NIRCA Club Leader Guide

Table of Contents

Officer Transition & Updating Officer Contacts        3

1. Change over officer contacts on the NIRCA website.        3

2.  Define the Club’s Primary and Financial/Dues contacts.        3

3. Add the new officers to the Facebook NIRCA Presidents/Officers group.        4

4. Discuss the “Annual Club Membership/Renewal & Dues” section         4

Officer To-Do List By Season        4

Beginning of Fall Season        4

Post-Nationals        4

Beginning of Spring Season        5

End of Spring Season        5

Annual Club Membership/Renewal & Dues        5

Letter of Intent to Participate        6

Dues        6

NIRCA Eligibility Criteria        6

Individual Athletes        6

Teams        7

NIRCA Race Participation        8

Qualifiers & Non-Qualifiers - Definitions        8

Registration        8

Championship Competition        10

Race Management & Ownership        10

Eligibility        10

Cross Country Regionals        11

Cross Country Nationals        11

Cross Country Nationals Race Qualification        12

Spring Nationals        13

Athlete Code of Conduct        13

About NIRCA        14

Staff, Story, and Organization        14

NIRCA Policy Development & Feedback        14

NIRCA Contacts        15

Officer Transition & Updating Officer Contacts

1. Change over officer contacts on the NIRCA website.

Keeping this information accurate ensures that the new officers will receive NIRCA reminders and updates throughout the season. All club officers have the ability to modify/edit and view club rosters.

• Log in to Clubrunning.org under a current officer’s account.
• Choose Clubs > Roster > Select Men’s or Women’s roster.
• Select the icon next to a new club officer’s name to edit their profile.
• In the dropdown at the top of the profile, change from Athlete/Alum to Officer (see below)

• Use this process to edit outgoing officer information and change them from Officer to Athlete/Alum.

2.  Define the Club’s Primary and Financial/Dues contacts.

Invoices get sent to the financial contact, and the primary contact will get info on deadlines and updates.

• Log into clubrunning.org as an officer and Click Clubs > Edit Club Details.
  
• At the bottom of the club info page, select the appropriate primary and finance contacts. You may only select someone who appears on the club’s active roster.
  
  

3. Add the new officers to the Facebook NIRCA Presidents/Officers group.

• Current group members may add new members.
• Or, new officers can request to join the group and an Admin will review & approve.

4. Discuss the “Annual Club Membership/Renewal & Dues” section

The Club Membership/Renewal section below describes the critical steps to ensure continuity of NIRCA membership.

The last step is to  pass along the rest of this Club Leader Guide.

Officer To-Do List By Season

Beginning of Fall Season

Post-Nationals

Beginning of Spring Season

End of Spring Season

Annual Club Membership/Renewal & Dues

Required Documentation & Finances in order to maintain NIRCA club membership, compete in NIRCA events, and stay in good standing. Failure to complete these action items may result in additional fees or team ineligibility to participate in NIRCA events.

Letter of Intent to Participate

The Letter of Intent to Participate must be completed annually and serves as club membership “renewal” to indicate that the club will be participating in NIRCA competition for that school year. The form is available online through clubrunning.org; race registration and other NIRCA functions cannot be completed until this form has been submitted electronically.

Did you complete it?

• If the form has not been submitted, club officers will receive a pop-up upon logging into clubrunning.org, starting on June 1 of each year.
• If the pop-up does not show, then the form has been completed.

• You can verify this by waiting for the club officer checklist to pop up in the top-right corner of clubrunning.org once you’re logged in (and have club officer permissions on your account). Completed Letters of Intent will be crossed off to indicate the action has been done, incomplete actions will be listed without a gold NIRCA star next to it. An example is shown below.
  
  

Dues

Clubs will be invoiced based on their dues selection, which is chosen while completing the Letter of Intent to Participate. Invoices for dues are sent within 10 days after the Letter of Intent is submitted. The deadline for dues payment is September 30.

Need a W-9? Download the W-9 Form you might need to initiate payment to NIRCA.

