What looks, sounds, and feels like the unique tradition of the Eastern Cup belongs to everyone that participates in it. NENSA is grateful for the dedication and passion that each skier and coach, supporter, and volunteer brings to a circuit that is distinctive in its values towards competition and inclusion.
With the snow guns on the side of the trail turned on (and the big snow gun in the sky on as well!) across New England, we’re starting our final preparations for this Eastern Cup to kick off at the Henchey Memorial Eastern Cup Opener in Craftsbury, VT on Sat. Dec. 21st-22nd.
A new Eastern Cup season also means new opportunity to tighten a few bolts on this well-running machine – or find a cover for your well kicking klister (I searched and searched for a ski metaphor, this is what I got. Please write with your suggestions for a better one). NENSA is hoping you’ll check out a couple of the changes and deadlines that form what you need to know in order to be ready to race in just 2 weeks!
Registration Deadline Change: NOW Wednesday at 7:30pm.
A little secret for all the ski racers out there, we’ve all been there. By that, I mean that moment at the beginning of an Wednesday practice where you have the sudden sinking feeling that you forgot to sign up for the Eastern Cup.
In the past, the Eastern Cup deadline at 5pm on Wednesday meant that you got to look forward to penning a heartfelt apology to NENSA after practice (we’ll give you props, some of them were really well-written). This year, in recognition that skiers are all humans too, we’re extending the deadline to Wednesday at 7:30pm so that you can go to practice and even eat dinner too, all worry free that you’ll make it in for registration.
New Race Packet: Something to Print for the Wax Bench
As more and more of our everyday lives are spent online, we respect that a day out at the races is one of the last refuges for being totally and completely out in the cold, literally (with an exception, of course, for checking Bullit Timing). While you’re out there, it’s still handy to have all the information at hand you need to navigate Eastern Cup race day.
That’s why we’re putting together an Eastern Cup packet with a quick primer on the things you need to know. Click on it, read through it, print one out to have on the wax table, use it as a place to wipe your hands free of klister if you want!
…But use it, and refer to it. We’re hopeful it’ll help you have the best race day possible.
What Memberships Do I Need to Race? – Understanding the Differences Between NENSA, USSS, and FIS Memberships
We like to think that cross-country ski racing in the United represents the best of our country, right down to a nuanced and often complex system of federalism (ask your local skiing lawyer what that means). Essentially, NENSA and USSS share the responsibility of putting on the sport here. Ski Federalism. There’s even more fun, because the International Ski Federation (FIS) plays a part too (like a skiing United Nations)!
Ok, what do I need to race?
To try and answer the question somewhat succinctly, here is a flowchart of what licenses you need to race we’ve put together: HERE.
Essentially, all racers will at least need a NENSA membership to race any Eastern Cup race. At select Introductory races in Craftsbury and Frost Mountain this season, that is all you will need. NENSA membership is $40 USD/Year and can be purchased HERE.
If you are an American athlete and you want to score to the Junior Ranking List (JRL) you will need at least a NENSA + USSS General membership. If you want to score to the National Ranking List (NRL) you will need at least a NENSA + USSS Competitors License. This is the most common Eastern Cup racer.
What about FIS? – 3 of the 4 Eastern Cup events this season will be FIS sanctioned (Craftsbury, Lake Placid, and Frost Mountain). At these events, FIS licensees will be seeded on the best of their FIS or USSS points and score both FIS and USSS points.
FIS points transfer for seeding to other countries, meaning they are most commonly held by American athletes who are expecting to race internationally during a season – including U18 Nordic Nations Trip, World U23/Junior Championships, Canadian Nationals, and/or the World Cup. FIS licenses are purchased at the time you purchase a USSS license, or by petitioning afterwards here.
I live in Canada or Outside the US. What Do I Need? – Your FIS License will transfer for FIS-sanctioned events. If you do not have a FIS license or are racing a non-FIS sanctioned event, you will need to purchase a USSS license. This is either a USSS short-term if you are racing 1 event, or a full membership if you are racing multiple events. The information on USSS licensing is here. At Eastern Cups, you will also need to comply with the NENSA licensing requirement. If you are racing 1 event, you may purchase 1-Day licenses via the SkiReg categories that include “w/NENSA 1-Day” for $10 USD/Day. If you are racing more than 1 event, consider a full NENSA membership HERE for $40 USD/Year.
Membership Deadlines: Have your USSS “Current” by December 16th!
Or December 15th if you also have an FIS License.
Did you know that the US Ski and Snowboard (USSS) membership year starts on July 1st every year? As the snow on the ground might indicate, we’re not exactly ramping up for the 4th of July right now.
Which is to say that the deadline to have your USSS license “current” is coming and you should take care of it now. “What is current?” – You have purchased a license, and completed the SafeSport requirement if you will be 18 or older at any point during the 2024-25 season (July 1st, 2024-June 30th, 2025). For coaches, you additionally must have passed a background check.
Why is it important to have this completed by Monday, December 16th (or December 15th if you also have a FIS license)? – Good question. It has to do with the way that we on the NENSA/Bullit Timing side of the Eastern Cup access the National Ranking List (NRL) data for seeding the races.
USSS has a fixed calendar for when it updates the NRL throughout a season. Those dates are found here. Periodizing the list updates makes it so that all racers can have fair expectations on when their points will change based on their performance throughout the season.
