The selection criteria for Team New England is determined by NENSA’s Athlete Development Committee (ADC) within the guidelines set forth by US Ski and Snowboard (USSS). The USSS rules referenced throughout the criteria below can be found in the current USSS Nordic Competition Guide (52.1).

Skiers compete at JN’s as part of their divisional team. To be eligible for Team New England, a skier must be a NENSA member and have a permanent or temporary address in New England (this includes college students).  Each skier also must be a current member of U.S. Ski & Snowboard per competition rules (52.1).

The quota allowed to New England by US Ski and Snowboard for Team New England is 25 males and 25 females (52.4.2). NENSA’s ADC has directed that the Team New England quota be filled with 21 male and 21 female athletes as outlined in selection criteria section 2.1 and 2.2 below. Within the USSS quota, a maximum of 14 skiers may be entered per age/sex class in any given event (52.4.3).  Guest Class athletes do not count towards this quota (52.4.4), Definitions of guest class and non-quota skiers can be found in selection criteria section 1. below. Athletes are selected for Team New England according to: 1) Pre-Qualification via USSS Automatic Qualifying Standards (Selection Criteria Section 1 below), 2) performance in Eastern Cup races, specified Out-of-Region races, (Selection Criteria Section 2 below); and b) discretionary selection by NENSA Athlete Development Committee (Selection Criteria Section 3 below).

Athletes will be selected for Team New England only within their own age groups, and will race only within their own age groups in individual races at JN’s (52.3.2).

Team New England Selection Criteria: Selection Proceeds 1, 2, 3 until Team New England’s ADC-defined Quota is filled (21 male and 21 female athletes) along with applicable non-Quota athletes.

1A. Non-Quota, Pre-Qualification Through Automatic Qualifying Standards (52.5): National, International, and Collegiate Results.

Per U.S. Ski & Snowboard Junior National rules, any individual who meets one or more of the following criteria in the current season will be eligible to represent their Division above the Divisional Basic Quota (52.5.1):

• Skiers who are ranked in the top 20 men or women on the final FIS Junior World Ski Championships Team Ranking List.
• Skiers who qualify for and attend the U18 Nordic Junior Nation’s Competition Trip with US Ski and Snowboard.
• Skiers who are top-5 juniors (U18/U20 skiers), including US citizens or Resident Aliens, on the final NCAA East, NCAA West, or NCAA Central ranking lists.
• Skiers who are members of the World Junior Championship Team in Biathlon or Nordic Combined, or are a member of the Youth Olympic Games in Biathlon, Cross-Country, or Nordic Combined in eligible YOG seasons.

1B. Non-Quota Guest Class Qualification – Exchange and Foreign Skiers.

US Ski and Snowboard Junior Nationals outline a Guest Class that allows skiers to participate in the US Junior National Championships if they meet the following criteria:

52.3.1. The Guest Class can include the following:

• Exchange students who are certified by the Division in which they reside that they perform to the same level as the U.S. Citizens qualifying from that Division (primarily by meeting the selection criteria Section 2, Eastern Cup performance, below).
• U.S. Citizens residing outside of the United States who meet one of the Automatic Qualifying Standards (52.3.2) (outlined in selection criteria section 1A, pre-qualification, above).
• Invited foreign competitors, subject to the approval of the USSS Junior Working Group.
• All Guest Class skiers must be current members of US Ski and Snowboard (52.3.2).

Guest Class skiers will be selected for Team New England if they meet the qualification standards outlined in selection criteria section 2 (Eastern Cup performance) or section 3 (discretionary selection by the ADC) below, but will not count against the quota filled by athletes selected in section 2 or section 3.

2. Quota Qualification Within the New England Quota via Objective Qualification on the NENSA Junior Ranking List (21 Male and 21 Female).

Team New England fills a 21 male and 21 female quota based on the allocation found in sections 2.1 and 2.2 below. Quota qualifications are filled according to the final NENSA Junior Ranking List, produced after the conclusion of the Eastern Cup Series each season. The NENSA Junior Ranking List is determined by points scored at all Eastern Cup races, as well as select Out-of-Region races (see Appendix A. for scoring information).

