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Greetings NENSA Community,
The late-season snowstorms and solar eclipse provided a poignant finale to a truly magical season. You’ll find recaps, celebrations, and acknowledgements below alongside news of things to come. Such is the month of April at NENSA: full of review, reflection, strategizing, and anticipation. Our NENSA team is just between a staff retreat and our annual board meeting. It’s a busy and exciting time and we’re thrilled to begin rolling out the updates and announcements that all of that brings!
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In this week’s KickZone
- NENSA Seeks Competitive Program Director
- Reflection on 2024 Junior Nationals
- 2023-24 Zak Cup and Club Cup Season Wrap Up
- 2024 NENSA Elite & Development Teams
- Welcoming Nominations for NENSA’s Annual Awards
- NENSA Event Bids Due for 2024-25
From Our Partners
- Bivo: Quench'd: Building Confidence
- Gould Summer Camp 2024
- GMVS Summer Camp 2024
- SMS Summer Camp 2024
- Dublin Summer Camp 2024
- Nordic Skater: Winter Clearance
In The News
- NNF: 2024 SKI SEASON PHOTOS: Junior World Ski Championships in Planica, Slovenia
- U.S. Ski & Snowboard: Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Celebrate a Season Worth Remembering
- FasterSkier: A Skier’s Dream: Adaptive Athlete Otis Loga Finds It All at Snow Mountain Ranch
- FasterSkier: Matt Whitcomb: Reflecting on a Special Season with Stifel U.S. Ski Team Head Coach
All my best,
Heidi
Heidi Lange
Executive Director
New England Nordic Ski Association
heidi@nensa.net
www.nensa.net
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NENSA News From the Field | |
NENSA Seeks Competitive Program Director |  | |
As the regional governing body for cross country skiing in the U.S., New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) provides the support structure necessary to bring cross country skiers to their highest potential at regional, national and international events. NENSA seeks a dynamic Competitive Program Director to oversee our year round competitive programming. This role requires strong, inspired leadership and a collaborative spirit to galvanize and to work with our nordic community. This position will work closely with community stakeholders including relevant committees, venues, event organizers, clubs, sponsors, Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA), U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and the NENSA staff team. The Competitive Program Director will further NENSA’s athlete and coach development pipeline and philosophy by creating resources and implementing development projects. This position oversees NENSA’s race data including the seeding, scoring, and ranking of all competitive events and series. The Competitive Program Director is an empowered position requiring energy, vision, attention to detail, and the ability to multitask in advancing NENSA’s competitive programs.
Application deadline: April 22
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Reflection on 2024 Junior Nationals |  | |
The US Ski and Snowboard Junior Nationals is one of our annual highlights here at NENSA, and this year’s event was no different. Our Junior athletes have worked incredibly hard to qualify and be named to the New England Junior National team to represent our division in the week-long, four race series. The 2024 edition of the event was special, and not just because we increased our Alaska Cup winning streak to sixteen out of the last twenty years of competition. Racing returned to an Eastern venue for the first time since 2017 meaning that not one skier named to the trip this year has ever been able to showcase their skills in front of a home crowd like this at this event before in their careers. Because the event was only driving distance, many parents, coaches, family members and New England skiing fans flocked to Lake Placid to cheer the athletes on.