Importantly, USSS will only allow you access to the NRL list if you are a current member. Meaning that if you don’t have an current membership by the List 4 close on December, 16th, your name will not appear on the NRL that is released and valid for all USSS-sanctioned races for the 4th list period of December 19th-December 26th (including the Henchey Memorial Eastern Cup on the 21st and 22nd). If you are not on the valid list, you will not be seeded. If you miss the deadline, you can point towards your points from last year all you would like to, but in order to comply with the USSS sanctioning requirements we need to abide by, we need to follow what is on the valid points list. If that doesn’t show you, we must seed you with 990 points (unseeded).
If you miss the deadline, you can complete your USSS license current requirements before the race date, but will still not be seeded for the entirety of the List 4 period of Dec. 19th-26th, including the Henchey Memorial Eastern Cup.
FIS: Note that FIS works in a similar way. The FIS points deadline is December 15th for this first Eastern Cup. Since all FIS memberships go through USSS (for American athletes), if you would like to be seeded on your FIS points, you need to be active with USSS by Sunday, December 15th.
INTRODUCTORY and “Welcome to the Eastern Cup” Day at Frost Mountain on Sat Feb. 15th
The best thing going about the Eastern Cup is that there’s a lot of skiers at the Eastern Cup. Logically then, the best way to make the Eastern Cup better is to add more skiers.
If you are a new skier looking to join in though, things can look pretty complicated. Evidence: see the 1,500 words before this just explaining the different membership and seeding requirements to race. I actually wrote the words ski federalism. You shouldn’t need a J.D. to ski race, folks.
In an effort to get ski racers racing then, we’re adding in some select Introductory races where all skiers will need for their first Eastern Cup is a NENSA membership, a positive attitude, and a passion for pushing it on snow!
This season, these Introductory opportunities will be at the:
Henchey Memorial Eastern Cup at Craftsbury, VT – December 21st and December 22nd.
Frost Mountain Eastern Cup at Rikert Nordic Center, Ripton, VT – February 15th-16th.
Skiers can register via the *INTRODUCTORY* categories for their respective U16 or U18 age group.
Who is this for? – The high school skier that might be ready to try an Eastern Cup race. Whether that’s after having raced a few years for their high school team, or after having skied through the BKL and now ready to give it a try, we want you to feel welcome.
“Welcome to the Eastern Cup” Day – Sat. Feb. 15th at the Frost Mountain Eastern Cup at Rikert Nordic Center. We will also have more details soon about a “Welcome to the Eastern Cup” Day which will offer additional options for race support for introductory skiers and the opportunity for skiers to use the day as a qualifier for Eastern High School Championships for some states! Stay tuned.
If this sounds cool, but you are already doing the Eastern Cups, consider spreading the word in your local area!
Reminders: Late Registration and Refund Policy
Ok, you’ve made it to the final section of this article where I have a responsibility to put on my firm, fair Series Director hat. Simply, if you are going to have registration, you need to have a plan for when things don’t go smoothly. So, NENSA has to have a late registration policy that discourages it from being abused, and a refund policy that realistically allows skiers to take everything into account on their decision to race but doesn’t hamper our ability to put on a great race.
With that in mind then, please heed this as a reminder of our late registration and refund policies for the Eastern Cup.
Late Registration – Rule #1: Don’t!
Late registration has consequences! Registering past the 7:30pm EST Wednesday deadline poses significant challenges to providing timely and accurate timing information. In order for the organizers to put on the best event possible, late registration penalties will be strictly enforced.
THERE IS NO DAY OF REGISTRATIONS AT EASTERN CUPS!
Late registration is never guaranteed. If you missed the 7:30pm EST Wednesday deadline, you may petition NENSA by contacting Ben Theyerl, ben@nensa.net for entry. A late registration fee of an additional $35/entry (total cost: $80/entry) will be assessed for all late entries.
This penalty helps compensate NENSA and Bullit Timing for the additional labor needed to generate revised seed and start lists. The reality is that once timely registration data is processed, including an additional skier in a start list requires changes that affect the entirety of the race field and we need to account for it.
Absolutely no skiers will be added to the field once start lists are generated on Friday at 5pm. Changes made to the start list because of NENSA/clerical error afterwards will not incur a penalty.
Race “Scratch” Policy – Refunds By Registration Close on Wednesday
All Eastern Cup racing is voluntary. Racers that have registered for an Eastern Cup may withdraw their registration, “scratch,” at any point prior to their start.
- Refund policy: The deadline to scratch and receive a full refund for registration fees is 7:30pm on the Wednesday prior to the first day of an Eastern Cup competition weekend. This refund does not include SkiReg service fees (~$3/race).
THERE ARE NO REFUNDS AFTER REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. THIS IS STRICTLY ENFORCED.
Thank you for your cooperation in these policies.
Believe us, we know how nice the folks who choose to push themselves uphill on skis are, but in order for us to have a well-organized series, we need to have well-organized timelines for seeding, timing, and start lists.
By abiding by these policies, know that you are making your fellow ski people at NENSA, Bullit Timing, and our lovely host venues very happy that we are spending our time out experiencing the Eastern Cup with you, and not stressed while hunched over a laptop at a Dunkin’ Donuts alongside I-89 on Friday night searching through points lists.
If We Can Make Your Eastern Cup Experience Better, Let Us Know!
A final note that the Eastern Cup we get are about to experience this season is the cumulative result of many passionate people working in community for a long time. It will continue to prosper because we all want it to work in that spirit, and because we all have a role in shaping it. NENSA welcomes your ideas, your creativity, and your passion for skiing in putting together the best series we can for New England, and for nordic skiing. Don’t hesitate to reach out, or say hello, or ask us to go on a ski!
It’s Going to Be a Big Winter!
