Pacific Northwest Ski Association A Division of U.S. Ski & Snowboard

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1 Summary Pacific Northwest Ski Association A Division of U.S. Ski & Snowboard PNSA Nordic Report April 28, 2018 By Alan Watson, NCC Chair PNSA Cross Country had a generally successful year. All activities happened as planned, with the exception of one qualifier meet that was moved due to low snow. At the Junior National Championships PNSA teams won two relays (U16 girls and U18 girls), which might be an all time first. Summer Camps 2017 There are three PNSA regional summer camps, which are actually run be specific programs but recognized by PNSA: Fire and Ice, run by Mount Bachelor SEF in June, Trout Lake run by Bend Endurance Academy in July, and Methow run by Methow Valley Nordic SEF in August. All happened successfully in Not all PNSA teams go to each, so there is an opportunity to make each of them bigger and more successful. PNSA skiers were well represented at national and regional camps. Nine PNSA skiers (4 boys and 5 girls) attended the National U16 camp, and two (both girls) attended the Western Regional Elite Group. Junior Nationals Qualifier Races As in recent years we had four weekends of Junior Nationals Qualifier races, with two races each weekend: Bend, Spokane, Soldier Hollow UT, and Methow. Due to low snow the Soldier Hollow SuperQualifier (used as a JNQ by each of the five western divisions) was cancelled, and in its place PNSA and Far West held a joint JNQ in Bend. All the meets were successful, and Far West seemed enthusiastic about cooperation in future years. One challenge that seems to be arising is to motivate all PNSA teams to attend the entire JNQ series. The Methow team sent only two skiers to the final JNQ in 2017, preferring to send all their other skiers to races in Canada instead. Their rationale was that all their other skiers, except the two who went to Spokane, had either already qualified for JNs or had no chance of qualifying. Then in 2018 all but four of the Methow team skipped the first JNQ in Bend, again to attend Canadian races instead. As a result all but those four had to qualify in five out of the remaining six JNQ races, which is not a large margin of safety for illness or injury. The JNQ series will be a stronger and more rewarding series if all the teams bring all their skiers to each meet. At the time of this writing a solution has not been determined. Junior Nationals Qualification This was the third year in which we chose the team on the basis of place points rather than time percentage back, and we used the same qualification system as in the previous two years, with only minor modifications as we refine the process. The team was selected by place points earned in the best five of eight designated JN Qualifier races during the season, and consisted of 17 U16 skiers, 13 U18 skiers, and 4

2 U20s. Of the total 17 were boys and 17 girls. Clubs represented were Mount Bachelor SEF (14 racers), Methow Valley Nordic (8), Bend Endurance Academy (4), Ellensburg Ski Club (2), Leavenworth Winter Sports Club (2), Spokane Nordic Ski Racing Association (2), Momentum Northwest (1), and Sandpoint Nordic (1). Eighteen skiers were from Oregon, 15 from Washington, and one from Idaho. Junior National Championships The 2018 Cross Country Junior National Championships were in Soldier Hollow, Utah, March Races consisted of an individual start classic distance race, a skate sprint, a mass start skate distance race, and a classic relay. PNSA took 34 athletes, 11 coaches, and one cook to Soldier Hollow. We rented a large house in Heber, about 10 miles from the venue, in which the entire team and coaching staff stayed. Having the entire team together in one large house was excellent for morale, if not always the quietest. We had five team vans drive from home to the venue, which we used for transportation. Erin Biskup cooked for the entire crew, as she has for the past four JNs. The food was both good and plentiful. The cost of the trip was $900 per racer, which includes everything except uniform, incidentals, and airfare for those who chose to fly. (Because we rented vans from PNSA clubs, transportation in those vans was included in the cost). This is significantly less than what other divisions charge their athletes. (New England charged $2,300, for example). We are able to hold costs down by having racers share beds (kings and queens only), by our housing choices, and by doing our own cooking. The winter of 2018 at Soldier Hollow was abnormally warm and dry. During the championships there was virtually no natural snow at the venue, but ample artificial snow on a 3.3 km loop. The weather was mostly clear, with temperatures well below freezing at night and well above during mid-day. Conditions were mostly excellent, although the surface tended to get a bit slushy and slow in the afternoons. The Organizing Committee at Soldier Hollow did an excellent job. Team spirit was excellent. Most of the racers consciously worked to support their teammates and to build positive energy. The focus was on acting smart, doing one s best, learning, helping each other, and having fun. There were no discipline issues. The only downside was a bit of extra nervous energy during the two days before the first race, which made it a bit difficult getting everybody quiet and asleep by 10 pm for the first few nights. The coaching team worked well together. All coaches seemed committed to making the trip a success and to working positively with each other. The coaching staff was divided into four age group coaches (younger girls, younger boys, older girls, and older boys), one assistant to the age group coaches, five waxing specialists, plus the trip leader.the waxing crew produced consistently fast skis with a minimum of panic. Collectively PNSA had the best results in recent memory, and perhaps ever. The average percent back in the field (where winning is 0% back and last place is 100% back) of all PNSA racers was 50%, versus 61% back the previous year. For a relatively small cross country division being at or under 50% is a nice accomplishment. PNSA skiers finished in the top 10 of their age and gender groups in the three individual races 18 times (7 different

