2025-2026 Season
Subjects covered
- 1. Eastern Cup Primer – 2025-2026 Season
- 2. NENSA Junior Ranking List (& New England Junior National Qualification)
- 3. Race Rules
- 4. Sprint Rules
- 5. Races Scored to the NENSA Junior Ranking Lists
- 6. Eastern Cup Scoring
- 7. U.S. Ski & Snowboard Rules and United States Cross Country Championships (USCCC) competitions.
- 8. Eastern Cup Club Event Scoring — inclusion in year-long Club Cup Points
- 9. Eastern Cup Team Score (ECTS)
- 10. NENSA Introductory Class High School Races
1. Eastern Cup Primer – 2025-26 Season
Eastern Cup Primer Page is HERE
Eastern Cup Membership Requirements and Sanctioning: NENSA, USSS, and FIS
NENSA + USSS MEMBERSHIP GUIDE HERE | FIS MEMBERSHIP GUIDE HERE | NENSA MEMBERSHIP PORTAL HERE
- All domestic racers must have current NENSA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) membership to race sanctioned Eastern Cup races. International racers must hold a International Ski Federation License (FIS) or USSS Short-term Membership (purchased HERE) and a Short-term NENSA Membership. USSS and NENSA Memberships must be current by December 14th, 2025 in order to be seeded for the first Eastern Cup races on Saturday and Sunday December 20th-21st., 2025. Dec. 14th is when the USSS NRL List 4 close date, used for seeding at the first Eastern Cup, will be posted.
- Introductory Racers for the Introductory class do not need a USSS membership.
- Purchase or renew your your NENSA membership here.
- Purchase or renew your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership here. Those over 18 years please complete background check, SafeSport and take online avalanche course or you will be on the PENDING LIST and unable to race events.
- All racers who will be over 18 anytime during the 2025-26 USSS ski season (July 1st, 2025-June 30th, 2026) MUST COMPLETE SAFESPORT or file an exemption directly with USSS (FAQ here). Athlete Safety is a non-negotiable in all NENSA programs, and the SafeSport requirement will be strictly enforced. View our guide HERE.
- All EC racers will be listed in the overall race results, regardless of your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership type.
- All junior competitors from New England in sanctioned Eastern Cup field will be ranked to the NENSA Junior Ranking List (best 4 races for U16 and U18/U20). This list also serves as the qualification list for Junior Nationals**
- You can upgrade to a U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitors license later in the season (NRL points will appear for previous races after the next USSS Points List is posted).
- SEEDING: All racers will be seeded by their best of either, NRL or FIS points. If you have a U.S. Ski & Snowboard general membership, or have 990 points (equivalent of non-scored) you will be seeded randomly at the end of the field.
- Eastern Cup races will be scored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard and updated to the NRL. Races sanctioned by the International Ski Federation (FIS) are scored to FIS in addition to the NRL list.
- NRL and FIS listing dates can be found in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Nordic Competition Guide.
Registration Policy
- Registration will close at 7:30pm on the Wednesday before each Eastern Cup weekend.
- THERE IS NO DAY OF REGISTRATIONS AT EASTERN CUPS!
- Late Registration Policy: Late registration is done via petition to the NENSA Comp. Program Director. NENSA will charge a late registration fee, and will not accept registrations past 9am on Thursday prior to each Eastern Cup weekend.
- Seed lists will be posted on Thursday by 12pm (using points from the current NRL / FIS lists).
- Start lists will be posted on Friday by 5pm for Saturday and Sunday races.
- Eastern Cup Start Times: The first race on each Eastern Cup Day will generally occur:
- Day 1 (Saturday): at 10am
- Day 2 (Sunday) at 9am.
- Sprint Days may be adjusted to allow for completion of race in reasonable time window.
- Official Eastern Cup results are posted to the Results Page. Live Results on Bulllitt Timing.
Age Class Entry Restrictions
- NENSA recognizes athletes according to their USSS age classification (found HERE). Age classifications for the current season are made based on age on December 31st of the current season. Age Groups: U16, U18, U20, U23, Senior, Masters.
