Maine Alpine Racing Association

MARA • 141 Martin Road • Rumford, ME 04276 • (207) 332-2565 • E-mail MARA

www.live-timing.com

Children's Competition Guide (2008-09)

2009 Quotas

CHILDREN’S COMPETITION - JUNIOR III, IV, V

CHILDREN’S COMMITTEE
The Children’s Committee is made up of representative coaches from ski clubs and ski areas which sponsor children’s racing programs. The committee administers the criteria which are established to select Junior III, IV, and V racers to represent Maine in regional events. All recommendations of the Children’s Committee are voted on by the full MARA Board of Directors.
MARA furnishes ribbons for 4th-10th place at the qualifiers. The host area furnishes 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards.
At non-qualifier races, the race organizer/host area is responsible for all awards and/or ribbons.
The MARA Children's Committee recognizes the importance of sound fundamental skill development to enhance the future enjoyment and success of our young athletes.
This year we are requiring all athletes to state their intent to compete in regional events the day the teams are announced (J V's on March 1, 2009; and J III's and IV's on February 22, 2009).
The Chair of the committee is Todd Richard.

MARA QUALIFIERS JIII and JIV

The Children’s committee is striving to create more free weekends for training during the season; we have tried to arrange the race schedule to reflect our commitment to quality training and racing opportunities. The Children's Committee emphasizes the need for "windows" of training during a busy race season, with fun and free ski time mixed in.

YOUTH SKI LEAGUE RACING
Youth Ski League is a United States Ski Association sponsored program of training and racing at local mountains. YSL stresses the teaching of good skiing fundamentals and friendly competition. The YSL program culminates with a statewide training competition to be held at Shawnee Peak on March 15, 2009. It will be a Kombi format which is an event combing the technical and tactical skills of both a slalom and GS course in one. Slalom skies should be used. This event is open to J IIIs, JIVs, and JVs who did not qualify for a post season race

RACE ENTRY PROCEDURES
USSA Alpine Entry Timing Cards should be used for registration for all MARA races. These cards, along with full payment, should be received by the race organizers 3 days before the event. Late entries for MARA are defined as any entry received less than 48 hours before the scheduled start time of that event. Phone entries, faxed entries are accepted with a CC, and those sent without full payment will be considered late unless noted by the event organizer. Race organizers reserve the right to charge up to an additional 50% of the set entry fee for any late entries they choose to accept.
Entry cards must be complete with name as it appears on USSA license.
address, sex, club, YOB, class phone number, name and date of race, and USSA number.

JUNIOR V (also called J V and J 5)
State Race Series (designated by "Q" in schedule)

2/8/09 Shawnee Peak GS (3 runs) starting time 10 AM
3/1/09 Saddleback GS (3 runs) starting time 10 AM

Francis Piche Memorial   Gunstock, NH   6 boys 6 girls
3/19 Optional training day
3/20 Piche's Training day
3/21 Piche's GS

Seeding, Awards, Qualifying and Selection
At J V qualifiers, the 1st run will be by random draw. The 2nd run will be the complete reverse of the first run order. The 3rd run will be a different random draw. All three starting orders will be distributed prior to race. Entry-level 4's racing will always start after the 5's in each of the three runs. End of day awards will go to the J 5 racers based on combined times of the first two runs. If there are any awards for 4's, they will be separate from the 5's and will be provided by race organizers.
Selections for the Francis Piche will be based on the best two RUN finishes of the 6 runs (three at each qualifier). Entry level Junior IV racers will be encouraged to race in these events, but they will not be JIV qualifiers. Junior V racers are encouraged to participate in their local races and are welcome to attend other races listed in the MARA J V Schedule.
JV’s participating in MARA races will race on the same course as the JIV athletes (this means 25mm, “3/4” gate for slalom).

JUNIOR IV (also called J IV and J 4)
This year the J IV qualifiers are scheduled as follows:

Sunday Jan. 11, Slalom @ Saddleback 9:00 am start
Sunday Jan. 18, GS        @ Sunday River
Sat.       Feb. 21 SL   @ Sunday River State Championships
Sun.      Feb. 22 GS @ Sugarloaf State Championships

Whistler Cup Shootout, Okemo, VT 3/21, 5 MARA athletes (gender
distribution to be determined on Jan 1, based on total JIV membership ratio)

Future Stars Festival, Okemo, VT 3/22-24 above 5 plus 17, for a total of 22
(Gender distribution to be decided based on January 1, 2009 membership ratio)
This year’s Future Stars will be held under the same format as in 2008. Sunday will be a ½ day, all mountain “scavenger hunt”; Monday will have a morning focus on speed elements and an afternoon of Kombi training. The final day will be a Dual GS race with team scoring and a run-off for the top 8 individuals. Only GS and SL skis will be allowed. More information will be available closer to the event date, or contact the MARA children’s committee chair Todd Richard @ nlights@beeline-online.net

