Greetings NENSA community,

It is a pleasure to welcome our newest NENSA sponsor, Garnet Hill Lodge. Please click on the logo and visit their site to learn more about the Adirondack lake and mountainside resort, their expansive ski and mountain bike trail systems, fine dining, and year-round recreational opportunities. Garnet Hill is near the base of Gore Mountain, the site of the 2018 NENSA U16 Championships. We are so grateful for their support and look forward to sharing news and special offers with our community.

Reflecting on how quickly the atmospheric tides can turn gives me assurance that winter will return soon. In the meantime, it has been inspiring to witness the resolve and creativity of New England cross country skiers and venues. The cold front upon us is well timed and may provide just the bridge we seek, though there is something to be said for the skills we develop as we embrace (confront!) these fickle New England conditions.

After relocating their Eastern Cup event just over two weeks ago, we are thrilled that Rikert has been able to add to their base and is the likely backup site for the Bogburn Cross Country Ski Race, an event with a long and storied history. Stay tuned for a final update tomorrow and join us this weekend for a New England tradition!

Jackson XC has made the decision to cancel the Jackson Jaunt and focus their new snowmaking and trail preparation efforts on other upcoming events: the White Mountain Classic (January 21), NENSA Women’s Day (January 22), and the Long Haul Loppet (March 11).

The Gunstock Freestyle Zak Cup race is being postponed just a couple of weeks - stay tuned for that announcement shortly.

Finally, registration is open and plans are well underway for the Chisholm Ski Club Eastern Cup and Bates Carnival. Watch for updates and know that the current forecast looks favorable for snowmaking and we look ahead optimistically!

In this week’s edition of KickZone

• 2022 Welcome to Winter Recap
• Popular Race Update
• 2023 Junior National Staff Naming and EC Updates
• BKL Festival Update
• NENSA membership
• Scenes from the Community
• Skirack/Patagonia: Banff Film Festival, January 26-28

In the news

• NNF: NNF Year in Review: Highlights from a Transformational Year in US Skiing – 2022
• U.S. Ski & Snowboard: Ogden Sixth in Tour de Ski Stage Three; Career Best Day for Ogden and Wonders
• FasterSkier: Diggins Resurgent, Karlsson Dominant in TDS Stage 4 Freestyle Pursuit

Wishing you a very happy New Year - one filled with peace, joy, and adventure.

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!

As we wring out the year we have so much to be thankful for, from thriving Bill Koch clubs, to competitive junior racing, coaches, parents, masters and new skiers. We all share the love of gliding on snow, and perhaps we need cherish that just a little bit more each time we experience a winterscape like we did in Lake Placid a few short weeks ago. NENSA is especially grateful for the venues that lose sleep and put in the tremendous work it takes to maintain skiing in much of our new winters. One thing is for sure, we’ll do our best to support our community getting out on snow!

NENSA numbers are required for Club and Zak Cup scoring and

NENSA members receive a 20% discount on the entry fee using

the coupon code provided with membership signup/renewal. 

NENSA is pleased to announce our staff for the 2023 Junior Nationals.

Justin Beckwith will humbly serve as this year’s Trip Leader, joined by veteran Junior National Head Coach, Matt Boobar of the Stratton Mountain School.

Click HERE to read coach bios and an update about Junior Nationals 2023.

THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS:

A quick reminder that if you want to order the official 2023 BKL Festival hat (or headband) by SKIDA, you must register for the Festival by January 9th!!! We’re super grateful to SKIDA for their support of youth skiing and the BKL Festival, and are thrilled to partner with them!

Reporting Misconduct and New QR Code for Reporting

Whether you are a coach, parent, volunteer, or athlete, we all play a role in providing a safe environment for the sports that we love. U.S. Ski & Snowboard  Athlete Safety policies, the SafeSport Code, and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard MAAPP help us support that culture of safety.  

• If you witness or are aware of inappropriate behavior or misconduct - REPORT IT!
• Reports may be made anonymously!
• Child Abuse and Child Sexual Abuse – Report to law enforcement or child protective services in your jurisdiction immediately.
• Reports to the Center - SafeSport hotline at 833-5US-SAFE (587-7233) or CLICK HERE to complete an online reporting form.
• Reports to U.S. Ski & Snowboard - CLICK HERE

You may see QR codes posted at events this season. The QR codes open a page on www.usskiandsnowboard.org for quick links to reporting from your smartphone.

Thank you for your diligence in maintaining sport safety and protecting our athletes. 

It is time to renew NENSA memberships. NENSA membership is required for attendance at the BKL Festival, Eastern Cup, U16 and EHS Championship events, as well as for Junior National, Zak, and Club Cup rankings. NENSA members receive discounted entry fees to many of our events as well as exclusive offers from our sponsors that are constantly added and updated HERE. Membership directly supports 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 tend to your renewal, and for the important support your membership provides!