NIRCA Eligibility Criteria

Individual Athletes

In order to participate* in any NIRCA competition, individual athlete eligibility is as follows:

If these criteria are not met, then the athlete may not compete. During the fall season, the only remaining option is the Open race, if available. Teams with ineligible athletes competing may risk team disqualification from the event.  

*Exceptions for full-time status will be made for final semester/graduating students who were full time in their previous semester.

The purpose of the Eligibility Form is to ensure that all athletes who are racing in NIRCA competition are, in fact, current students. So, Eligibility Forms must be submitted each once per season/semester to verify the academic eligibility of the student athlete and their standing with the university/club.

* Note: Specific criteria must be must be met in order to qualify/compete in some NIRCA events, such as Fall Cross Country Nationals. See Championship Racing.

Teams

In order to participate* in any NIRCA competition, team eligibility is as follows:

* Note: Specific criteria must be met in order to qualify/compete in some NIRCA events, such as Fall Cross Country Nationals. See Championship Racing.

NIRCA Race Participation

NIRCA competition policies are in place to ensure a fair and safe competition for all athletes, and maintain NIRCA as an organization known for its competitiveness in collegiate events.

Qualifiers & Non-Qualifiers - Definitions

NIRCA holds no financial, logistical, or planning responsibility, nor liability, for club-hosted events. Aside from requirements relating to Qualifier or Non-Qualifier status, all decisions are owned by the host club. Any questions about participation or entry fees should be directed to the host club.

For Fall season only:

• Qualifier events are club-hosted events which meet certain criteria and allow individuals who participate in these events to meet the individual participation requirement in order to attend fall Nationals. All athletes must belong to NIRCA member clubs (no unattached or non-NIRCA member teams). A separate Open division/Open start  is permitted.

• Non-Qualifiers are club-hosted events that NIRCA promotes on the race schedule, but do not need to adhere to any standards for who may compete, type of event (road race, milk mile, cross country, track meet, snowshoe, etc.). Unattached individuals may participate in these events.

Spring Season:

• There are no participation requirements in order to compete at Spring Nationals, therefore, Qualifier and Non-Qualifier status does not hold any meaning for the spring season.

Registration

• Deadlines are firm. Late and race-day registration is not accepted.

Athletes participating in any event must be registered prior to the registration close. 
In other words, race day registration for Qualifier events is not permitted.

Race directors have been instructed to plan accordingly; allowing unregistered athletes to compete will result in the race’s Qualifier status being revoked and a negative impact on the eligibility of all athletes in the race.

Club-hosted event race directors are responsible for setting the deadline as late as they are willing to accept entries up until 11:59pm the night before race day. These dates cannot be manipulated to accept race day entries.

See below for policies on unregistered athletes who compete on race day.

• Results & Disqualification

Runners who were not registered at the time of registration close but appear in results will be considered as DNS (did not start); this includes a bib swap, as an athlete who competes in the place of another athlete does not appear on the registration list at the deadline.

DNS race day entrants will not receive a race result, and therefore do not meet the participation eligibility requirement to compete at Nationals (even if the event is considered a Qualifier race).

• Top reasons why you can’t register someone for an event

Championship Competition        

Race Management & Ownership

NIRCA manages the planning and finances for the Regional Championship meets and the National Championship events. The locations of our championship events are selected on the basis of several factors each year.

All other fall season (non-championship Qualifier and Non-Qualifier) events are those owned/managed by host clubs for which NIRCA has no responsibility.

Race Entry Fees/Cost

Race entry fees for NIRCA-managed events are dependent on the club’s dues selection option and are therefore not universal across all clubs or individuals. For more information on how much you can expect to pay for each event, visit the Participation and Dues page.

