2023-2024 Nordic Ski Rule Book

Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference and Mountain Valley Conference Nordic Skiing Rules

Event Officials	Page 2
Nordic Competition	Page 4
Timing and Scoring	Page 7
Protests	Page 7
All-Conference Selection	Page 8

KVAC/MVC Ski Committee:

Steve DeAngelis, Maranacook

Dustin Williamson, Leavitt

Cynthia Pratt, Mt Blue

Brant Remington, Maranacook Athletic Administrator

Kristina Stevens, MVC Athletic Administrator

Marc Kelley, MVC Athletic Administrator

November, 2023

General Rules

Rule 1 Event Officials

Chief of Competition Technical Delegate Jury Scorer Chief of Course Course Controllers Start and Finish Judges Chief of Timing

Chief of Competition:

Section 1 - The Chief of Competition shall be appointed by the hosting venue and shall be a member of the organizing committee. The Chief of Competition shall be responsible for all the technical aspects of the competition including the selection and preparation of the courses. He/she appoints all race officials and cares for all other matters not otherwise prescribed. The Chief of Competition shall conduct a meeting of representatives of all competing teams and individuals prior to the first event of the meet. This meeting is to be the official opening of the meet.

Technical Delegate

Section 2 - Technical Delegates are assigned to the KVAC/MVC Ski Championships by either the host venue or the KVAC/MVC ski committee. The TD will make decisions regarding safety, the conduct of individuals, and the postponement and cancellation of events. The Technical Delegate will interpret the nature of the rules and their application and the appropriateness of the behavior of coaches, competitors and spectators, as well as serve as chairman of the Race Jury.

KVAC/MVC Ski Committee:

The five member KVAC/MVC Ski Committee is composed of three KVAC and two MVC coaches and should make a recommendation to the two Athletic Directors assigned to the meet concerning any issues that arise due to weather or course conditions.

JURY

Section 3 - The Jury is responsible for all technical aspects of the race and shall decide on all issues that arise during the competition. In general, the Jury makes decisions on all questions not clarified by the rules. The Jury shall meet after each race in a designated place. Notice of the Jury meeting shall be given if a protest or other emergency matters arising out of the race have to be considered. Every member will be personally notified. No coach may serve on the jury if his or her athletes are participating in the competition.

Nordic Jury:

Technical Delegate (Jury Chairperson) - Represents the Sanctioning Body

Chief of Competition - Appointed by the Race Venue- Host Organization

KVAC/MVC Representative - One AD from each conference to serve as a voting Member of the Jury

SCORER

Section 4 - It shall be the job of the Chief of Timing to be the meet scorer and to record and complete all results and to determine team scores. The KVAC/MVC Ski Coaches liaisons and/or the KVAC/MVC Athletic Administrator may assist if needed.

CHIEF OF COURSE

Section 5 - The Nordic Chief of Course is responsible for the selection of the course and for the exact measurement and preparation of the same. He/she is also responsible for the prompt and correct preparation and marking of the course and for suitable placing of controls. The main task of the Chief of Nordic Course both before and during the race, especially if the weather and snow conditions are bad, is to use the course preparation group and forerunners to ensure that the course is in the best possible condition during the whole race. He/she is responsible for seeing that enough forerunners are available. In collaboration with the Starter, he/she should send a post runner around the course to close it after the last competitor.

Section 7 - The Chief of Course shall assign the controllers to the places chosen for them by the Chief of Course and make sure that the controllers know their duties.

CONTROLLERS

Section 6 - Every control is manned by at least two people who will note all competitors who pass through his control. If a competitor leaves the marked course, this must be clearly marked on the controller's card. If a competitor has a technique violation in a classical race, this must be clearly marked on the controller’s card. A technique violation must be observed by both controllers. After the course closers have passed, the controllers must immediately hand over the control cards to the Chief of Course and he/she, in turn, to the TD.

START AND FINISH JUDGES

Section 7 - The Start Judge and Finish Judge work under the Chief of Course and are responsible for the preparation and control of the start and finish areas. The Finish Judge shall make out a list stating the order in which each contestant passed the finish line. A video camera shall be employed at the finish for both races to assure an accurate order of finish. A video camera shall also be used at the start of the pursuit race to assure accurate start times.