THANK YOU TO OUR NENSA SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

While not racing, GRP athletes volunteer to help the community. A recent project has been creating skis for the Nordic Rocks school program. 

Thanks to @nensa_nordic @craftsburyoutdoorcenter @madshus1906 @lostnationrd @sharewinterfoundation @killingtonworldcupfoundation for the funding, gear, and setup.

What a great way to get kids outside and on skis! We love giving back to the community🌿

...Thank you, Craftsbury GRP! We are so grateful for your partnership, your support with our Nordic Rocks program, and the inspiration you provide to young skiers!

NNF Year in Review: Highlights from a Transformational Year in US Skiing – 2022

by Ben Theyerl | Dec 29, 2022 

It has been a transformational year for US Skiing, and likewise for the grassroots movement propelling the sport’s development in the sport at the National Nordic Foundation. 2022 saw new highs reached for US skiers at the World Cup and at the Beijing Olympics, and saw those successes mirrored by skiers at all stages of their athletic development – at U23/World Junior Ski Championships, in regional competitions, and in the hard, numerous hours that skiers spend together between races on skis, rollerskis, in strength rooms and chalets, There was a real sense of coming together around the American ski community throughout the past year, least of which because many of us were gathering literally again in light of the conditions necessitated by the ongoing COVID pandemic.

The pandemic still marked a key theme throughout. Skiers from all over the country started to regain that crucial sense of community that the sport of skiing provides, but still had to weather the changes to their individual journey in the sport necessitated by it. What continues to become apparent this winter is that the challenges posed on those skiers, on the ski communities that they are a part of across the country, and our sport, have led to a new sense of resilience and dynamism that will benefit US skiing in the years to come...read more HERE

Ogden Sixth in Tour de Ski Stage Three; Career Best Day for Ogden and Wonders

by Leann Bentley | January, 3 2023

It was the day for career bests for the U.S Cross Country Ski Team in the third stage of the Tour de Ski. It was a very warm and rainy afternoon in Oberstdorf, Germany, but Ben Ogden and Hunter Wonders still posted historic results in the 10k classic. Ogden finished sixth in 22:08.5 and Wonders 11th, respectively. Rosie Brennan led the women in 11th place, crossing the line in 25:53.8. 

With temperatures reaching nearly 40 degrees Fahrenheit and rain misting the completely man-made track, the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team found their speed and had five men and four women in the top 50. 

Ogden continued his strong showing on the Tour with a sixth-place result, cementing his best-ever distance result in a World Cup. Hunter Wonders, who finished 11th, also had a career-best individual result to end the day. Five U.S. men were in the top 50 with Gus Schumacher in 15th, Scott Patterson 29th and Zak Ketterson 38th. Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won for the third time in a row, crossing the finish line in first with a time of 21:38.5 and will continue sporting the yellow bib in the next race. 

"It was a real treat out there today," said Ogden. "I just had unlimited energy, especially given it was the third race of the Tour... it was just a ton of fun. Each passing race I learn a little bit more about how to ski smart and today it really came together, and I got to sit in the leader chair so it was pretty awesome."...read more HERE

Diggins Resurgent, Karlsson Dominant in TDS Stage 4 Freestyle Pursuit

January 4, 2023 | by John Teaford

With starting positions based on individual finishes in yesterday’s racing, Wednesday’s 20 k Freestyle Pursuit appeared likely to confirm who the leader of the 2023 Tour de Ski truly was. Frida Karlsson entered the day with an advantage, one she would surrender by mid race, only to regain it by the finish. At the line, it was Frida Karlsson (SWE) first, ahead of Krista Parmakoski (FIN) in second, and Tiril Udnes Weng (NOR) third.

Pursuit racing can be a confusing affair . . . the times and placings don’t always mean what we think they mean. There’s a skier’s finishing place in the field, and then there’s a skier’s finishing time on the day. The Pursuit field behaves like a mass start race, offering many opportunities for skiers to move up through the field. Good fitness and good fortune combine to create numerous ways for skiers to shine. On this day, the Americans took full advantage of those opportunities. Diggins (who started 40th) raced forward to a remarkable 8^th, signaling that her racing form may be returning. Rosie Brennan finished 13^th, Kern 17^th, Laukli 30^th, and Sonnesyn 31^st. However, the compelling story of the Americans’ day of racing was told by their finishing times on the day: led by Diggins’ fastest finishing time of all competitors, Americans placed five skiers among the top finishers as Alayna Sonnesyn skied to a remarkable 5^th, Julia Kern 6^th Sophia Laukli 8^th, and Rosie Brennan 11^th...read more HERE

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