A little about race fees:

• Pay for your entry fees only after you’ve received your invoice. Invoices are generated and sent a few days after registration close and sent to the designated Finance contact for your club (How to designate your finance contact).
• Payment is accepted by check or credit card/online. Cash payments will not be accepted.
• Payments will not be accepted at NIRCA events. They must be submitted online or by mail.
• Your invoice will reflect the number of athletes registered at registration close (not the number of athletes who show up/participate). The invoice will provide the address to where you’ll send your check payments.
• You can always adjust your roster up until the time of the registration deadline, but no changes can be made after that.
• If any race fees are outstanding from the previous school year, your club will not be able to register or participate in NIRCA events until these are paid in full.
• As expenses have already been incurred, refunds are not offered for any event.

Uniforms

NIRCA's uniform policy exists to ensure a fair competition for all athletes in our championship events.

The following specifications apply to uniform tops:

• The club, school name, or club/school logo must be prominently visible on the front of the uniform.
• Uniforms must predominantly feature school colors.
• Athletes' uniforms must be matching or appear similar at a close distance.

Articles of clothing that are costume in nature may not be worn in any NIRCA competition.

Remaining aspects of the uniform are open to the club’s decision, including:

• Materials and style/cut of uniforms, within the above criteria.
  For example, short-sleeved and singlet-style versions of the same uniform are acceptable. Cotton shirts are acceptable.
• Shorts, tights, undershirt, and other layers, within the above criteria.

• Black, white, grey, or school colors are preferred but not required.

Sample uniforms meeting this standard are shown below.

Example uniform styles

Eligibility - Participation

In order to attend NIRCA Nationals, individuals and teams must meet basic eligibility requirements. The purpose of the eligibility criteria is to ensure a fair competition for all athletes.

Here’s how:

Ineligible runners may not compete in the National Championship race or Class races; they may compete in the Open or public race, if available.

To petition for an exception to Eligibility Rules - Contact the Director of Eligibility. Eligibility waivers are provided very rarely, and on a case-by-case basis.

Cross Country Regionals

Clubs must attend the Regional Championship associated with the region to which they are assigned.

One notable exception occurs in the Heartland Region, where clubs have the choice of attending the Regional Championship meet of their choosing (optional, but strongly encouraged).

No qualification standards exist for Regionals; NIRCA clubs who wish to participate at Regionals can simply register.

Cross Country Nationals

NIRCA Cross Country Nationals is the collective name for several competitions held over one event weekend (per gender). Nationals is divided into the following divisions:

• National Championship Race
• Class Races: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior/Grad

National Championship Race

Generally, a team’s top runners will compete in the National Championship races and, in an effort to promote inclusivity, all other non-Championship-qualifier athletes/teams will have the opportunity to compete in the Class Races. Championship Race-qualifying runners have the option of competing in the Class Races if they so choose.

Class Races

Classes may be grouped into a smaller number of races (i.e., Freshman/Sophomore Race); please see event details for more information. All attempts will be made to maintain continuity and a high level of competition year to year. However, projected attendance, course capacity, and course policy will dictate groupings.

Cross Country Nationals Race Qualification

Beginning Fall 2017, qualification standards establish which competition (National Championship or Class Races) individuals/teams will race in at Nationals. Note that qualification standards are separate from the eligibility criteria, which establish if you may participate. (See Eligibility for more information.)

• Qualification for the National Championship race will be based on team and individual results at Regionals from the current season.
• NIRCA will release qualifying information defining the number of qualifying positions for teams and individuals in each region, by September 1 each season.
• Teams and individuals who do not qualify for the Championship race will compete in the Class Races at Nationals
• There are no limits or caps to the number of athletes who may compete in the Class Races as long as they meet individual eligibility requirements.

Qualification Summary Table

X and Y denote the finish place of teams and individuals at Regionals. The place thresholds may vary year to year and will be announced by September 1st, prior to each fall season.

National Championship Qualifier Slots - Updated 10/1/24

Qualifier positions may vary year to year and will be announced on or before September 1st prior to each fall season. Team and individual qualifier positions are determined using prior season’s Regional Championship participation numbers. A minimum of 4 teams from each region per division (6k and 8k) will have the opportunity to advance to the Championship races.

