 To qualify for the Junior Nationals in March, J2/J1/OJ men and women must:
- Be
a USSA licensed competitor registered to ski for PNSA;
- Qualify
in 5 of 6 Junior Nationals Qualifiers (Bend, Methow and
Spokane);
- To
qualify in 5 of 6 races, athletes must ski 8% back of the
average top three fastest times; and
- In
the event that we qualify more than our allotted team size
(20 female, 20 male, plus pre-qualified athletes who have
qualified by earning positions on the World Juniors or
Scandinavian
Cup Teams, or qualified for NCAA and are unable to attend
NCAA Championships), we will keep a ranking list of PNSA
skiers based on the following formula:
Racer's
Points = (Racer's Time in Seconds - Scoring Base) / Race
Distance
Scoring
Base = (Best Time in Seconds + 2nd Best Time in Seconds
+ 3rd Best Time in Seconds) / 3
Low
points are better.
Rationale:
We are committed to a program of steady yearly improvement
in PNSA's performance at national venues. Because of this
commitment, we feel obliged to regularly tighten our qualifying
standards. Doing so will only encourage PNSA skiers to reach
higher, a goal we firmly believe they can achieve.
Regional
Elite Group Status (REG)
In order to qualify for REG, PNSA skiers must have achieved
one of the following:
- 1 top
5 result at Junior Nationals or World Junior Trials;
- 2 top
10 results at Junior Nationals or World Junior Trials;
- Top
15 ranking on year-end USSA National Ranking List (available
online at the USSA Nordic Website).
If all
PNSA athletes fall short of this goal, we will award the 2
top-ranked male and 2 top-ranked female athletes with "Provisional
REG Status," and seek funding for them to attend REG
camps in following the spring and summer. Having "Provisional
Status," is not, in our minds, the same (in any way shape
or form) as meeting the USSA criteria, and having earned a
spot in the REG. Rather, our thinking on this matter is that
for PNSA's best skiers to develop into nationally competitive
athletes, it's crucial that they take part in the REG, bring
back their knowledge and experience, and force the level of
performance of their peers higher, so that eventually, we
easily qualify athletes for REG by the USSA criteria. |