- Minimum Age Class Requirement: All Eastern Cup competitors are required to be at least second-year U14s (Age 13 year old). There is NO U14 age class. Skiers who choose to ski as second-year U14s may join U16 field and must compete in that field for awards.
- U12 athletes are not allowed to compete in sanctioned fields (i.e Eastern Cup races). Eastern Cup organizers are encouraged to host an inclusive, age-appropriate BKL race opportunity on at least one day of their EC weekend.
- Open Field: The Open field is open to any competitor of any age who meets the minimum age class requirement.
- U16 Field: At some distance races, U16s will be offered a separate race with less distance than the Open field. The minimum age class requirement (2 above) applies for this field. U16 skiers skiing up in the Open field are scored in the Open field, and not eligible for U16 Field specific awards.
2. Junior Ranking List (JRL) – Junior National Qualifying Points
JRL points are used to determine qualification of U16,U18 and U20 Juniors for Junior Nationals.
The U18/U20 Junior Ranking List is scored by the “best 4” EC races. Scored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard Points points earned at Eastern Cups.
Sprint Race Modifier Formula:
Sprint Race Modifier: Eastern Cup JRL Sprint race points are calculated with NRL distance points, to make distance vs. sprint points more consistent for the JRL. Final JRL race points are calculated from finish position in rounds; NRL points are scored by sprint points based on qualification.
Add Formula HERE
The U16 JN Junior Ranking List is also scored by the “best 4” EC races. As of May 2022, U16 ranking will return to a “Continental Cup” style scoring. 30 – 1st, 25 – 2nd, 21 – 3rd, 18 – 4th, 16 – 5th, 15 – 6th, 14 – 7th, 13 – 8th, 12 – 9th, 11 – 10th, 10 – 11th, 9 – 12th, 8 – 13th, 7 – 14th, 6 – 15th, 5 – 16th, 4 – 17th, 3 – 18th, 2 – 19th, 1 – 20th.
U16 Field Classification: If a U16 competitor races “up” in an Open field at an Eastern Cup they forfeit the ability to score JRL points for that race.
Race Cancelation Contingency:
If 7 or 8 races are held, 4 are scored to JRL
If 5 or 6 races are held, 3 are scored to JRL
If 3 or 4 races are held, 2 are scored to JRL
Mike Gallagher Cup – Individual Eastern Cup Champion
The overall Eastern Cup champion will be determined at the end of the season (one male/one female) – the best 7 of 8 (EC) of the Eastern Cup races are scored to determine the overall winners. If calendars are reduced, the “best” number will reduce: If 7 or 8 races are held, 4 are scored, if 5 or 6 races are held, 3 are scored, if 3 or 4 races are held, 2 are scored. Out of region qualifiers do not count towards the Gallagher Cup award.
3. Race Rules
General Rules: The Eastern Cup adheres to all International Ski Federation (FIS) International Competition Rules (ICR) unless noted specifically below.
The FIS ICR Rulebook is found here.
Seeding for NENSA Eastern Cup Races:
Individual Starts: For individual starts, athletes are seeded based on U.S. Ski & Snowboard or FIS Points. The first 20 athletes are seeded in the “A” group, and the “B” group contains the next 15 athletes. After the “B” group, athletes are seeded in groups of 30 (C, D, E, etc.) until all ranked athletes are seeded. All unseeded athletes (990 seed points) will form a single seed group at the end of the field. In most races, the B group will start first followed by A, C, D, E..
Sprints: Athletes are a straight seed by lowest NRL/FIS points (closest to 0) to highest (closest to 990) and the first seeds (top 30) may be randomized (U.S. Ski & Snowboard / FIS Rules).
Mass Start: For Mass Start races an “A” group is created based on the strength of the field. Within the A group, the highest ranked athlete gets the most preferable start position, followed by the second ranked athlete, etc. The “B” group contains all unranked athletes (990’s) and will be randomized. The “F” group includes all athletes who do not make posted start times or are registered via a late registration petition. The A group gets the most preferable start position, followed by B, and F.