3 skiers), we had one national champion (Novie McCabe in the U18 girls sprint and 10k freestyle), and the U18 and the U16 girls teams each won their relay races. Most of the racers reported after returning home that the trip was a very positive experience that was both motivating and educational. The main challenge for PNSA skiers in becoming even more competitive on the national level is limited opportunities to train with and race against the best. It is too easy for our skiers to go through the summer and fall without putting in the training volume necessary for national success. Hopefully this trip will provide additional impetus for continued progress in that regard. While invitations have not yet been formalized, we anticipate that more PNSA skiers than ever before will be invited to the Western Regional Elite Group and the National U16 camps this summer. The 2019 Junior National Championships will be held in Anchorage, Alaska, March Other Series Two non-jnq races series in the PNSA area should also be noted, both of which encourage participation and the growth of the sport. The Washington Nordic Cup, in its second year, is a series designed to be fun, inexpensive, and low stress for skiers in western Washington. It is sponsored by Plain Valley Nordic. The races are scheduled so as not to conflict with the JNQ series. They seem to be generating excitement and could be a good model of how to motivate less experienced skiers that might be intimidated by the JNQ environment. There is some potential for this series to reduce attendance at JNQs, but that did not seem to be significant in The Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association runs a championships series for junior skiers in Oregon. This series consists of a number of meets with the state championships in late February. It attracts skiers with a wide range of abilities, from near beginners to JN team members. The organizers schedule the championships for the weekend before departure for Junior Nationals so that JN team members can participate.

4 Pacific Northwest Ski Association A Division of U.S. Ski & Snowboard 2018 PNSA U14 Season The 2018 season began with a new concept of combining the Eastern Wash Zone with the Oregon zone in order to give the host clubs the financial ability to present U14 qualifying events. This Hybrid zone was also in response to not diluting the EW YSL series. The Western Wash Zone remained status quo as their U14 population could sustain their qualifying events. Regarding the Ability Class system with U14 s the overall sentiment is that yes it is popular among the athletes/coaches in that it seems to help with retention in the sport by recognizing the podium winners in each class. Although there is no statistical data to support retention there are several anecdotal testimonies among the clubs where we can recognize the success of this system. Frustrations in this system that have been voiced are that kids in class 3 feel stuck after rapid advancement from class 5 to class 4 and from class 4 to class 3. Looking at and modifying the advancement criteria seems to be in order. The next topic concerned the recognition of age class winners; although the ability class is used we do not recognize the age class performers in the awards presentations. What/how do we recognize age class performance without adding to the length of sometimes tedious awards presentations? After all we do compete in an age class system. The EW/O qualifiers at Mt Spokane & Mt. Hood were met with severe weather and snow conditions. The Mt Hood race agenda had to be adjusted when the MHA races were cancelled due to weather and MRT SL was changed to GS. There were complaints as to how legitimate the event was for qualifying ( short flat hill on new snow) but

