New England Cross Country Skiing

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Race Rules

2021-2022 Season – Updated November 2021

Subjects covered in this section:

1.     Eastern Cup Primer – 2021-22 Season
2.     NENSA Junior Ranking List (New England Junior National Qualification)
3.     Race Rules
4.     Sprint Rules
5.     2021-2022 Races Scored to the NENSA Junior Ranking Lists
6.     Eastern Cup
7.     2022 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Nordic Competition Guide (USSS) – Rules, Races and Rankings
8.     Eastern Cup Club Event Scoring, and scoring inclusion in yearlong Club Cup Points

1. Eastern Cup Primer – 2021-22 Season:

All Eastern Cup (EC) race registrations are hosted on SkiReg.com.

Here is what YOU need to know to be ready to race in the first Eastern Cup in December:

  1. All racers must have valid NENSA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) membership to race – please note a $10 daily NENSA membership is available.  
  2. Purchase or renew your your NENSA membership here.
  3. 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 attend events.
  4. Purchase both your NENSA & U.S. Ski & Snowboard memberships early to ensure proper validation at registration.
  5. All EC racers will be listed in the overall race results, regardless of your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership type ($20 general or $115 competitor).  If you want to be listed on the National Ranking List (NRL) you need to purchase a U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitors membership.  Competitors 17+ (who will turn 18 during the 2021-22 season need to purchase a Competitor membership to comply with SafeSport regulations.
  6. For the 2021-22 Season all junior competitors from New England will be ranked to the NENSA Junior Ranking List (best 4 races for U16 and U18/U20).  This list will serve as the qualification list for Junior Nationals.
  7. You can upgrade to a U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitors license later in the season (points may not retroactively apply to previous races).
  8. Each Eastern Cup has a Virtual Team Captain’s Meeting (VTCM) an information page for updates: on venue, times changes, and important racer/coach information.
  9. Registration will close at 5pm on the Wednesday before each Eastern Cup weekend.
  10. Seed lists will be posted on Thursday (using points from the current NRL / FIS lists)
  11. Start lists will be posted on Friday by 6pm for Saturday and Sunday races.
  12. Eastern Cup race results can be found here.  Live results links will be made available on the EC event pages.
  13. Eastern Cup races will be scored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard and updated to the NRL.  Races marked as (F.I.S./NRL) are also scored by FIS.
  14. NRL and FIS listing dates can be found in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Nordic Competition Guide. 
  15. 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 you will be seeded randomly at the end of the field.
  16. U18/U20 Junior Ranking List:  Best 4 EC races.  Scored by USSS points. **See below: Junior Ranking List Points.**
  17. U16 JN Junior Ranking List:  Best 4 EC.  Please note for the 2021-22 season U16 will again be scored by USSS Points – the same way as U18/U20.

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.  JRL points are scored as U.S. Ski & Snowboard Points earned at Eastern Cup.
*Sprint race points are calculated with NRL distance points, to make distance vs. sprint points more consistent.
**Please note 2022 JRL race points will vary from the final 2021 List as an “equalizer” is applied by USSS at the end of each season to make NRL and FIS points more consistent. Refer to page 20.

3.  Race Rules:

NENSA runs all Eastern Cup and Championship Events following general FIS guidelines.

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 15 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 pre-registered 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 to highest points and the first seeds 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 other pre-registered athletes.  The “C” group includes all unranked athletes (990’s) and will be randomized. There is no late or day of race registrants for mass start races. The A group gets the most preferable start position, followed by B, C and D.

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 pre registered athletes with NRL points.  The D seed will include pre-registered athletes with 990 points.  All late or day of race registrants will form a seed group at the end of the field. 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.

All Eastern Cups intend to have live timing for the 2021-22 season.

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.  Instead, 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), NENSA Rep or Technical Delegate Assistant (TDA).  For sprint races, the jury is expanded to five members with two assistant Technical Delegates added to the jury.

4. SPRINTS:

Qualification Rounds: 

Racers start at intervals of 15 seconds.  U.S. Ski & Snowboard scores all sprints for NRL from the qualifying round.

Heats:

NENSA Eastern Cup events will hold three* official sets of heats: 1.) Open 2.) U18/U20 and 3.) U16 heats.

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” **
  • Semifinals: 2 heats of 6 racers. Top 2 in each heat advance along with 2 “Lucky Losers” **
  • A-Finals: Finish places 1-6 for the day.

U18/U20 Heats: feature the top 12 U18/U20 racers by qualifier time not advancing to the Open heats.

  • Semifinals: 2 heats of 6 racers. Top 2 in each heat advance along with 2 “Lucky Losers” **
  • B-Finals: Finish places 7-12 for the day.
  • A-Finals: Finish places 1-6 for the day.

U16 Heats: feature the top 12 U16 racers by qualifier time not advancing to the Open (or U18/U20) heats.