U16 seeding:
For open field: U16 field is seeded according to their NRL points when entered into an open field.
For U16 only field: A and B seed groups contain 8 athletes each, followed by a C seed for athletes with NRL points. The D seed will include unranked athletes with 990 points. An F seed group will contain all athletes registered via a late registration petition. In most races, the A group will start first, followed by B, C, D, etc.
For U16 sprints: Athletes are seeded from lowest to highest points and the first seeds may be randomized. (FIS/U.S. Ski & Snowboard Rules). For sprint qualifier U16’s are seeded with open field as mentioned above in open field.
Results:
Race results are unofficial for 15 minutes following the time of posting. All protests of results must be submitted within these 15 minutes to the Competition Office. Clerical errors, such as name spelling, incorrect U.S. Ski & Snowboard# or NENSA#, etc. must be cleared up prior to the start of the race. It is each racers responsibility to confirm their correct information prior to the start of each race.
Eastern Cup Live Timing provided by Bullitt.
Protests:
All protests must be submitted in writing to the Competition Office at the event during the protest period (start of race to 15 minutes after unofficial results are posted). Sprint Heats (except for the final) may not be protested. Sprint heats are refereed by a 5-member jury.
Jury:
Each NENSA Eastern Cup and Championship Event is governed by a jury with at least three members. The jury is composed of: Chief of Competition, Technical Delegate (TD), and Technical Delegate Assistant (TDA).
A NENSA Representative will serve as an additional, non-voting, advisory jury member. The primary role of the NENSA representative is to advise on jury decisions related to Series-wide decisions on the Eastern Cup. If a jury member recuses themself from a jury decision and there is not an odd number of members on the jury, the NENSA Representative may act as a voting member.
4. SPRINTS
Qualification Rounds:
Racers start at intervals of 15 seconds.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard scores all sprints for NRL from the qualifying round.
NENSA scores Sprint races to the JRL from the final heat results.
Heats:
NENSA Eastern Cup events will hold three* official sets of heats: 1.) Open 2.) U18/U20/Junior and 3.) U16 heats.
*Update 2025: Local organizers may choose to use heat formats which differentiate from the traditional format below, provided they advance at least 30 skiers through to Heats in Open, heats. It is strongly recommended the Junior (U18/U20) heats include 30 skiers as well if using the traditional format. NENSA will work with OCs to consider formats based on stadium and course constraints, as well as the development goals of the Eastern Cup for athletes.
Traditional Heat format (30 skiers advance):
Open Heats: feature the top 30 racers by qualifier time.
- Quarterfinals: 5 heats of 6 racers. Top 2 in each heat advance along with 2 “Lucky Losers” selected from top 2 non-advancement placement times across all quarterfinal heats.
- Semifinals: 2 heats of 6 racers. Top 2 in each heat advance along with 2 “Lucky Losers.” selected from top 2 non-advancement placement times across all semifinal heats.
- A-Finals: Finish places 1-6 for the day.
U18/U20 Heats: feature the top 30 U18/U20 racers by qualifier time not advancing to the Open heats.
- Quarterfinals: 5 heats of 6 racers. Top 2 in each heat advance along with 2 “Lucky Losers” selected from top 2 non-advancement placement times across all quarterfinal heats.
- Semifinals: 2 heats of 6 racers. Top 2 in each heat advance along with 2 “Lucky Losers” selected from top 2 non-advancement placement times across all semifinal heats.
- A-Finals: Finish places 1-6 for the day.
U16 Heats: feature the top 18 U16 racers by qualifier time not advancing to the Open heats.
- Semifinal(s): 3 heats of 6 racers. Top 2 in each heat advance with no “Lucky Losers” – heats are untimed.
- A-Finals: Finish places 1-6 for the day.
- U16 heat placement counts for JRL ranking. U.S. Ski & Snowboard scores sprints for NRL from the qualifying rounds.
- U14 skiers racing up are not eligible for JRL points and will not be advanced to heats but will receive NRL points.
With Timed Heats:
The top 2 in each quarter final advance
- The two third or fourth place finishers with the fastest heat times advance.
