Jane Henry -- Program Head for J6/J5 (1^st thru 4^th Grade)

Jane is Canadian born and raised in the province of Ontario where she cross-country skied since the age of 6 years old with her parents.  In high school she enjoyed skiing with her friends in an Outdoors Club run by her Environmental science teacher.  It was there that her lifelong passion for skiing began.  She competed at the varsity level in her Junior and Senior years at an Ontario university.  She became certified with the Canadian Association of Nordic Ski Instructors and then created an “Introduction to Nordic Skiing” program for a Public school system outside of Toronto where she taught science.

Lars Blackmore -- Program Head for  J4/J3 (5^th thru 8^th Grade)

Lars was born in Canada but grew up in Denmark -- the "fake" Nordic country that does beer and butter cookies instead of cross country skiing. After moving to the Upper Valley in 2002, he was forcibly introduced to the sport by well-meaning friends (at the top of Oak Hill... in the dark...) and has since become completely addicted. When he's not on the snow, he's a competitive biker and triathlete. He has two BKL kids; Lucas is a 5th grader, Lea a 3rd grader. In addition to volunteering as a parent helper with the littlest Ford Sayre kids for the past few years, Lars has taught snowboarding and indoor soccer.

Lars lives in Norwich with his wife, Lisa Adams, and currently serves as vice president of the Norwich Rec Board. He works as an online producer and journalist, and recalls earning a living as a photographer in a previous life. 

Peter Milliken -- Lead Coach for J6 (1^st and 2^nd Grade)

Norah Lake -- Coach for J5 (3^rd and ^4th Grade)

Norah Lake graduated from Dartmouth in 2006 with a degree in environmental studies and secondary teacher education. While at Dartmouth she was a leader in the Outing Club, volunteered for OLE -an outdoor mentoring program at Mascoma's Indian River middle school- and was the student manager at the Dartmouth Organic Farm. She now runs an organic CSA farm in White River Junction, VT and loves to have her winters free for playing in the snow!

Zoe Courville -- Lead Coach for J4 (5^th and 6^th Grade)

Zoe Courville is a transplant to the Upper Valley from Fraser, CO, where she grew up mere steps from the Devil's Thumb cross-country ski area.  She skied for the University of Denver while earning her undergraduate engineering degree.  She recently finished graduate school at Dartmouth and works at CRREL.  She studies ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland, which means she often gets to ski for work!

Dan Hopkins -- Coach for J4 (5^th and 6^th Grade)

 Dan Hopkins is a Hanover native and Bill Koch graduate. He tried to leave the area for school in New York, but only managed to stay away for two years. Now he's a senior at Dartmouth with a greater appreciation than ever for skiing, skating, and winter in general. He is a very dedicated recreational skier and pond hockey enthusiast who thinks that training and competing can be fun for all ages and ability levels (including middle-of-the-pack 21-year-olds). Dan loves to teach and is very excited to coach the J4s this year. He also has a well-maintained passion for end-of-practice games, especially capture the flag.

Jim Walsh -- Coach for J4 (5^th and 6^th Grade)

Greg has worked with the Ford Sayre nordic program over the past 7 years. In addition to coaching at the BKL level, Greg is the Program Head for Ford Sayre's Junior Nordic Team - the next step for serious skiers after graduating from the Bill Koch Program. He cares deeply about helping children develop a love of being active in the outdoors, and hopes they become as passionate about nordic skiing and winter sports as he is. A former college runner - when he is not skiing, cycling, hiking, running, or coaching - Greg can be found at the Montshire Museum where he directs the education and teacher development programs.

Greg DeFrancis -- Coach for J4 (5^th and 6^th Grade)

This season is Jim's 5th year coaching with Ford Sayre. His son Max is a J4 skier and biathlete. Nordic skiing was new to Jim in the early 90s when he moved north from Virginia, but his many years as an avid multi-sport endurance athlete immediately translated into a love for the sport. In addition to the joy of watching Max benefit from the program, Jim relishes having been part of the Upper Valley nordic ski community and supporting so many great kids as they develop into lifelong skiers.

Nicole Marcoe -- Coach for J3 (7^th and 8^th Grade)

Jay Davis -- Coach for J3 (7^th and 8^th Grade)

Jay is in his 12th year coaching with Ford Sayre, having previously coached at Dartmouth and Kimball Union Academy.  He grew up in Bethel, ME, then had the privilege of being coached by first John Morton then Ruff Patterson on the Dartmouth team.  He is rarely happier than when he is on skis in the woods with people he cares about;  fortunately Ford Sayre provides plenty of opportunity for that!

Jay taught high school and middle school English and now teaches in the Education Department and Tucker Foundation at Dartmouth.  He lives in Etna with his wife Julie, new J-6 daughter Katie, and 3-year-old son Andrew --shown here in his favorite spot when Daddy is skating around Garipay as Chief of Course (hence the hip racing gloves) for the Silver Fox Trot.

Erik Stange -- Coach for J3/J4 (5^th thru 8^th Grade)

I just finished my Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology here at Dartmouth and I'm currently working as a post-doc doing research on a couple of different forest pest species. Before starting grad school, I spent the better part of six years racing full-time while based out of Park City, Utah. I was in Torbjørn Karlsen's training group, and raced for his Nordic Equipment Elite team as well as for the Madshus and Atomic ski companies. I grew up in Minnesota, spent time racing for clubs in Norway (Strindheim IL and IL Viljar). I have a daughter, but she's far too young for Ford Sayre this winter (not yet 2).

Cami Thompson -- Coach for J5 (3^rd and 4^th grade)

Dartmouth Women's Coach since 1989 and former U.S. Ski Team member.  

Adam Geoff -- Coach

To paraphrase Ruff Patterson of the Dartmouth Ski Team, "Nordic skiing is a way of life, not just a sport". Despite being a mediocre competitor, I've always lived by Ruff's words. The sport is a harmony of technique, diligence and lifestyle and has helped to frame my work and family life. I've been fortunate to spend time as a competitor, coach and ski school director, but my favorite times on snow have been those special blue days I can share in the woods with my wife and dog. Hopefully, I can help introduce a few more people to the lifestyle that is Nordic skiing.