CHIEF OF TIMING

Section 8 - The Chief of Timing is responsible for the direction and coordination of the officials working in the finish area. Under his/her supervision are the Starter, Finish line workers and Timers. In Nordic events, electronic timing will be the primary method of timing and hand-held will be backup. The use of watches, one held by the Starter and others by the Timers, with all watches being synchronized before the start of the race, will be compared afterward. The racers are started by the Starter's watch in accordance with the time shown on the Starting List and timed at the Finish Line by the Timer's watch with the contestant's time being the difference between the time shown for his/her departure on the official Starting List and his/her recorded time of finish. Reserve watches shall always be used by all parties to preclude failure.

The Chief of timing is also responsible for quick and correct calculations.

Rule 2 NORDIC COMPETITION:

Event Format

Section 1 -

A mass start shall be employed in the 5k Classical race on day 1. The format shall be the following on a rotating basis from year to year: Boys start first in odd years, Girls start first in even years. MVC goes first in even years, and KVAC first in odd years

2:00pm MVC (even years) Girls start | 2:20pm KVAC girls start |

3:00pm MVC (even years) Boys start | 3:20pm KVAC Boys start

A pursuit start will be employed on day 2 for the 5k freestyle race. The pursuit start format shall be the following on a rotating basis:

2:00pm KVAC/MVC Girls start | 3:00pm KVAC/MVC Boys start

For 2023: Day 1 is 5K Freestyle mass start and day 2 is classical pursuit.

Amended for 2023-2024: KVAC and MVC will hold separate championships.

Day 1 is freestyle, day 2 is classical.

The start order on day 2 will be the same as the finish order on day 1. The time interval between when the first skier starts, and the start time of any other skier will be equal to the difference in elapsed time between that skier and the first-place skier in the 5k classic race the day before. The order of finish in the 5k pursuit race on day 2 will determine the team scores for the championship. The Chief of Timing may elect to use a collapsed start for the pursuit if they deem it appropriate and if so they must adjust the order of finish accordingly.

The pursuit start on day 2 is carried out without an electronic start gate. To guarantee an exact start, a large display clock can be used together with bib number and starting times for respective competitors for that lane. The start must be prepared so that two or more competitors may start side by side. At least five starting lanes are required.

Race organizers should: Provide each athlete with a sticker stating their start time, name, and bib number. Publish lists for each lane. This includes the name and time of start. Publish list prior to lane assignment of lane and time.

A video shall record the pursuit start and can be used by race officials.

EARLY NORDIC START:

Section 2 - For all competitions using a Mass Start procedure, any False Start will result in a “restart” of the competition. The starter or TD must give a False Start signal. There must be assistants placed an effective distance down the tracks where it is possible to turn the competitors back.

In a pursuit race, if a skier starts early, (s)he will NOT be called back. Instead, a penalty will be assigned by the jury that would reflect the actual time that the skier was racing, up to 15 seconds. If a racer leaves 15 or more seconds early, the racer would be disqualified from the race and would not be included in either the skate results or the pursuit results. The adjusted time (with penalty seconds added) will be used to determine both the skate results and the pursuit results, including the team scoring.

LATE NORDIC START

Section 3 - In the 5k mass start classical race on day 1, the delayed racer starts when they arrive. The Starter shall make all decisions in cases of a delayed start. If the delay is reasonable, the racer should have a provisional start. In the 5k freestyle pursuit on day 2, if a racer does not start when scheduled, and this lateness is not justified, they may be allowed to start directly after the next racer scheduled, with their original start time. The racer’s unadjusted order of finish will determine the team score and the elapsed time between when they were originally scheduled to start and when they completed the course will be used for their individual result.

SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF COURSE

Section 4

A. The competitors must follow the flagged or indicated track from the start and pass through all controls.

C. During the race, without outside assistance, both poles may be exchanged, but only one ski. D. A racer may wax his/her skis during the race but without assistance from any other person. He/she has the right, however, to make use of a blow torch and wax provided by other persons along the course.

E. The entire course must be completed on skis.

F. In classical events, no skating is allowed except skate turns and when changing tracks, in which case the competitor is allowed one skate out and one skate back in. A skier will be disqualified if he/she (a) obviously ignores a stop skating warning of an official or (b) he/she receives a second stop skating warning by an official.