Update 2025: Eastern Cup Sprint Heats are timed, unless there are unforeseen circumstances. In this case, the NENSA ADC will give final approval on untimed heats.
Results:
- Places 1-6: A-Final order of finish
- Places 7-12 are ranked according their ranking in semi-final.
Order of finish placings (based on FIS rules):
- 13th – 15th/16th rank, the 3rd place finisher from each heat in the quarter-final, who did not advance to the semi-finals will be assigned based on their respective ranking in the qualifying round
- 16th/17th – 20th rank, the 4th place finisher from each heat in the quarter-final will be assigned based on their respective ranking in the qualifying round. (Exception, if one of those 4th place finishers will advance to the semi final)
- 21st – 25th rank, the 5th place finisher from each heat in the quarter-final will be assigned based on their respective ranking in the qualifying round.
- 26th – 30th rank, the 6th place finisher from each heat in the quarter-final will be assigned based on their respective ranking in the qualifying round.
- 31st to last rank, based on qualification round placement.
Alternative 50 skier Format Adopted for 2025-26 (Modified Norwegian Junior Nationals Format), Organizers Guide HERE.
General Rules of the Sprint Race:
- A competitor must ski the entire course in each heat in order to be ranked, otherwise they will be relegated to last in the heat.
- If a competitor does not start or finish a heat due to force majeure (verified by a protest) he or she is ranked last in this heat.
Protests:
Protests will only be accepted after the finals. Due to holding to schedule of running successive heats it is not possible to allow for protests during heats and semifinals.
Notes for Race Directors:
- If race organizers choose to have more athletes compete in heats, they must be isolated from the official heats; they may not be mixed with official heats.
- The heats do not need to be timed.
- A “B” final may be provided for semifinalists who do not advance.
- Provide qualifier times in results.
5. Races Scored to the NENSA Junior Ranking List
** Distances and techniques are listed on the Eastern Cup page as scheduled for this season and may change. If conditions mandate changes to distance/technique, the race that is held will be scored.**
Most Current Eastern Cup Schedule
Each Eastern Cup season schedule is put together with a considerations toward capturing the full breadth of modern nordic ski racing. Across each 8 race season, NENSA considers these guidelines in scheduling techniques and formats:
- Exactly 8 races each season.
- Exactly 4 Freestyle races, 4 Classic races (1 race per technique per event weekend, i.e. Saturday – Classic, Sunday – Freestyle).
- Exactly 2 sprint races: 1 sprint per technique per season (1 freestyle, 1 classic)
- Exactly 6 Distance Races.
- General guidelines:
- Equal Distances: All distances raced at an Eastern Cup event must be equal across all gender classifications.
- U16 Distances: A separate U16 field will be offered at select distance Eastern Cup events. The U16 Age Class will not race greater than a 7.5 k, but may race in combination or separate from the Open Eastern Cup field for races of these distances.
- Distance Race Guidelines:
- Open Field Distances: Open field distances will either be 5 k, 7.5 k, 10 k, or 15 k, may be either Freestyle or Classic, and may be either interval start of mass start. NENSA will try to align distances raced at Eastern Cups with those raced at USSS Junior National Championships.
- Distance Techniques: approximately equal technique distribution, ideal of 3 Freestyle and 3 Classic per Eastern Cup season.
- Distance Start formats: approximately equal start format distribution, ideal of 3 interval start, 3 mass starts per Eastern Cup season. At least 1 mass start per technique per season.
- **Approximate – Techniques and formats are aligned with other circuits combined with Eastern Cup, and therefore schedule may reflect other circuit necessities for formats and techniques.**
- Distance Distribution: At least one race representing minimum distance raced at JNs, 7.5 k. At least one race representing maximum distance raced at JNs, 15 k.
**Junior Nationals Considerations: NENSA may choose to align techniques, distances, and formats with the current program at USSS Junior National Championships. These are subject to change each season.**
**Climate Considerations: NENSA may choose to schedule more mass starts than interval starts to increase the chance of fielding a mass start across a season in low snow conditions.**
**Technique Definitions: Classic races must be raced in the traditional, striding technique as outlined by the FIS ICR. Freestyle races may be raced by competitors in any style, but are generally raced in the skate technique.**
6. Non-Series Eastern Cup Scoring – Out of Region Qualifiers.
The first three races of the 2026 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships will be scored to the JRL as “Out of Region Qualifiers.”
