Section+Meet+Rules

SCHEDULE

10:00 – Girls Classic – 1 skier every 20 seconds

11:00 – Boys Classic

2:00 – Girls Skate Pursuit

3:00 – Boys Skate Pursuit

The current plan is to have two sets of classic tracks throughout the entire course for the morning race.

Unofficial results of each race will be posted on the timing building at the start/finish line. Results will become official 30 minutes after posting. Coaches have 30 minutes to bring to the attention of the officials any errors in the results. Awards will be presented when all results have become official.

RULES OF WHICH ATHLETES SHOULD BE AWARE:

One unfortunate thing about the rules of cross-country skiing is that the only penalty specified by the rulebook for a rules violation is disqualification. If a rules infraction is major, the penalty is disqualification. If a rules violation is minor, the penalty is disqualification.

Here are some things to keep in mind so that we all can avoid disqualifications.

Line-up: Athletes will be responsible for making sure that they get to the start line in the morning at the appropriate time. I will not be calling for athletes to get in line several minutes before the race. The amount of time until the first starter will be announced regularly, so it should be clear to each skier how much time remains until start, but each skier can determine when to end his/her warm up session and when to report to the start line.

Starting: DON’T START EARLY In the morning, during an individual start race, there is a 3-second window during which you can start. A recorder will record the time that you actually do start, rounded down to the nearest second. You have nothing to gain by starting early, and can lose a fraction of a second.

In the afternoon, during the pursuit start, if you start before your start time, you will be DISQUALIFIED. Think of it like a track meet, if you false start, you are disqualified. I see little reason why in a 5,000 meter run on a track, that anyone should take the risk of being disqualified.

Classic technique: 1) Can you skate going downhill if there are no tracks? No. If your mindset is that you want to make it down the hill fast, without falling, then your technique should be fine. If you are trying to turn while gliding downhill, if you are trying to maintain your balance going downhill, then using your edges is allowed. If you are going down a gradual hill, and want to gain more speed, then you must use a classic technique (like double-poling) to gain speed, not skating.

2) Can you skate around a corner? No. If you are turning left, you may push out of the tracks to the left, but pushing back to the right while turning left is not something you do naturally while in the classic technique.

Tracking: If another competitor calls ‘track’, you must move out of the track, out of the way. Claiming that you did not hear the other person is not an excuse. If calling for the track, do so loud and clearly, and do not do so until you are ready to pass immediately. Tracking is not allowed in the finish area. (see below)

Finishing: There will be two lanes in the last straightaway for both the classic and skate races. You must pick a lane and stay in it until the finish. If you change lanes, you must make sure that you do not impede the progress of another skier. You may not call for the track in the finish area.

Uniforms/Awards: The Coaches Association passed a proposal specifying the types of garments which are allowed on the awards stand. Athletes should wear team clothing, letter jackets, or neutral clothing. Athletes should not wear clothing which advertises a non-school team or which advertises or endorses any product.