Collectively, New England athletes claimed 68 All-American finishes, 27 podium finishes, and 12 National Championship titles. New England defended the Alaska Cup with a total of 1,212 points, a 315 point lead over the runners up, the Intermountain division. These statistics are impressive, but the real magic was in all of the special moments sprinkled throughout the week. Numerous personal bests, long-term goals achieved, the perseverance of every New England athlete through some quintessential March weather, a 1-4th place podium sweep with some of your best friends and long-time training partners are just a few examples. But don’t take it from me, hear directly from our fabulous volunteer staff about their experience below:
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2023-24 Zak Cup and Club Cup Season Wrap Up | The Zak Cup series is named after Vlastimil Zak and commemorates his enthusiasm and dedication to our sport. The Zak Cup is a season-long series to determine the best skiers in each five-year age group over 30 and Seniors (20-29). All events that are part of this series are scored for Club points, with all participants earning at least one point for their club. 17 of the 20 scheduled Zak Cups were held during the 2023-24 season, showcasing New England’s varied terrain and snow conditions and resilience in low snow conditions! Many thanks to the host clubs, volunteers, venues and skiers who make these events well-run, fun and social ski events. | |
2024 NENSA Elite & Development Teams | NENSA is proud to name our 2024 Elite and Development Teams, highlighting the continued success of Eastern athletes regionally, nationally and internationally. Nomination to these teams is based on U.S. Ski & Snowboard List 10 Overall Points and highlights the interplay of junior, collegiate and national competition. Athletes nominated will receive further communication and invitations to attend events and camps throughout the 2024 training year. You can read more about criteria and Team Benefits here: Elite, Development. |
Nominations for the Eastern Regional Elite Group (REG) camp will be announced in the coming days with nominations for the Eastern Regional Development Group (RDG) camp to follow. Please watch our website and socials for updates! | |
THANK YOU TO OUR GOLD SPONSORS | |
Welcoming Nominations for NENSA’s Annual Awards | |
The NENSA staff is accepting nominations for folks in our New England ski community who fulfill the ideals of our Annual Awards. These awards honor the achievements and contributions of our members who work to support NENSA’s mission of sustaining a vibrant and active Nordic skiing community in New England. Click the link below to submit a nomination in any of these Award categories:
John Caldwell Award
Coach of the Year
Club of the Year
Chummy Broomhall Volunteer Award
Bill Koch League Youth Leadership Award
Nominations due April 30
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NENSA Event Bids Due for 2024-25 | |
THANK YOU TO OUR SILVER SPONSORS | |
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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.
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Scenes from the NENSA Community | |
THANK YOU TO OUR BRONZE SPONSORS | |
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Quench'd: Building Confidence
March 29, 2024 | by Ed Hamel
For this week's Quench'd series, we've brought on my dad: Ed Hamel. Ed has been involved in sport since he was a kid; from baseball and whitewater canoeing (he was a national champion) to nordic skiing and cyclocross. While he is an incredible athlete himself, he is best known for his coaching and his laugh. He started the youth nordic ski program in Western Massachusetts with my mom, and he coached many athletes who went on to race World Cups. He also coached the current Head Coach of the US Nordic Ski Team, Matt Whitcomb.
I asked Matt to say something about my dad and he wrote, “After my parents, it’s Ed who impacted my life more than anyone. My life of adventure is the result of the way Ed coached us as kids; every workout was an adventure. These days, my coaching philosophy at the Olympic level is also tied to Ed: Get faster by working together. If we can connect as a team, then we can win races as individuals.” We could all learn a lot from Ed about coaching, and, today, he shares a story of a coach who helped him and his team build confidence below. Welcome, Dad ❤️ - Carina
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July 7th - July 12th, 2024
We’re not waiting for Winter, and neither should you!
Skiers are built in the summer and Gould’s Nordic Camp is a fun way to kick off summer training right. Our experienced staff will take you on adventures while honing your endurance, strength, and skills. We’ll have a variety of activities from rollersking to running, biking to bounding, agility courses to multisport adventures, and a whole lot more.
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July 30 - Aug 4, 2024
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. Camp will conclude with a race effort.
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BKL Camp: Aug 5-8, 2024
Junior Camp: Aug 8-11, 2024
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
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NH Nordic Devo Camp
August 14-17, 2024
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!
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2024 SKI SEASON PHOTOS: Junior World Ski Championships in Planica, Slovenia
April 4, 2024 | by Ben Theyerl
The World U23/Junior Ski Championships have always been a signpost for US Skiing’s development. As American skiers have looked to challenge on the World Cup, they’ve first looked to challenge the World, with “Junior Worlds” the first, week-long, all disciplines challenge that many skiers face in their budding careers. World Juniors boils down the essence of US Skiing; a continent’s-worth of skiers and their ski communities, into a unified and singular thing – Team USA, sending its best young talent to ski against the best young talent in the world.
