Winter Competition Calendar Boasts Mix of New Venues and Classic Courses
The New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) has set the schedule for this season’s key competitive events including eight TD Bank Eastern Cup races over four weekends and the Championship events taking place in March.
TD Bank Eastern Cup Series: The TD Bank Eastern Cup Series has been on the race calendar since the early years of NENSA, and is considered NENSA’s signature race series. This Series offers competitions for Bill Koch League (BKL), Junior, Senior and Master skiers, enabling athletes of all speeds to compete with some of the nation’s best. Young skiers can watch their elite heroes race and the Masters competition heats up with a special seed group that allows those over thirty to race together. NENSA offers race support, including wax help and race strategy at all TD Bank Eastern Cup events for skiers who are competing without a coach onsite and need assistance.
Licensed USSA members can earn National Ranking List (NRL) points in all eight races of the TD Bank Eastern Cup Series to establish a position on the USSA NRL for seeding at major events like US Nationals and Junior Nationals, and for potential selection to other major events and teams such as European, Continental, and OPA Cup races. Additionally, two TD Bank Eastern Cup weekends will feature FIS sanctioned races allowing athletes to establish their FIS points base for International skiing. FIS races can only take place on homologated courses and the East is fortunate to have several venues with courses that qualify. All eight races within the series double as Junior National Qualifiers (JNQs). New England Junior skiers can qualify for the New England Junior National Team through participation in these events (see http://www.nensa.net/points/ for qualifying rules).
The TD Bank Eastern Cup series kicks off in December with a return to the Craftsbury Center Nordic trails. Craftsbury proved their grit and determination while hosting several successful local and national events on farmed snow last winter. NENSA looks forward to visiting them again for the season openers. The second weekend of the series will be held in central Vermont at the Mountain Top Inn & Resort. Mountain Top shined last year when they worked tirelessly to ensure quality racing for the TD Bank Eastern High School Championship. From the fun and challenging trails of Mountain Top, the next stop on the circuit will be the beautiful Trapp Family Lodge Nordic Center in Stowe, VT. These now familiar trails will see a strong field and festival atmosphere as the TD Bank Eastern Cup combines with the EISA Carnival hosted by the University of Vermont. The series then heads East for the final stop at the Bond Brook trails in Augusta, ME. Though new to the Eastern Cup series, Bond Brook hosted the Colby College Carnival two seasons ago and the venue has a long term vision to host National level events.
Championship Events: The TD Bank J2 Championships will take place at Holderness School in Plymouth, NH. Racers will find themselves familiar with the Holderness trails as they have been a staple on the Eastern Cup circuit for many years. Having hosted J2’s in the past as well, everyone can expect a fantastic experience for the four-race, three-day event. Learn more about the TD Bank J2 Championships here.