Junior National Qualification Criteria UPDATED 1/30/15

Post date: Jan 31, 2015 2:59:39 AM

Due to the forced cancellation of JNQ races this winter, the Junior National qualification criteria has been adjusted. An athlete must complete 2 Mid-Atlantic JNQ races (either technique) to be considered for the team. For complete qualification guidelines please refer to the Mid-A handbook. Here is the updated criteria: (Addendum in RED)

C. Qualifying standards for the 2015 USSA Mid-Atlantic Junior National (JN) Team:

1) Athletes who qualify through automatic USSA Qualifications (USSA rules 70.1.2 – 70.1.6). See the 2015 USSA 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 USSA Mid-A JN Team. Up to 6 U16 male and 6 U16 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 2015 US Cross Country Championships (Houghton, MI). These skiers count towards the team’s quota.

4) The final 2014-15 USSA Mid-Atlantic JN Team ranking list will be based on the following:

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

  • Athletes best 2 of 4 race points will be used in the final ranking list.

  • Athletes will be allowed to substitute 1 out-of-region race points from either the 2015 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 2014 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 2014 list 8 overall points, the athlete’s points from the 2013-14 Mid-A JN 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.

  • U18/U20 athletes will be scored and ranked together. U16 athletes will be scored and ranked separately.

  • An athlete’s point race average must be below 350.00 to qualify for the 2015 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 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 or more of the following methods:

• 1. 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.

  2. Automatic qualification for any college skier who places in the top 20 overall at 2015 US Cross Country Championships.

  3. Automatic qualification for any college skier who qualifies for NCAA championships.

  4. Have qualified for the USSA Mid-A Junior National Team previously 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 Competition Committee discretion to make exceptions to these qualifying standards.