US SKI AND SNOWBOARD
MID-ATLANTIC DIVISION
Junior XC Skiing Handbook
2024-2025
CONTENTS
1. Division Information and Contacts page 2
2. US SKI AND SNOWBOARD MID-A Division Junior National Team:
Athlete Qualifying Procedures and Policies pages 3 - 4
3. Junior National Qualifier Competition Schedule page 5 - 6
4. US SKI AND SNOWBOARD Code of Conduct page 6
5. Elite Team page 6
6. Directory of Governing Bodies page 6
UPDATED Jan 2025
1. DIVISION INFORMATION AND CONTACTS
A. Mission Statement:
The Mid-Atlantic Division (MID-A) operates as a division of US SKI AND SNOWBOARD with a focus on cross-country ski competition and development. MID-A is governed by the Mid-Atlantic Committee, in conjunction with US SKI AND SNOWBOARD and the New York State Ski Racing Association – Nordic, Inc (NYSSRA-Nordic). The division's goals for the region are to implement on-going development programs that promote cross-country skiing and competition, provide pipelines to elite development programs, oversee Junior National qualifying events, policies and procedures, and to work closely with NYSSRA-Nordic.
B. Mid-Atlantic Committee
Jason Hettenbaugh
MID-A Junior National Team Head Coach and Trip Leader
US SKI AND SNOWBOARD Nordic Divisional Leadership
jason@rochesternordicracing.com
Paul Smith
NYSEF
pauls@nysef.org
Matt Bellizzi
MID-A JNQ Points Scoring
Eastern High School Championships
Maddie Phaneuf
maddiep@nysef.org
YTBD
U16 Championships
NYSSRA Nordic Treasurer
(non-voting member)
John Rueckheim
johnrueckheim@gmail.com
C. Mid-Atlantic Junior Website:
MID-A Handbook, race schedules, race results, current point standings, team information and Junior National Team selection criteria will be posted to the Juniors ® MID-A link on the NYSSRA-Nordic website: www.midaxc.com
2. US SKI AND SNOWBOARD MID-ATLANTIC DIVISION JUNIOR NATIONAL TEAM:
Athlete Qualifying Procedures and Policies
A. Selection Criteria for the Mid-Atlantic Junior National Team:
The Mid-Atlantic Division (MID-A) of US SKI AND SNOWBOARD is committed to developing excellence in cross-country skiing.
MID-A includes New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
MID-A will be selecting a team this winter for competition in the 2025 US SKI AND SNOWBOARD Junior National Championships in Midway Utah ( soldier hollow olympic legacy venue )
The Mid-Atlantic Committee has developed a team selection process for naming the MID-A Junior National team as stated below.
B. Membership requirements:
1) Athletes must have a current race season NYSSRA-Nordic membership prior to the first JNQ. It is the athlete's responsibility to have their NYSSRA-Nordic membership in place before the first JNQ. Sign-up online at SKIREG.com.
2) To compete in the US SKI AND SNOWBOARD Junior National Championships, athletes must be a CROSS-COUNTRY COMPETITIVE U16 AND UP member. Go to https://usskiandsnowboard.org/membership to become a member. EASTERN DIVISION must be listed as the athlete’s home division in order to compete for MID-A at the US SKI AND SNOWBOARD Junior National Championships.
3) Any college skier who has not previously skied for MID-A needs to submit an email of intent to the MID-A Junior National Head Coach by January 1, 2025 stating that athlete wishes to compete for MID-A at the 2024 US SKI AND SNOWBOARD Junior National Championships.
C. Qualifying standards for the 2025 Mid-Atlantic Junior National Team:
1) Athletes who qualify through automatic US SKI AND SNOWBOARD qualifications (rules 70.1.2 – 70.1.6). See the 2024 US SKI AND SNOWBOARD Nordic Competition Guide for more details. These skiers can enter JN’s as part of the team above the quota from their home division.
2) Up to 15 U18/U20 male and 15 U18/U20 female skiers (with no more than 12 athletes in each age/gender category) can be chosen for the MID-A JN Team. Up to 6 U16 male and 6 U16 female skiers can be chosen for the MID-A JN Team.
3) Automatic qualification for any skier who finishes in the top 40 on the final junior ranking list from the 2024 US Cross Country Championships. These skiers count towards the team’s quota.
4) Final 2025 MID-A JN Team ranking list will be based on the following:
· Athletes must compete in a minimum of 4 out of the 6 Mid-A JNQ Races.
· A minimum of 1 freestyle and 1 classic points race will be used in the athlete’s point average.
· Athletes will be allowed to substitute 1 out-of-region race points from either the 2025 US Cross Country Championships or from a current season NENSA JNQ, which occur prior to the final MID-A JNQ.
· Athletes are responsible for submitting out-of-region race points to the MID-A Committee for verification.
· US SKI AND SNOWBOARD points calculation system will be used to score the MID-A JNQ races.
· If an athlete finishes in the top 5 in a MID-A JNQ, the athlete’s US SKI AND SNOWBOARD 2024 list 9 overall points will be used to score the MID-A JNQ. If an athlete does not carry US SKI AND SNOWBOARD 2024 list 9 overall points, the athlete’s points from the 2024/25 MID-A JN Team final ranking list will be used and if those are not available, the athlete will be assigned 350.00 points for calculation purposes.
