NENSA Announces 2010-2011 TD Bank Eastern Cup and Citizen Series Schedule

NENSA is excited to announce the 2010-2011 TD Bank New England Eastern Cup and Citizen Series event schedule. Sponsored by TD Bank and NENSA, this winter’s calendar includes eight TD Bank Eastern Cup races and seven TD Bank Citizen Series events. This winter will also feature a new addition to both the Eastern Cup Series and the Citizens Series.

In addition to the regular TD Bank events, there is more exciting news: the  return of the U.S. Cross Country National Championships to New England for 2011 and 2012!  Black Mountain in Rumford, Maine will be the site of this event, which takes place January 2-8th in 2011. The races will include a classic and freestyle sprint, classic 10/15km and a freestyle 20/30km.  The combination of having Nationals in the East along with a SuperTour the following weekend in Lake Placid, NY, will attract the very best skiers in North America, and also allow Eastern based athletes of all ages to race side-by-side with their heroes!

TD Bank Eastern Cup Series
The TD Bank Eastern Cup Series offers competitions for BKL, Junior, Senior and Master skiers. An overall Eastern Cup champion in the mens and womens divisions will be crowned at seasons end.  All eight races within the Series also double as “JOQ’s,” or Junior Olympic Qualifiers.  New England Junior skiers can qualify for the New England Junior Olympic Team through participation in these events. (see http://www.nensa.net/points/ for qualifying rules). Licensed USSA members can also earn National Ranking List points in all eight races of the Eastern Cup Series, to establish a position on the National Ranking List (NRL). This NRL list is used for seeding at major events like US Nationals and Junior Olympics and for potential selection to other major events and teams such as European Continental and OPA Cup races.

This winter the series kicks off with a venue new to the Eastern Cup circuit but certainly not new to exciting races. Craftsbury Outdoor Center is home to the long running Craftsbury Marathon and more recently, home to New England’s newest pro Nordic team, the Green Racing Project Team.

From Northern Vermont, skiers will head to the Boston area where the CSU hosts will  be eagerly awaiting their arrival. This one day event will feature a unique format for the Eastern Cup Tour- that of a double race day! Racers will get to ski fast for the Prologue in the morning, then race head to head in a mass start that afternoon. Each of the races will offer an opportunity to earn Eastern Cup, NENSA, JOQ and NRL points.

After racing on the famous Weston Ski Track, the next stop on the circuit will be the beautiful Trapp Family Lodge Nordic Center in Central Vermont. Skiers will race on the newly homologated, challenging trails designed to test an athlete’s skills and fitness.

The final stop on the Eastern Cup trail will be the familiar sites of Hanover and Holderness, NH. These two races have become a tradition within the New England community. The Ford Sayre Ski Club in Hanover and the Holderness Ski Club are well known for presenting top-quality events; both venues always attract a large crowd of skiers.

TD Bank Citizen Series
The TD Bank Citizen Series brings together NENSA’s traditional Zak age group and Club Series into a single series of events featuring some of New England’s finest citizen races. All events that are part of a Citizen Series are scored for Club points with all participants earning at least one point for their club. Only one distance on each day is scored for the Zak cup to ensure appropriate head-to-head competition within age groups. For more details on these series, go to http://www.nensa.net/calendar/series.html.

Each of the races within the TD Bank Citizens Series offers up its own unique flavor for their event. Skiers will find a mix of old and new venues and courses (Augusta, Maine will make its debut as part of the series!), with all of them providing a fun backdrop for the highly contested Club and Zak Points!

For athletes looking to give these events a try or for those not having a coach or club present, NENSA will continue to offer on-site race support at Eastern Cups, U.S. Nationals and the SuperTour. Look for more information about this at www.nensa.net, or contact Janice Sibilia at janice@nensa.net.

The complete calendar of winter events including the TD Bank Marathon Series, New England Women’s Ski Day, TD Bank Bill Koch Festival, and other youth oriented events is available at www.nensa.net/calendar. The website schedule includes complete event details, including race distances and formats, and is continually updated and revised throughout the season.

Following on the heels of a very strong summer of training camps and travel opportunities for New England Athletes, this regional schedule will help prepare skiers for a strong 2010-2011 racing season. For those wishing to broaden their horizons, the NENSA Travels opportunities to West Yellowstone and US Nationals offer a recreational component for all ages, and a racing component for those wishing to compete in out of region SuperTours or National level competitions.

New England Nordic Ski Association
2010-2011 Winter Schedule

TD Bank Eastern Cups

December 18 & 19
TD Bank Season Opener Eastern Cup w/ Junior Olympic Qualifiers
Both Days: Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Craftsbury, VT (NRL/FIS)

January 2-8th
U.S. Cross Country National Championships
Hosted by Chisholm Ski Club, at Black Mountain, Rumford, Maine (NRL/FIS)

January 14 & 15
Lake placid Combined SLU carnival and SuperTour
Hosted by SLU College and NYSEF, Lake Placid, NY (NRL/FIS)

January 30th
TD Bank Eastern Cup w/Junior Olympic Qualifiers (NRL)
Weston Ski Track, Weston, MA.
Double Race day format with morning and afternoon races each scored separately.
Hosted by Cambridge Sports Union and Weston Ski Track.

February 5 & 6
TD Bank Eastern Cup w/ Junior Olympic qualifiers  (NRL both days-FIS Sat).
Both days: Trapp Family Lodge Nordic Center. Hosted by Stowe Nordic Outing Club/University of Vermont/Trapp Family Lodge.

February 19 & 20
TD Bank Eastern Cup w/ Junior Olympic qualifiers,
Day 1: Silver Fox Trot hosted by Ford Sayre Ski Club at Hanover, NH (NRL)
Day 2: Cheri Walsh Memorial hosted by Holderness, School, Holderness, NH (NRL)

2010-2011 TD Bank Championship Events

March 11- 13
TD Bank Eastern J2 National Invitational Championships
Hosted by Gunstock Nordic, Gilford, NH

March 18- 20
TD Bank Eastern High School Championships
Black Mountain of Maine, Rumford, Maine.
Hosted by Chisholm Ski Club

2010-2011 NENSA Travels
November 21-27
NENSA Travels Masters Camp in West Yellowstone, MT

November 20- 28
NENSA Travels Junior – Senior Development Team Camp in West Yellowstone, MT

Please contact NENSA Competitive Programs Director Janice Sibilia with questions about any of these events, at Janice@nensa.net.