Francis Piche Memorial Gunstock, NH
3/19 Optional training day
3/20 Piche's Training day
3/21 Piche's GS

6 boys 6 girls

Seeding, Qualifying and Selection
The starting order of the 1st run will be by random draw. Any racers entering the race after the start list has been printed will start at the end of the appropriate class. The starting order for the 2nd run will be reverse order of the first run. All racers will get a second run with DNF's and DSQ's running after the finishers in reverse bib order
Selections for the Whistler Cup Shootout, Future Stars Festival and the Francis Piche will be on the basis of the best three (3) RUN finishes in the State Race Series. Ties will be broken by the next best run finish. There will be no requirement of a result from both events, slalom and GS. Any combination may be used, using either or both disciplines.
Gender allocation for the MARA quota to the Future Stars will be equal to the percentage of J IV boy and girl MARA members as of January 1, 2009. The quota allocations will be confirmed by the Children's Committee and published on the MARA website prior to the first qualifier of the state race series.
Entry level J IV racers are encouraged to race in the JV Championships at Saddleback Mountain and Shawnee Peak. These J V races will NOT be counted as J IV qualifiers.

25mm ¾ Gates
MARA will use of 25mm “3/4” gates for MARA J 4 slalom races. Non-USSA J4 events (Jan 19 at Lost Valley and Titcomb, Feb 15th) may elect to use “stubbie” gates; check with the host area to be sure.

Speed Camp
There will be a J IV SG camp at Sunday River February 2-3, 2009. There is a limit of 40 J-4 racers to attend this camp, so get your entry in early. The goal of this J IV camp is to integrate speed elements of ski racing at a younger age for capable athletes. Please see your program director for feedback about whether your ability level meets the requirements for these camps.

Eastern Region J 4 Elite Fundamentals Camp
Eastern USSA has scheduled a J 4 Elite Fundamentals Camp, which is to be held Nov29-Dec 2nd at Sunday River, Maine. There is a quota of 2 from Maine, one boy and one girl using results from last year’s qualifiers. Any additional slots that Maine might receive will be filled by going further down the list; men, then women.

Junior MARA Cup ("jmc")
This will be the eighth year for this season long series for all J IV skiers who are current members of USSA and MARA. The series will consist of all scheduled IV races designated as "jmc". There is no minimum start requirement. Points will be accumulated by a world cup type point system (“Old World Cup points”):
1. 60      6. 30      11. 15      16. 5
2. 50      7. 27      12. 13      17. 4
3. 45      8. 24      13. 11      18. 3
4. 40      9. 21      14.   9     19. 2
5. 35     10.18      15.   7      20. 1
Ties will average the place points. For example, a tie for 12th place would average 13 + 11, so each racer would receive 12 points. The series begins at Sugarloaf on 12/29/2008 and ends at Sugarloaf on 4/5/2009. Series standings will be available on the MARA web site.
Season ending prizes will be given to the top 10 in each gender. The top 10 overall finishers in each gender will be represented in next season's MARA Guide. The series for 2007-2008 was sponsored by Skier's Edge, GEE & BEE, Northern Lights, Ski Depot, Birchwood Interiors, Ricker Hill Orchards, Sugarloaf Ski Shop, Northland True Value and Myrick’s Skier’s Edge.

JUNIOR III (also called J III and J 3)
State Race Series (designated by "Q" in the schedule).
There will be six (6) qualifiers in 2008-09.

1/11 Saddleback SL
1/18 Sunday River GS
1/19 Sugarloaf SG Training (required)
1/20 Sugarloaf SG
2/12 Sunday River SG Training (required)
2/13 Sunday River SG
2/21 Sunday River SL
2/22 Sugarloaf GS

Eastern J3 Olympics Gore, NY    March 14-15, SL, GS, SG   14 total
Eastern J3 Finals       NH            March 5-8     SG, GS, SL   22 total
Francis Piche Memorial   Gunstock, NH 6 boys 6 girls
3/19 Optional training day
3/20 Piche's Training day
3/21 Piche's GS

Seeding, Qualifying and Selection
The Maine quotas for Eastern Junior Olympics, Junior Finals and Francis Piche will be filled as follows:
The State Race Series consists of 2 SL’s, 2 GS’s and 2 SG’s. A technical event (slalom or GS) will be considered for three (3) results: first run, second run and combined time result. Therefore, there will be a total of fourteen (14) possible results for athletes who participate in the entire State Race Series. The first place finisher within each result will receive one point. Each MARA licensed finisher thereafter will receive the number of points corresponding to his or her place within each result. Non-MARA license holders will not displace MARA members in the point calculations. Quotas will be filled using each athlete's 5 best finishes from the series. Ties will be broken by using the racer’s next best result(s) regardless of discipline. In a shortened season, the number of State Race Series results counted toward qualifying will equal thirty-three percent (33%) of the total results hosted at the end of the qualifying season, rounded to the nearest whole number. If more than one SG is hosted at a site, the first race will be the designated qualifier.