· U18/U20 athletes will be scored and ranked together. U18/U20 athletes point race average must be below 300.00 to qualify for the 2025 MID-A JN Team.
· U16 athletes will be scored and ranked separately. U16 athletes point race average must be below 350.00 to qualify for the 2025 MID-A JN Team.
5) Results from MID-A JNQ races will be posted to the website within 24 hours after finish. Results from MID-A JNQ races are final 48 hours after finish. Points from MID-A JNQ races will be posted to the website within 72 hours after the finish. Points from MID-A JNQ races are final 96 hours after the finish. It is the athlete’s responsibility to verify that their MID-A JNQ results and points are correct.
6) College skiers may qualify by any of the above listed methods for all skiers or by one of the following methods:
a) Automatic qualification for the top 5 juniors on the final NCAA East, NCAA West or NCAA Central ranking lists (US SKI AND SNOWBOARD rule 70.1.4). These skiers can enter JN’s as part of the team above the quota from their home division.
b) Automatic qualification for any college skier who places in the top 20 overall at 2025 US Cross Country Championships.
c) Automatic qualification for any college skier who qualifies for the 2025 NCAA Championships.
d) Have previously qualified for the MID-A JN Team and are racing on their college carnival team with at least 2 carnival finishes in the top 50 in an EISA carnival.
7) There is force majeure and Mid-Atlantic Committee discretion to make exceptions to these qualifying standards.
D. Mid-Atlantic Junior National Team Selection Priority and Naming:
1) MID-A JN Team selection will be prioritized and named in the following order:
a) Athletes who qualify through automatic US SKI AND SNOWBOARD qualifications (rules 70.1.2 – 70.1.6). See the 2025 US SKI AND
SNOWBOARD Nordic Competition Guide for more details.
b) Athletes who qualify through MID-A qualification standards, in order as stated above in part 2.C 1-7.
c) Any open spots may be filled by athletes based on the final 2024/25 MID-A JN Team ranking lists, first starting with U18/U20 athletes (up to 15), then U16 athletes (up to 6) at the discretion of the Mid-Atlantic Committee.
2) Naming of the 2025 MID-A JN Team will be posted to the MID-A website following the final MID-A JNQ.
3) Appeal Process to the MID-A JN Team Naming:
a) Pay the $100 check deposit to NYSSRA-Nordic. This deposit is refundable only if the appeal is upheld.
b) The appeal must be emailed within 24 hours of MID-A JN Team naming to the MID-A Chairman, MID-A JN Head Coach and the MID-A JN Team Trip Leader.
c) The appeal will be reviewed by the MID-A Chairman, MID-A JN Team Head Coach and the MID-A JN Trip Leader. A decision will be made within 48 hours of team naming. This can be sent via email.
E. Mid-Atlantic Junior National Team Rules and Guidelines:
All athletes who have qualified and will compete for the MID-A JN Team at the US SKI AND SNOWBOARD Junior National Championships will be expected to follow the rules and regulations set by the Mid-Atlantic Committee and follow the US SKI AND SNOWBOARD Code of Conduct (see part 4 of MID-A handbook). This includes competing in all races (classic technique, freestyle technique, individual races and relay), traveling with the team and staying with the team at designated housing throughout the duration of the event.
F. NYSSRA-Nordic Elite Racer Grant Program:
Athletes in need of financial support should refer to the Individual Racer Grant Program (as available) on the NYSSRA-Nordic website. Grant applications are reviewed October 1, December 1 and January 30.
3. US SKI AND SNOWBOARD MID-ATLANTIC JNQ COMPETITION SCHEDULE
*please reference schedule posted on www.midaxc.com
4. US SKI AND SNOWBOARD CODE OF CONDUCT
Link to US SKI AND SNOWBOARD Code of Conduct:
5. US SKI AND SNOWBOARD MID-ATLANTIC ELITE TEAM
A. Selection Criteria:
1) U16 or older skiing for the MID-A Division
2) Top 10 American in World Junior Championships or U18 Nordic Junior Countries Competition trial results for any one race involved in the qualification process for those trips
3) Top 10 American in their age group in any one individual race at the previous season US SKI AND SNOWBOARD Junior National Championships
4) Collegiate skiers can be selected by qualifying for NCAA Championships in their school’s home division
5) U23 skiers can be selected by finishing in the top 15 Americans on the U23 result list in any race at US Cross Country Championships
6) Seniors can be selected by finishing in the top 25 Americans in any race at US Cross Country Championships
B. Naming and support benefits:
Athletes can qualify during the 204/24 season and will be named to the MID-A Elite Team in the spring. Elite Team athletes will receive free entry to MID-A JNQs the following season and financial support (as available) to be used toward training camps and equipment.
6. DIRECTORY OF GOVERNING BODIES
US SKI AND SNOWBOARD
https://usskiandsnowboard.org/about/about-more-information
New York State Ski Racing Association, Inc (NYSSRA-Nordic)
New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA)
https://www.nensa.net/nensa-vision/