS

Episode 22: Glacial Striations

All Episodes

THANK YOU TO OUR BRONZE SPONSORS

Job Opportunities

Assistant Coach of Nordic Skiing

Williams College, a Division III institution and member of the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) and New England Small College Athletics Conference (NESCAC), is seeking applicants for the position of Assistant Nordic Ski Coach. This is a 40 hour per week, 10-month position with a full meal plan and a benefit package spread over 12 months, and also provides full tuition-remission of graduate school after six months of employment. Full job description and application instructions here.

Graduate Assistant Coach for Men’s & Women’s Nordic Ski

St. Lawrence University is currently seeking applicants for a Graduate Assistant Coach for Men’s & Women’s Nordic Ski to begin Fall 2025. This 9-month position (August to May) is targeted toward graduate students seeking a master’s degree. Remuneration includes a very competitive coaching stipend, student health insurance, and eligibility for tuition remission (6 graduate classes per year in the University’s graduate program). St Lawrence offers a Master of Arts in Leadership. Full job description and application instructions here.

Lead Snowmaker/General Maintenance

The General Maintenance and Service Worker maintains and cares for Bread Loaf campus grounds and facilities. This position is a full-time, benefit eligible position working for the Rikert Outdoor Center from December to March. From April to November picking up and delivering materials, furniture and equipment to campus buildings and facilities. The hiring range is $19.26 – $23.59/hour with an anticipated increase July 1. Full job description and application instructions here.

Explore All Open Jobs

Partnership Corner

Skida is a performance neck and headwear company with whose mission to bring people together, encourage play, generate smiles, and make a better place aligns perfectly with NENSA’s mission of sharing the joy of gliding on snow and sustaining an active ski community for all.

Skida's Founder and CEO, Corinne Prevot, grew up ski racing in New England and was recently featured on the Out of Collective podcast where she shared insights on what it takes to run a business and what the future may look like. Listen here.

As part of their support for NENSA and the ski community, Skida is offering all NENSA teams and clubs access to custom orders.

Details HERE (under Member Benefits)

Order HERE

Scenes from the NENSA Community

All Stratton Nordic alumni present at the recent Stratton Mountain School Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Photo: NENSA

Pre-run group photo from Mansfield Pro Nordic's Solstice Kickoff event at Cochran's Ski Area. Photo: Adam Terko

In the News

Jessie Diggins fuels her Olympic training regimen with 'superhero muffins'

June 10, 2025 | by Marisa Marcellino

Jessie Diggins is no stranger to the spotlight. It comes with the territory of being the most decorated U.S. cross-country skier of all time with a medal in every color. On a recent day in Bend, Oregon during her team’s training camp, all eyes were on her once again, as she checked off yet another bucket list item: getting her very own superhero muffin recipe.

No, the superhero muffin doesn’t wear a cape. It’s a muffin from the “Run Fast. Eat Slow.” cookbook series packed with carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein. “…You can’t drive your car without the right fuel in the tank, you can’t train, race and recover without the fuel to keep your body moving,” Diggins said. This mentality originally is what drew the Olympian to the nutrition movement, and later, to the special baked good. Both have become essential elements in keeping her fueled during rigorous training sessions over the years. Continue reading...

On the Challenges of Identifying and Retaining Talent: Interview with Greta Anderson

June 22, 2025 | by Peter Minde

Editor’s note: This interview was conducted at Spring Series in Lake Placid in late March. Its delayed publication in these humble pages is attributable to neither the reporter nor the interview subject. Mea culpa.

MT VAN HOEVENBERG, Lake Placid — In a break between the 40-kilometer races at Spring Series and the award ceremonies following, Nordic Insights caught up with USSS Development Team Coach Greta Anderson. She kindly gave her time to answer some questions about identifying and retaining talent in American junior skiing. Continue reading...