New Nastar Divisions

[Ski]

I'm pretty sure the calendars aren't up yet. I'm just going by when post-season races are generally held.

 

If Ridge isn't interested in training, then USSA isn't going to be for him. Good coaches make training fun...and it isn't like football or wrestling, where workout are sit-ups, weight lifting, and running your butt off; they ski!

 

But what youth sport isn't heavily weighted toward training? My U6 soccer team has 12 practices over a six week period before their first game.

 

And, yes, there are no opportunities for points until 2nd year J3. There are a number of reasons. Consider:

 

~USSA strives for a uniform, fair point system that measures all qualifying racers in the US.

~J4/5 courses (for 12 yr olds and under) are much easier than J1/2 courses, so there can't be comparison or accurate handicapping. Since the easier the course, the more times would bunch together. In theory, all good J1 racers would ski a J4/5 course within the same 1/10 of a second. Therefore, there would be no "testing of skills" to separate the talent levels.

~Qualifying J1/2's may be eligible to race in FIS competitions. Based on their USSA points, which give them ranking among fellow US skiers, they can then begin to earn international ranking. It's important for USSA points to be meaningful because it's a stepping stone toward the world arena.

~J4/5 races are kept close to home for the benefit of the kids. There just isn't any accurate way to handicap a typical J4/5 race. NASTAR, for instance, is not accurate at all. Bear Creek, for example, never sent a pacesetter to Hunter for trials. Where did their pacesetters come up with their handicaps? They simply made them up. They decided from priors years what their handicap was "approximately". That's fine for recreational racing, but absurdly unfair for any comparisons to other ski areas. What if CB's Joe Messina decided he was a 5HC because he'd had a few 5's on Golden Days?

 

So as a parent, it's really important to support the idea that training is fun. And it isn't as if J4/5's don't also race. If you are prepared to drive as far as Seven Springs and can convince Gus that Ridge will be better off racing than training, here's a sample of a past J4 race statewide schedule:

race 1 Dec. 30

race 2 Jan. 6

race 3 Jan. 12

race 4 Jan. 13

race 5 Jan. 19

race 6 Jan. 20

race 7 Jan. 26

race 8 Jan. 27

race 9 Feb. 2

race 10 Feb. 3

race 11 Feb. 10

race 12 Feb. 17

race 13 Mar. 2-3 J4 PARA State Championships

race 14 Mar. 22-24 J4 Future Stars Camp/2 GS races

[sibhusky]

Just to explain about the lack of points for the J4/5's... They do gather statistics in PARA as to how well the kids finish. These numbers aren't comparable across the US, but they are all used to determine who goes to post-season competitions. The way it works is the PLACE you finish in gives you some points. If you finish first you get 100 points, second 80 points, etc. on down to 15th place. In PARA, I think they take the best points for a certain number of races (3 I think) and add them up. So, assuming you had 8 runs (each run is treated separately in J4/5) over the season. They would take the top three finishes and add the points together. Then they would compare you to the other kids in your PARA region. Based on some kind of quota, the top x number of kids would go to the derbies. (Usually this is more than half the kids.)

 

So, they are collecting information on how well you are doing. It just doesn't mean anything unless you are being compared to other PARA kids.

 

Now assuming you do well at PARA derbies, the top racers in those derbies (without regard to the races they were in to get to derbies) will go on to compete regionally, like to New Hampshire or something.

 

This is all explained on the PARA site.

 

One really big difference in these points by the way is they don't carry over year-to-year. Each year you start with a clean slate. USSA and FIS points carry over year to year. So, there were kids Siblet was competing against who were good in prior years who got selected to attend things that she wasn't selected for even though this year these kids have had a disasterous season. Their old points qualified them for certain races. That was irritating.

[Papasteeze]

Thanks sib and ski - that is by far the best info and encouraging thing I have heard yet. The attraction to Nastar has been able to see the results quickly and have a goal for him the following week - We are going to our first CAT team function tomorrow. BTW by the dates in the end of March, it is fathomable that we could do both.

 

 

I 'll post more next week.

 

Thanks!!

[skimom]

Pops: Adam missed an end-of-the-season opportunity he qualified for up north last year because of the NASTAR Championships. But, NASTAR Championships are way after all of the regular season PARA races.

 

As of a few days ago, PARA was still listing 2004-2005 races. Now that ASRA is filling in their blanks, I'm itching to get our schedlues slated.

Edited August 14, 2005 by skimom

[Papasteeze]

post em when you get them !

[Papasteeze]

[skierboi]

hopefully i will find the time to do some of the runs to qualify, my dad is nagging me about it b.c he wants to go there badly

[skidude]

At CB it will probably take one run...Not too much compettion in the 15-16 year olds there as i recall.

[skierboi]

i thought it is 2 days, b.c i did 2 runs on 1 day at 7springs, and i was first in my age group but i didnt qualify

[skidude]

You just need one race...and you have to be in the top 3 in your age group/catagory at the end of the season for the resrot....

[skierboi]

i was first, but it still said i didnt qualify

[skidude]

Hmm you were still in there for 2nd overall...That is a little strange...

[skierboi]

o well, i also was doing the course on 138's that day

Edited October 7, 2005 by skierboi