When the 2024 World Junior Ski Championships started in Planica, Slovenia in early February, it came with all that tradition attached for Team USA. This year though, the signpost of World Juniors in many skier’s career came one and the same for their season. The athletes that represented Team USA at World Juniors were in the midst of contributing to what would become the best all-around season in American skiing history. Some came off of an ever-more competitive college circuit in the United States. A couple came directly off the World Cup. Many among those two circuits were bound for a single destination the week after; Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the 2024 Loppet Cup World Cups. Smack-dab in the middle of all those trajectories came World Juniors. A momentary pause to ski together, and ski for Team USA.
The result was an overwhelmingly successful World Junior Ski Championships. Three individual medals, won by Sammy Smith (Sun Valley) and John Steel Hagenbuch (Dartmouth) in the Skate Sprint, and Haley Brewster (UVM) in the 20 k Skate Mass Start, capped a week of top ten performances, a fourth place for the junior relay team, and an always-there presence for the Americans.
The takeaway was one that marked a clear trajectory. US Skiing as a whole was on its way to the best season it’s ever had on the World Cup, and at Junior Worlds, the skiers just a few years away from that circuit showed how deep the roots of that development are, and previewed a bright future to come.
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Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Celebrate a Season Worth Remembering
April 18, 2024 | by Leann Bentley
The cross country ski season has officially wrapped and the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team is celebrating the most successful season in history.
Looking back at the first World Cup of the season in Ruka, Finland, Rosie Brennan was on the podium twice, alongside teammate Jessie Diggins. The season was clearly off to a strong start, but if you were to tell the 20+ athletes and coaching staff that they were on the way to their most successful season in history, well, they likely already knew.
This season, there were no World Championships and Olympics, but there was one race that felt like the two of them combined - the Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Head Coach Matt Whitcomb, in an interview with FasterSkier, remarked, "We often talk about athletes peaking for big events, but I'd never considered that our American ski culture could peak for an event." This was the first time in over 23 years that a World Cup cross country event have been held in the United States and was the first time that the U.S. athletes would get the opportunity to race a World Cup on home snow.
Jumping into the season, with 15 World Cups and over 35 races, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team achieved remarkable success: 22 World Cup podiums, spanning 38 races with six different athletes on the podium, an overall FIS Crystal Globe, a distance Globe, fourth place in the Nations Cup, third place in the U23 Rookie of the Year category, numerous first World Cup starts, and career-best results nearly every race.
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A Skier’s Dream: Adaptive Athlete Otis Loga Finds It All at Snow Mountain Ranch
April 18, 2024 | by Alex Kochon
What a gap year it’s been so far for 19-year-old Otis Loga.
After graduating high school in Montpelier, Vt., in September, the aspiring Paralympian decided to spend a winter skiing and training out West before starting college. He landed at Snow Mountain Ranch, the YMCA of the Rockies, in Granby, Colo.
It was a dream for the relatively new sit skier, who was first invited to a US Paralympic camp in Canmore, Alberta, a year earlier. A three-sport athlete in high school, Loga has cerebral palsy (CP), a movement disorder that makes it difficult for his brain to send messages to the rest of his body. He was born with it, yet he persisted in sports, learning to ride a bike in fourth grade and competing in cross-country skiing, cross-country running, and track in high school.
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Matt Whitcomb: Reflecting on a Special Season with Stifel U.S. Ski Team Head Coach
April 15, 2024 | by Ben Theyerl
Asked for a reflection on the 2023-24 World Cup season, US Ski Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb pointed straight towards one place; Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on a sunny February day, filled to the brim with 20,000 people cheering loud and clear.
“We often talk about athletes peaking for big events,” he said. “But I’d never considered that our American ski culture could peak for an event.”
The specific dynamics between performance and culture may be something Whitcomb is ongoing in noting, but his reflections on this World Cup season show a clear comfort operating in the connected space between the two. In a season of many notable triumphs for American skiers, Whitcomb can trace each individual achievement to a team philosophy shared between each US Team member, extending from their roots in ski communities across the country.
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THANK YOU TO OUR OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS | |
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New England Nordic Ski Association
P.O. Box 97
Lyme, NH 03768
(802) 331-0762
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