  • Semifinals: 2 heats of 6 racers. Top 2 in each heat advance along with 2 “Lucky Losers” **
  • A-Finals: Finish places 1-6 for the day.
  • U16 heat placement counts for JRL ranking, but do not count for NRL points.  U.S. Ski & Snowboard scores sprints for NRL off the qualifying rounds.  U14 skiers racing up are not eligible for JRL points and will not be advanced to the U16 heats but will receive NRL points.

*Additional Heats: Run at Race Director discretion.

  • U18 / U20 heats featuring the top 12 combined U18/U20 skiers not advancing to Open heats.
  • If scheduled and run, U18/U20 heat placement will count for JRL ranking.

** With Timed Heats:

  • The top 2 in each quarter final advance
  • The two third or fourth place finishers with the fastest heat times advance.

** With Untimed Heats:

  • The top 2 in each round advance
  • The two third place finishers with the lowest bib#’s advance

Results:

  • Places 1-6: A-Final order of finish
  • Places 7-12: B-Final order of finish
  • In the case of no B Final, the athletes 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, the results from the qualification round will be used.

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 ranked as the last of all qualifiers.
  • If a competitor does not start a heat, he or she will be ranked last in that round.
  • 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.

Bracket:

A bracket is set up after the qualification round. The initial bracket includes all of the qualified athletes filled in for the opening round. As the event progresses, brackets should be a) filled in on a large board and b) printed and posted between each round on the official results board. See attached for a sample bracket.

Protests:

Protests will only be accepted after the finals (as it is in normal competitions). Due to the timeline pressure 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 consolation final may be provided for semifinalists who do not advance.
  • Provide qualifier times in results.

5.   2021-22 Races Scored to the NENSA Junior Ranking List:

** Distances and techniques are listed here as scheduled and may change.  If conditions mandate changes to distance/technique, the race that is held will be scored.**

Eastern Cup #1 – Roy Varney Eastern Cup Opener
Waterville, Maine

(U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned)

Hosted by The Maine Outdoor Wellness Center @ Quarry Road Trails  

December 18, 2021: Freestyle Sprint 

December 19, 2021: Classic Mass Start, U16 and Women 5km / Men 10km

Eastern Cup #2 – Lake Placid Super Tour and Eastern Cup
Lake Placid, New York

(U.S. Ski & Snowboard / FIS sanctioned)

Hosted by ORDA

January 29, 2022: 1.4km Classic Sprint

January 30, 2022: Individual Start Freestyle, U16 5km / Women and Men 10km

Eastern Cup #3: Henchey Super Tour and Eastern Cup
Craftsbury, Vermont

(U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS sanctioned. EISA Carnival Saturday)

Hosted by the Craftsbury Outdoor Center and University of Vermont

February 4, 2022: Super Tour and EISA Carnival only (not scored to JRL) 

February 5, 2022: Individual Start classic, U16 5km / Women and Men 10km

February 6, 2022: 7.5k Pursuit start freestyle 

Eastern Cup #4: Dublin Double Eastern Cup

Dublin, New Hampshire

(U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned)

Hosted by Dublin School

February 19, 2022: Freestyle Sprint

February 20, 2022: Individual Classic U16 5km / Women 10km / Men 15km

  • Please note competitors must have a U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership or an active FIS license to compete.

6.  Eastern Cup Scoring:

The first three races of the 2022 L.L.BEAN U.S. CROSS COUNTRY SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS AND SUPERTOUR will be scored to the JRL as “Out of Region Qualifiers.”

Schedule of Events:

January 2, 2022: Freestyle Sprint- Qualifier, Open heats, Junior heats

January 4, 2022: Freestyle Mass Starts 7.5km Jr Girls/10km Jr. Boys/20km Women/30km Men

January 6, 2022: Classic Individual Start 10km women/15km men

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 US Ski & Snowboard NRL, however this season all competitors at any EC or VC will be scored to the NENSA Junior Ranking List.  All competitors are listed in results.

To determine the overall Eastern Cup Champions (the 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 as does the number of cancelled events.

7.     US Ski & Snowboard Nordic Competition Guide

8.     Eastern Cup Club Event Scoring, and inclusion in year long Club Cup Points

All NENSA’s Popular and Eastern Cup races are scored to Club Cup based on the number of finishers in a category.  This system prioritizes the strength of field.  If you win a bigger race, you get more points.  Up to 3 skiers from a club can score.  Skiers after this displace points from skiers behind, rather than scoring direct points (i.e. if you’re 4th from a club and you earned 6 points for your finish place, you keep the points, the finisher behind you only gets 5, even if they count to their club’s 3-person scoring total).

Eastern Cup scores things the same way, but highlights specific junior categories.  U16 girls/boys and combined U18/20 girls/boys. So at the end of a weekend, 4 gender/age categories and then the overall (all 4 categories combined) are named.

Eastern Cup points are included in the overall Club Cup.

Advantages: the most robust clubs still vie for the overall Club Cup, but smaller junior-specific clubs get recognition at Eastern Cups.  Athletes don’t need to learn about Club Cup details if they don’t want, but the scoring is part of a whole thing, rather than 2 separate systems.  Reflecting strength of field is important and more importantly easier for scoring and more equitable.  Every competitor earns and effects points.