Para Team Qualification Standards
Athletes meet the following qualification standards will be eligible for the Para Nordic Team at Eastern High School Championships (EHSC):
- Eligibility requirements outlined in NENSA Eastern High School Championship Rules (2g.).
- Compete in a minimum of 1x cross-country race of at least 5km (standing and VI) or 3km (sit) distance in the 2026-27 season by January 18th, 2027.
- Provide confirmation of training for the sport a minimum of 2x week from December– March.
- Have an eligible impairment under FIS Para Nordic Classification Standards
- Receive National Classification through USPN – email Bethann Chamberlain to confirm how to do this if International or National classification has not yet been completed.
- Email BethAnn Chamberlain bethann.chamberlain@usskiandsnowboard.org by January 18th, 2027 to confirm completion of above items.
ESHC State Team Qualification Standards for Para Athletes
Standing and Visually Impaired Para athletes who wish to qualify for their state team can do so through the criteria established by each respective state. Standing and VI athletes may have the factor relative to their Para classification applied to their qualifying time, but must race following FIS Para Nordic rules in order to be eligible for this, (ie: standing LW 8 Skiers must ski with one pole in competition, even if skier is able to hold a pole with both arms, or with a prothesis).
Sit skiers must hit the general Para Team Qualification standards in order to be eligible to qualify with their respective states and must notify their state representative by Jan 18th their interest and intention to qualify for that state’s EHSC team.
State Qualification Quota for Para Athletes
States who have Para athletes qualify for their teams receive the following increase in qualification quota:
- Standing athletes: Two athletes per gender
- Visually Impaired athletes: Two athletes per gender
- Sit Skiers: Four athletes per gender. (if there are more sitting athletes in any region than this quota allows, contact USPN).
Races for Para Classes
Standing and visually impaired skiers will compete fully integrated into the main field of each respective gender. Sit skiers will compete in their own sit ski specific competition, on a course designed specifically for sit skiers.
Scoring
- Standing and VI athletes will be scored the same as the rest of the field, based off of their factored time (para factored time -3% against non-para field).
- Sit Skiers: Points are given the same as in the standing classes, ie: 1st place receives 235 points, 2nd place 230, 3rd226, 4th 223, 5th 221, 6th 220 with each subsequent place awarded points decreasing by one. We hope that providing the same amount of points for sit skiers, it will incentivize regions to bring some sit skiers!
(Thinking behind this is that the increase in quota number if they have standing and VI athletes would provide a bonus, (incentive), for teams with standing and VI athletes.)
Seeding
Same as with all other competitors. See Eastern High School Championship rules here.
Results & Awards
Standing and VI athletes will have their factored time, (time adjusted in relation to their classification/injury according to FIS Para Nordic Classification rules), applied to overall results. There will also be a separate standing, sit and VI class results posted. Awards for the top three para athletes in each class and gender will be provided for each individual race as well as overall, (skiers with highest combined point total).
Relay
Any visually impaired or standing Para athlete can compete on an EHSC relay team. Sit skiers will not compete in the relay.
Specifics:
- In para racing, all athletes have an established percentage based on the level of their impairment. This is determined through a medical and technical process every athlete goes through. The percentages are meant to compare athletes in a para field (ie determines the difference between an athlete with a visual impairment compared to an athlete with an arm that goes only to the shoulder vs an athlete that has no hand but an arm that goes to the wrist so all those athletes can compete fairly against one another). Since the percentages we use in para competition are used to compare para athletes only, we will also add an additional 3% for these athletes since they will be competing against a non para field. So if an athlete’s normal percentage in a skate race is 96% when competing against para athletes, their percentage in the EHSC, when competing against non-para athletes, will be 93%.
- A winning time per km on the relay course will be established based on data from that course throughout the winter. This time is essentially a prediction of how fast a non-para skier needs to go to win the race. There will be 2 times established, one for men and another for women.
- Once we have the time per km, we can calculate how fast in real time, a para skier has to ski in order to reach the finish line at the same time as the winning time per km of the fastest time. We will take the difference between that time and the predicted time of the winner to establish how much of a head start that skier would need to arrive at the finish line at the same time. This will be the head start of the team that athlete is on.
- If there is more than 1 para skier on a team, both of their times will be considered and the team will get the combined head start of those 2 athletes.
- The team will then begin with this calculated head start ahead of the rest of the field.
- The para athlete does not have to go first, they can race in any leg of the relay they choose, but the calculation/head start has to happen at the start.
- The first team to cross the finish line wins the race.