5 as a standard response it was the same for everyone and without the change we had only one GS qualifier to go off of. So if anything a big thanks to MRT organizers for pulling off what was literally a last hour change. W qualifiers at Stevens Pass and Mission Ridge seemed to go well. However, this is where the biggest concern came from regarding the selection method where the dominant U14 female was unable to qualify to WRC even after winning the majority of runs. Qualifying criteria As the qualifying events were held questions began to arise as to the effectiveness of the system; ie does it recognize the fastest skiers. The impression was that the zonal system limits the quality of the quota, the opportunity for the best in the division to represent PNSA. The scoring system was also questioned where race run winners were not weighed heavily enough. The question now is do we change from going off individual race runs to the standard combined two run winners and changing the WC points system. BWC Excellent events, congratulations to SARS. The only concern came from the selection of U14 Invitees to NWC Finals. 1) Top 3 in each event ; however U14 are not allowed to race NWCF SG. So why count the SG podiums? 2) Overall is used after podium winners are selected to round out the 10 invitees. This eliminates a top 5 finisher who may have one DSQ or DNF in one event. Again, we should look at who/how we select U14 s to NWCF. Where do we go from here?

6 Increase registered U14 s Strive for a divisional U14 qualifying series. Modify the selection process and criteria to WRC. Promote PNSA Speed Camp. Respectfully submitted, Bill Farwig

7 U14 WRC Jackson Hole PNSA results were very respectable, Levi Brown MHA led the way and went on to Whistler Cup based on his performance. As a result of the teams performance the PNSA quota for next season will be 9W/9M up from 7W/8M. Staff on hand noted that the PNSA kids were not prepared for the snow surface and subsequent high speeds in the SG event although they did ski well. In light of the increase of the PNSA quota at the U14 level to WRC there is room for concern when we look at the overall quota allocations among the WR Divisions. We are way behind IMD and FW in comparing the U14 age populations, {PNSA 203, IMD 370, FW 314} of REGESTERED athletes. Why should this be an area of concern? The trend in the last few years has been that our spots have fallen off little by little. The fear is that over time we may run into having the minimum number (@4 & 4) and using the current allocation method based on population and performance we would have little to no chance of increasing our numbers. If this happens the result would be PNSA athletes would have less opportunities to perform against their peers within the region and thus would hinder their development potential through the U16 ages and up. A possible answer to this would be if clubs require a USS membership at that U14 level. It is an additional cost ($195) but it could be a persuasive argument where each club is a member of the sports governing body, USS, and therefore club members should also be members of the governing body.

8 2018 BWC COACHES FORUM SCHWEITZER MTN. Comments to; *Zonal concept, is it working? Brad MHM, No Louis MRST, No limited quota Chelsea SARS, combine division There was NO support for continuing the zonal system. *Cat system, Is it accomplishing what it was set out to do? CSRT, super effective SSRA, yes it is working No data to support retention but anecdotally yes from several clubs. CONS to CAT system; Brad MRT, cat vs. age class; class award but no recognition to age class winners. Win your age you should be recognized. SSRA, awards not collected, $$ on awards that no one cares about another medal. CAT 3 seems to be a barrier, kids feel stuck there. CAT 5 should be more difficult to advance to 3. Some modifications to advancing are in order. Encourage clubs to award swag vs. medals BIG Wave example.

9 MRT Colorado system for seeding; random draw day 1, seed for day 2 (??) Rust MAC, is it possible to use that system? WR U14 CHAMPS Chelsea report comments; SQ top 10 s, good results respectable. BRAD MRT Saw good ski skills, more depth than what he expected. Rust, MAC, PNSA was unprepared for speed. *PNSA quota Dan SSRA, quota spots have dropped based on results Why FW= U14 series, huge population IMD mix U14 & 16 s Big population More time on snow *Selection criteria & scoring, did it wook? Per run vs. per race? Louis MRST, choose by discipline Paul PNSA, choose specialists at 13?! It will effect PNSA quota down the line. Matt WPSC, send JUST top 5 Consensus is go divisional for qualifying Change board selection SL before GS and SG

10 Brad MRT, IS selection consistent within the region?!?! FINAL thought, what is our PNSA, development model/philosophy?