Seeding for each State Race Series event will be by random draw. Any racer entering the race after the start list is printed will start at the end of the appropriate class. In two run events, seeding for the second run will be first run start in reverse order. All racers will get a second run including DNFs and DSQs.
Gender allocation for the MARA quotas to the JIII Finals and Junior Olympics will be equal to the percentage of J III boy and girl MARA members as of January 1, 2009. The quota allocations will be confirmed by the Children's Committee and published on the MARA website prior to the first qualifier of the state race series.

Speed Training and Racing
Per USSA rule 4.4.6.4, official training for a J 3 Super G will encompass at least one SG training run prior to the competition. On January 19, 2009, official training will be held prior to the Sugarloaf Schuss to be held January 20, 2009. On February 12, 2009, official training will be held prior to the SG race scheduled for February 13th. Participation in the official training is required for athletes planning to compete on SG race days. J 3 racers registered for SG races must be represented at the team captain’s meetings
As required in 2008, MARA is recommending that any J3 who qualifies for the JO’s or Finals, compete or train in a USSA SG prior to competing in one at a championship event.

EASTERN Regional J3 Series
Philosophy: The Eastern USSA Children's Committee has scheduled a regional series for elite J III athletes. There will be a three (3) event series, SL, GS, and SG, held January 25-28, 2009 at Okemo, VT. The events are intended to bring the best regional J III athletes together to compete outside the pressure of the Junior Olympics. As scheduled, these events do not conflict with the MARA qualifier race calendar. The events are not mandatory nor will they be used as a basis for selection. . An athlete considering participating in these events should not do so if it would mean exceeding the 17-18 race starts per season recommended by the USSA competencies. Because this series is designed for elite athletes, if the Maine quota is unfilled the Children's Committee will not go down the standings to find the next athlete in the rankings just to fill the quota.
Selection Criteria: The Maine quota to the Eastern Regional J III Series shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of its J.O. quota of 14 athletes, rounded up, equaling 10 athletes to be selected from Maine. A minimum of 50% of the Maine Quota will be filled with boys.
Selections for this series will be determined as follows: For purposes of filling quotas, the racer with the lowest number of points based on his or her five (5) best RESULTS from the January State Qualifiers will initially be ranked number one. Selections will be made as described above until the quotas are filled. Ties were broken by the next best single run not already used to calculate standings.
Gender allocations of the quotas and selections for the Eastern Regional J III Series will be made by the Children's Selection Committee, comprised of one representative from each of the Maine J III programs. A list of selected athletes shall be published to all MARA club members.

EASTERN J3 Elite Fundamentals Camp
This is to be held December 6-9 at Sunday River Maine, and selections will be made by the USSA Eastern Office. Coaches may submit written discretionary nominations to the USSA Eastern Competition Manager (deadline for nominations is Nov. 6th).

EASTERN J3 Elite Speed Camp
This is to be held February 8-10, 2009 at Sunday River, and selections will be made by the USSA Eastern Office. Coaches may submit discretionary nominations, DUE January 21st, to the USSA Eastern Competition Manager.

Junior MARA Cup ("jmc")
This is a season long series for all JIII skiers who are current members of USSA and MARA. The series will consist of all scheduled USSA JIII races designated as "jmc". There is no minimum start requirement. Points will be accumulated by using the “Old” World Cup point system:
1. 60      6. 30      11. 15      16. 5
2. 50      7. 27      12. 13      17. 4
3. 45      8. 24      13. 11      18. 3
4. 40      9. 21      14.   9      19. 2
5. 35    10. 18      15.   7      20. 1
Ties will average the place points. For example, a tie for 12th place would average 13 + 11, so each racer would receive 12 points.The series begins at Sugarloaf on 12/29/2008 and ends at Sugarloaf on 3/29/2009. Series standings will be available on the MARA web site.
Season ending prizes will be given to the top 10 in each gender. The top 10 overall finishers in each gender will be represented in next season's MARA Guide. The series for 2007-2008 was sponsored by Skier's Edge, GEE & BEE, Northern Lights, Ski Depot, Birchwood Interiors, Ricker Hill Orchards, Sugarloaf Ski Shop, Northland True Value and Myrick’s Skier’s Edge.

2009 Quotas:

Quota	Francis Piche	J-3 Finals	JO's	ERS	Future Stars	Whistler	FUTURE
2009							STARS
J-5 Girls	6						TOTALS
J-5 Boys	6
J-4 Girls	6				6	2
J-4 Boys	6				11	3
J-3 Girls	6	8	6	4
J-3 Boys	6	14	8	6
							22

**Thank you to the mountains that host our events!**
Sugarloaf	Sunday River	Shawnee Peak
Titcomb Mountain	Black Mountain of Maine	Saddleback