2026 Schedule of Events:
Lake Placid, New York
- Sunday – Classic 10 k Interval Start
- Tuesday – Skate Sprint*
- Thursday – Junior Classic 10 k Mass Start**
*The Skate Sprint will be scored to the JRL using the NRL points from the race.
**The Junior 10 k will be used to be scored to the JRL by using the NRL points from the race, regardless of what flight a Junior racer starts in the Mass Start.
All designated Eastern Cup races are officially scored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard to the National Ranking List (NRL), usually by no later than the Thursday after the race weekend. NENSA updates the JRL lists as soon as possible. Athletes with U.S. Ski & Snowboard General Memberships are not scored to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard NRL, however all competitors at any EC will be scored to the NENSA Junior Ranking List. All competitors are listed in results.
To determine the overall Eastern Cup Champions (the Mike Gallagher Cup winners) at the end of the season (one male/one female) – the best 7 of 8 (EC) of the Eastern Cup races are scored to determine the overall winners. If calendars are reduced, the “best” number will reduce: If 7 or 8 races are held, 4 are scored, if 5 or 6 races are held, 3 are scored, if 3 or 4 races are held, 2 are scored. Out of region qualifiers do not count towards the Gallagher Cup award.
7. U.S. Ski & Snowboard Rules and United States Cross Country Championships (USCCC) competitions
U.S. Ski & Snowboard Nordic Competition Guide
U.S. Ski & Snowboard – 2025/26 Equipment Control Protocols – Apply to all SuperTour and US Cross Country Championships (USCCC) competitions.
8. Eastern Cup Club Event Scoring — inclusion in year-long Club Cup Points
In the winter of 2021, the scope of Club Cup Scoring was expanded to include all Community Races and 1 Eastern Cup Race, in an effort to reflect the broadest club participation across all competitive events. The point base for any given category is 60 points for a win, then decreasing by 1 point per place. Up to three skiers per category score points for their club.
Eastern Cup highlights the following six categories: U16 girls/boys, U18/20 girls/boys and Open men/women.
9. Eastern Cup Team Score (ECTS). UPDATE 2025-26,” *BEING UPDATED, NOT CURRENTLY EMPLOYED*
10. NENSA Introductory Class High School Races
*UPDATED 2025: Beginning in the 2024-25 season, NENSA offers local organizers the opportunity to host a set of un-sanctioned races designed to help High School racers extend their seasons and gain experience in a fuller breadth of nordic skiing by engaging with the Eastern Cup.*
Introductory races are un-sanctioned and do not require a USSS Membership to race.
The NENSA Introductory high school class shall be scheduled by Organizing Committees as part of the Eastern Cup season according to the following guidelines:
- Offered based on local organizing committee discretion, with at least 1 weekend scheduled for the Finale as part of the Eastern Cup bidding process:
- At least 1 of these weekends will be the Eastern Cup finale. The Saturday of the Eastern Cup finale weekend should be designated as a “Try-it” day.
- Additional weekends may be scheduled to help align the Introductory Class races with LOC and NENSA’s community development priorities. This may include scheduling at specific venues in order to allow a more local audience to participate.
- May be scheduled as part of any race distance and techniques.
NENSA Introductory High School Race Class Rules
- Ages: All racers must be in high school and/or meet minimum age requirements of the Eastern Cup posted above. The Introductory class is currently not designed for Masters skiers, who must be part of sanctioned field.
- Membership: Racers must be NENSA Members. At select “try-it” days, a 1-day NENSA membership will be available. Racers do not need to be USSS members.
- Field: The NENSA High School Introductory race will be a separate field on Eastern Cup race day. The High School Introductory race will also be posted in separate results from the sanctioned field.
- Courses, Formats, and Techniques: Up to discretion of local organizing committee.
