Adjusted Junior National Team Qualification 1/22

Post date: Jan 23, 2012 12:43:26 AM

2. USSA Mid-Atlantic Division Junior National Team: Athlete Qualifying Procedures and Policies

A. Selection Criteria for the Mid-Atlantic Junior National Team:

The Mid-Atlantic (Mid-A) Division of the United States Ski Association (USSA) is committed to developing excellence in cross-country skiing. The Mid-Atlantic Division includes New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The Mid-Atlantic Division will be selecting a team this season for competition in the 2012 USSA Junior Nationals in Midway, UT March 5 – 10, 2012. The Mid-Atlantic Competition Committee (MACC) has developed a team selection process for naming the USSA Mid-Atlantic Junior National team as stated below.

B. Licensing 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 Junior National qualifier. Sign-up online

through skireg.com

2) To compete in the USSA Junior Nationals, athletes must be a cross-country competition-licensed member of USSA.

Contact USSA online at ussa.org, by mail at PO Box 100, 1 Victory Lane, Park City, UT 84060 or by phone at

(435) 647- 2666 regarding membership. The Eastern Division must be listed as the athlete’s home division in order to

compete for Mid-Atlantic at the USSA Junior Nationals.

3) Any college skier who has not previously skied for Mid-Atlantic needs to submit a letter of intent to the Mid-Atlantic

Junior National Head Coach by January 1, 2012 stating that he or she wishes to compete for Mid-Atlantic at the 2012 USSA Junior Nationals. This can be sent via email.

C. Qualifying standards for the 2012 USSA Mid-Atlantic Junior National (JN) Team:

1) Athletes who qualify through automatic USSA Qualifications (USSA rules 70.1.2 – 70.1.5). See the 2011 USSA Nordic Competition Guide for more details. These skiers can enter JO’s as part of the team above the quota from their home division.

2) Up to 15 J1/OJ male and 15 J1/OJ female skiers (with no more than 12 athletes in each age/sex category) can be chosen for the USSA Mid-A JN Team. Up to 6 J2 male and 6 J2 female skiers can be chosen for the USSA Mid-A JN Team.

3) Automatic qualification for any skier who finishes in the top 40 on the final junior ranking list from the 2012 US Cross Country Championships (Rumford, ME). These skiers count towards the team’s quota.

4) The final 2011-12 USSA Mid-Atlantic JN Team ranking list will be based on the following:

· Athletes must complete 2 eligible points races.

· Athletes must complete a minimum of 2 Mid-Atlantic JNQ races.

· A minimum of one freestyle and one classic points race will be used in the athlete’s point average.

· Athletes will be allowed to substitute 1 out-of-region race points only from either the 2012 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 Competition Committee for verification.

· The USSA 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 USSA 2011 list 8 overall points will be used to score the Mid-A JNQ. If an athlete finishes in the top 5 in a Mid-A JNQ and does not carry USSA 2011 list 8 overall points, the athlete’s points from the 2010-11 Mid-A JO Team final ranking list will be used first and if those are not available, the athlete will be assigned 350.00 points for calculation purposes.

· J1/OJ athletes will be scored and ranked together. J2 athletes will be scored and ranked separately.

· An athlete’s point race average must be below 350.00 to qualify for the 2012 USSA Mid-Atlantic Junior National 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 for the Mid-A JNQ will be posted to the website within 72 hours after the finish. Points for the Mid-A JNQ 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 or more of the following methods:

a) Automatic qualification for the top 5 juniors on the final NCAA East, NCAA West or NCAA Central ranking lists

(USSA 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 2012 US Cross Country Championships.

c) Automatic qualification for any college skier who qualifies for NCAA championships.

d) Have qualified for the USSA Mid-A Junior Olympic Team previously and are racing on their college carnival team

with at least two carnival finishes in the top 50 in an EISA carnival.

7) There is a force majeure and Mid-Atlantic Competition Committee discretion to make exceptions to these qualifying standards.

D. Mid-Atlantic Junior National Team Selection Priority and Naming:

1) The USSA Mid-Atlantic Junior Olympic Team selection will be prioritized and named in the following order:

a) Athletes who qualify through automatic USSA qualifications as stated in USSA rules 70.1.2 – 70.1.5.

See the 2012 USSA Nordic Competition Guide for more details.

b) Athletes who qualify through Mid-Atlantic qualification criteria, in order as stated above in part 2.C 1-7

(Qualifying standards for the 2012 USSA Mid-Atlantic Junior National (JN) Team).

c) Any open spots may be filled by athletes based on the final 2011-12 USSA Mid-Atlantic JN Team ranking lists,

first starting with J1/OJ athletes (up to 15), then J2 athletes (up to 6) at the discretion of the Mid-Atlantic Competition Committee.

2) Naming of the 2012 USSA Mid-Atlantic Junior National Team will be posted to the Mid-Atlantic Team website following the final Mid-A JNQ.

3) Appeal Process to the USSA Mid-Atlantic JN Team Naming:

a) Pay the $50 check deposit to NYSSRA-Nordic, Inc. This deposit is refundable only if the appeal is upheld.

b) The appeal must be in writing and turned within 24 hours of Mid-A JN Team naming to the Mid-A

Chairman, Mid-A Junior Sub-Committee Chairman and the Mid-A JN Team Head Coach.

c) The appeal will be reviewed by the Mid-A Chairman, Mid-A Junior Sub-Committee Chairman and the Mid-A JO

Team Head Coach. A decision will be made within 24 hours of team naming. This can be sent via email.

E. Mid-Atlantic Team Rules and Guidelines:

All athletes who have qualified and will compete for the USSA Mid-Atlantic Division at the USSA Junior Nationals will be expected to follow the rules and regulations laid out by the Mid-Atlantic Competition Committee and follow the USSA Code of Conduct (see part 4 of USSA Mid-Atlantic Division handbook). This includes competing in all races (both classic and skating), traveling with the team and staying with the team at designated housing throughout the duration of the event.

F. Mid-Atlantic Sponsorship and Donation Distribution:

Athletes in need of financial support should refer to the NYSSRA Racer Support Grant Program on the NYSSRA-Nordic website. Grant applications are due by January 1, 2012 and can be filled out using the online form.

Auto prequalified above the quota (top 20 on Junior ranking list from US Cross Country Championships):

Steve Mangan

Qualified (counted in Mid-A quota) based on US Cross Country Championships and EISA Bates Carnival results:

Carly Wynn

Elizabeth Izzo

Eric Lustgarten

USSA JUNIOR RANKINGS FROM U.S Senior Nationals 2012: http://usskiteam.com/news/points-standings-j1jwu23-2012-team-selection