G. A competitor will be disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Uniform Regulations

Section 5 - All competitors from a single team shall wear the same official school uniform pants and long-sleeve top at all Nordic skiing championship races. If the TD determines that the temperature at race time is high enough then he/she may convene the jury to vote on permitting the substitution of t-shirts in place of long-sleeve school uniform tops. If a majority of the jury votes to allow t-shirts then the motion passes and the decision will be communicated to coaches either the day before the race or at the coaches meeting. In this situation, skiers may choose to wear either their official school uniform top or a t-shirt. Skiers must still wear their official school uniform pants. If a skier elects to wear a t-shirt it may not contain any inappropriate or otherwise offensive content. Under no circumstance is a skier permitted to wear anything less than a t-shirt underneath their race bib.

BIBS:

Each competitor shall wear the bib that is assigned to them during the race. If a competitor wears the wrong bib and no advantage is given to the competitor and if the competitor or their coach immediately notifies the TD then no penalty shall be given. The racers shall remain in the results.

Wax Restrictions

Only fluoro-free glide wax and kick wax shall be used in the KVAC/MVC Championships by all Nordic competitors.

RULE 3 SCORING

Section 1 Scoring in the Nordic events is by finish points assigned to places with 200 finish points to the first-place finisher, 199 to second place, continuing with one point lower for each place. If there are more than 200 racers, all finishers from 199 beyond will be awarded one place point. The highest team score is the winning team.

Section 2: A team score is determined by adding up the finish points of the team's first four finishers. In the event of a tie, racers receive finish points equal to the tying place. (Example: If there is a tie for third, both skiers are awarded 198 finish points, there would be no fourth place, and the next place would be fifth.) The 5th and 6th finishers for each team do not score finish points, but they displace points for scorers from other teams. Finishers after the 6th on each team do not displace and are removed from the finish order for purposes of team scoring. All teams with at least one skier finishing the 5k freestyle pursuit will earn a team score. The team score for a team with fewer than four finishers will be the sum of the finish points for those that finish. There are no longer any ghost scores in the team scoring.

MVC -The Nordic team award is given to the team with the highest combined total of scores from the Classical and Freestyle race.

KVAC - The Nordic team award is given to the team with the highest score from the Pursuit results

Combined Skiing Award is given to the team with the highest combined total of scores from the Giant Slalom, Slalom, Classical and Freestyle race.

KVAC /MVC– Skimeister award is given to the athlete with the highest combined score from the Giant Slalom, Slalom, Classical and Freestyle race. The athlete must have a score in all four events.

Section 3

Individual Awards:

KVAC: The top 10 individual finishers from the classical and the freestyle races will receive awards. The top 3 finishers in the pursuit will receive awards.

MVC: The top 6 individual finishers from the classical and the freestyle races will receive awards. The top 3 finishers in the pursuit will receive awards.

RULE 4 PROTESTS

Section 1 - All protests must be submitted in writing by the coach. The protest must be accompanied by a $35 fee before the Jury of Appeals may meet. If the protest is upheld, the $35 fee will be returned to the school, if it is denied the fee remains with the race site.

Section 2 - No protest against the qualifications of a contestant to compete in a particular event, or against the conduct of a contestant in a particular event, shall be considered by the Race Jury unless reported in writing to the Referee within FIFTEEN MINUTES. Disqualifications must be posted with the unofficial results and coaches of disqualified competitors shall be notified. The protest period starts with the unofficial posting of the results and ends 15 minutes later. This means that if the boys ski first followed by the girls, the protest period will commence with the unofficial posting of the girls' results. Official results will not be made available until the protest period has been completed and no protests have been filed.

Rule 5 All-Conference Selection

Section 1 - The KVAC all-conference and Nordic skier of the year selection shall occur at the spring coach's meeting.

Section 2 - Competitors who finish in the top 6 in the pursuit will receive first team all conference selection.

Section 3 - Competitors who finish in places 7-12 in the pursuit will receive second team all conference selection.

Section 4 - By vote of the coaches, a male and female Nordic skier of the year shall be chosen.

Section 5 - In KVAC, by vote of the coaches, a competitor who did not place/finish in the pursuit (because of exceptional circumstances) and who would have finished in the top 12, can be voted as first team or second team all conference.

Section 6 - MVC athletes who finish in the top 3 places in either Classic or Freestyle will be named to the MVC First Team ; athletes who finish in 4th-6th place in either discipline will be named to the MVC Second Team. The top 3 finishers in the pursuit should be named All Stars.