Within each gender, athletes will be selected for the 21 quota positions by the following procedure:

1. 6 U16 athletes are selected by:  A) First eliminating skiers from the NENSA U16 Junior Ranking List who have already qualified via Selection Criteria Section 1. B) Rank on the final U16 Junior Ranking List. C) If a U16 skier declines their position on the team, the next skier on the list will be selected. D) In the event of a tie for 6th place all tied skiers will be named to the team. E) All athletes selected via this criteria will be in the USSS-designated U16 age group for the current competition season (ages 14 and 15 years old as of 12/31). U14’s (ages 12 and 13 years old as of 12/31) will not be selected to the team, even if they meet the criteria outline above.
2. 15 U18/U20 athletes, including a minimum of 8 U18’s and 3 U20’s will be selected by: A) First eliminating skiers from the NENSA U18/U20 Junior Ranking List who have already qualified via Selection Criteria Section 1. B) Rank on the final NENSA U18/U20 Junior Ranking List.  C) If a U18/U20 skier declines their position on the team, the next skier on the list will be selected until the quota is filled. D) All athletes selected via this criteria will be in the USSS-designated U18 or U120 age group for the current competition season (ages 16-19 as of 12/31). E) Any U16 skier which qualifies via the NENSA U18/U20 JRL by “skiing up” will be invited to the team as a U16 and be a NENSA Pre-Qualifier U16, and therefore will not displace a U16 and/or U18/U20 skier selected to the team via the quota criteria.

3. Quota Qualification via Discretion from NENSA Athlete Development Committee (up to 3 athletes, rarely used).

NENSA’s Athlete Development Committee (the ADC) is responsible for setting the guidelines and philosophies for skier development in New England. The ADC is comprised of a robust set of experienced Junior and Collegiate Coaches from across New England. Under its purview, the ADC may advise and direct NENSA’s Competitive Program Director to extend discretionary selection to Team New England for skiers who have otherwise not met the qualification standards outlined in Selection Criteria Sections 1 or 2. Skiers selected via discretion count towards filling the USSS-defined Team New England quota (52.4.2), but are selected after the 21 skier quota in Section 2 above is filled.*

The ADC reserves to right to exercise discretion in all circumstances. The following are non-binding guidelines on when discretionary selection may be exercised:

• Proven National and/or International Performance: Skiers who have who have a proven record of success competing at previous National and International events, especially in line with Selection Criteria Section 1A (Automatic Qualifying Standards) will be first and foremost considered if injury, illness, and/or other circumstances have precluded them qualifying via selection criteria 1 (pre-qualification) or selection criteria 2 (qualifying with best 4 of 8 Eastern Cup races) in the current season.
  • Discretionary selection is most likely for the above skiers if they can demonstrate performance to the same level as qualified skiers, but because of circumstances have been unable to complete the full profile for selection to JNs in the current season (ex. they have only been able to complete 2 out of 4 Eastern Cup races required for a full points profile etc…).

Skiers who are seeking consideration for a discretionary Team New England selection must contact NENSA’s Competitive Program Director, ben@nensa.net, no later than a week prior to the final Eastern Cup, Eastern Cup 4 (in 2026: Oak Hill Eastern Cup). Earlier outreach detailing skier circumstances is appreciated.

*A discretionary selection will not displace a JRL-Qualified skier via the Selection Criteria in Section 2, but be filled beyond the 21 skiers towards the USSS quota of 25 skiers per gender.

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Appendix A. Scoring of U16 and U18/U20 Junior Ranking Lists

• In all age classes: Skiers are scored to the Junior Ranking List by their best 4 out of 8 Eastern Cup races in the current season.
  • U18/U20 Scoring Method: U18/U20 athletes are ranked by their “Best 4 EC and/or Out-of-Region races, using U.S. Ski & Snowboard National Ranking List (NRL) points.
  • U16 Scoring Method: U16 are also ranked by their “Best 4 EC races, but no Out of Region races, using modified Continental Cup points.  (1st – 30, 2nd – 25, 3rd – 21, 4th – 18, Etc…-16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1).  U16’s must compete in the U16 race to score points toward Junior National qualification from the U16 competition.
• Scoring Determination: Distance and Sprint Races:
  • Distance Races (5 k+): Scored by placement with penalty determined by best of FIS or US Ski and Snowboard Distance points.
  • Sprint Races (<1.5 k with Rounds): Scored by final heat placement for all age groups (NOT qualifier placement) with penalty determined by best of FIS or USSS Distance points.

All junior competitors with at least a NENSA License and USSS General Membership may race Eastern Cups and score to the JRL. A USSS Competitors license is required to be seeded at Eastern Cups and Junior Nationals, and is recommended.

A.1. Out-Of-Region Races Scored to JRL – US National Championships

National Championship races at the US National Cross Country Championships (the first 3 race days) are scored to the NENSA U18/U20 Junior Ranking Lists using U.S. Ski & Snowboard points.  An athlete must be a competition member of U.S. Ski & Snowboard to compete at the US National Championships. NOTE: There is no additional OOR races for U16 racers.

The first three races of the 2026 U.S. Cross Country Ski National Championships held in Lake Placid, New York will be scored to the JRL as “Out of Region Qualifiers.” In the Mass Start event, U18/U20 Juniors will be scored in the event in which they compete. In the Juniors race, only the first “Flight” of starters will be scored.