Note: Qualifier positions refer to the absolute finish place at Regionals. No complex counting is required. Runners who double-qualify as teams and as individuals simply earn two qualifier slots and the slot is not given to the next qualifier.

Critical Qualification Rules:

• Teams/individuals who did not qualify will NOT be “bumped” or advanced into qualifying positions. This scenario might occur if a qualified team/individual chooses not to attend Nationals, or if an athlete qualifies both as an individual and also team.
• No team may have more than 7 runners qualify in the Championship race, regardless of individual qualifiers.
• Teams/Individuals in the Heartland Region who do not attend Regionals automatically advance into the Class Races, and may petition for entry into the National Championship race - Contact the Director of Eligibility

Cross Country Team Scoring Tiebreak

Ties in team scoring shall be broken by comparing in order the place finish of each of the five scoring members of the tied teams. The team with the majority of winning comparisons shall be awarded the higher place.

Spring Nationals

No particular prerequisites are in place currently as a qualifier to Spring Track & Field and Half Marathon Nationals. Athletes & teams who meet the eligibility criteria may register to participate.

Qualification for lane/flight placement:

Further instructions on how to submit seeds, automarks, and proofs of performance are described in the Prior Performance/Automark Submission Form and the event info page.

Athlete Code of Conduct

By participating in NIRCA competition and/or by signing NIRCA athlete participant waiver/agreement, all athletes acknowledge that they have read, understand, and agree to abide by the NIRCA Athlete Code of Conduct.

The NIRCA Athlete Code of Conduct includes:

1. Drug and Alcohol Policy
2. Misconduct Policy
3. Discrimination Policy
4. Inclusion Statement
5. Sanction & Appeal Process

There is no ‘standard’ penalty, but the minimum penalty for a Code of Conduct violation is $500 plus damages, in addition to other fines as determined by NIRCA and/or your club sports coordinator (or similar university governing organization for your club). Eligibility or club status with NIRCA could also be impacted.

For complete details on each of these policies, please review the NIRCA Athlete Code of Conduct.

About NIRCA

Staff, History, and Organization

NIRCA was founded in 2006 in Columbus, Ohio by a group of strangers -- students who were running club officers from the University of Michigan, Ohio State, Ball State, Penn State University, and University of Michigan - Dearborn. The goal was simply to create connections among the college running clubs and develop opportunities to compete together.

Today, NIRCA continues to be run by a 100% volunteer force of directors and staffers, all individuals with a passion to give back and create opportunities that didn’t exist back in 2006. The NIRCA staff includes students, founders, and club alumni who are in school or are working professionals, some who hold positions within university club sports programs.

NIRCA is a 501c(3) non-profit organization domiciled in the state of Indiana.

NIRCA Policy Development & Feedback

NIRCA policy is developed by considering all aspects, particularly from the angle of both small and large NIRCA clubs. Whether the issue is dues, eligibility criteria, Nationals locations, or anything else that has potential for improvement. every decision is reviewed carefully through the NIRCA board.

What’s the best way to submit feedback or suggest a NIRCA policy review/change?

• The most consideration goes into the face-to-face interactions and conversations that happen at Winter Conference.
• Otherwise, a respectfully-written email or a phone call can be effective at escalating a concern; the NIRCA board holds regular meetings to review feedback and input received from club leaders and club members.
• Once reviewed, actions are developed or more investigation is conducted to ensure we have considered all sides of the issue and will address it fairly.
• Follow-up communication is sent to the asker.

If you have feedback, questions, or would like to raise an issue/concern, please see the NIRCA Contacts section for specifics on who you should reach.

NIRCA Contacts

NIRCA releases information and announcements in a number of ways:

• Email blast to club officers - make sure your club contact info is current
• NIRCA website, clubrunning.org
• NIRCA Facebook page
• NIRCA Presidents & Club Officers Unofficial Facebook Group
• We’re on Twitter
• We’re on Instagram

Visit the NIRCA contact page to see a list of NIRCA contacts - who you should contact for specific situations.