11 Pacific Northwest Ski Association A Division of USSA U16 Annual Report The U16 age group in PNSA started with 126 athletes (vs 134 for 2017) in November 2017, and grew to 150 (same) from the numbers available on the PNSA ability class lists. A breakdown of age class numbers from the last 3 seasons can be seen in the charts below. The U16 men s group grew slightly and the women s group continued to decline. See charts below U16\NW Cup Series This was the second season the U16 qualifiers were combined with the NW Cup series and this continues to be successful: Efficient calendaring allowed for better planning of travel and logistics Venue selection can be prioritized because of an efficient calendar Allowed for training blocks between events Field sizes were larger benefitting race organizers Exposed U16s to better caliber of racing, lower penalties and increased competitiveness WR Championships recap In March the U16 WR champs at Alyeska, AK were attended by 17 men and 17 women with good weather and hard snow conditions. The SG course had a large jump that proved a challenge for some PNSA athletes. Some PNSA men did better in SkillsQuest than in previous years. Women were not improved. Performance of these U16 athletes at these WR Champs continues to improve with 5(4 last year) top ten finishes for PNSA athletes in 3 events highlighted by a 2 nd place finish in SL by Riley Grosdidier. This result did qualify her to go to the U16 Nationals held at Mission Ridge. The six PNSA staff coaches were led by Alan Lauba. Originally the staff was slated at 5. Staff did not receive PNSA team jackets this year to keep costs down for athletes. These did not appear to be missed by the staff. Riley Grosdidier - 2 nd for SL, 8 th for GS Alice Bouchard - 10 th GS Joshua Nardone - 8th SL Sam Hislop - 10 th GS No top ten results in SG. Challenges for PNSA U16 age class: Retention how to keep those that are doing well in our division. Quality professional coaches that engage kids and make them want to stay in the sport. Continue with coach s education within PNSA. Provide the best coaching staff possible at regional events and projects. Get U16s together within the entire division to train together more often. Continue with PNSA projects and encourage U16s to participate, i.e. May Speed camp at White Pass and Summer SL camp at Timberline. Technical skill level compared to other divisions Behind in some areas such as stance and balance on the outside ski. Poor adaptation to hard snow conditions. SkillsQuest is a measurable tool for fundamental skills, continues to be tested at regional events and should be more widely adopted and utilized. Phone: Fax: Website: pnsa@pnsa.org

12 Competitiveness within Western Region PNSA divisional qualification structure may not encourage best racing. Double board selections may not inspire fastest racing at qualifiers. Greater attention to inclusiveness of PNSA U16 athletes (and coaches) into Western Region projects. We need to allow a divisional focus on the top-tier U16s to continue. This means recognition of results in U16 and NWCup series and membership on the PNSA team and benefits this provides. Respectfully Submitted, Mike Graves - PNSA U16 Chair Phone: Fax: Website: pnsa@pnsa.org

13 PNSA Women Number of athletes SENIOR U19 U16 U14 Senior U19 U16 U14 List List List List List List List List List List List List List List List List List List Phone: Fax: Website: pnsa@pnsa.org

14 120 PNSA Number of athletes SENIOR U19 U16 U14 Senior U19 U16 U14 List List List List List List List List List List List List List List List List List List Phone: Fax: Website: pnsa@pnsa.org

15 Pacific Northwest Ski Association A Division of U.S. Ski & Snowboard NWC Working Group: Chair / East zone - Jamie Landwehr Oregon Zone Needs to be replaced West Zone- Needs to be replaced 2018 PNSA Convention U19/U21 NWC Working Group Report Due to recent resignations from the NWC working group committee, I decided to reach out to a broader range of coaches that have and currently spend the bulk of their time working at the NWC and WR FIS levels. Most of whom provided some feedback on the past seasons successes and failures as a division as well as provided some valuable feedback pertaining to future ideas and goals. Summary: We just wrapped up another busy year in PNSA. The U19 / U21 athletes competed at many different levels within the division, Region, and Nation. Some athletes / programs had a few strong performances at the Regional level but all and all, we are currently lacking a top end group of any size in PNSA, especially on the boys side. The Regional events continue to be a great place for us to bench mark as we work to strengthen our division. NWC Series We re two seasons into a combine U16 / NWC series here in PNSA. Given our busy schedule, need for training blocks, enabling U16 s to race up, and limited field sizes all those questioned agree that we should continue down this past. The group is also in favor of a similar number of starts. Last year we held eight tech starts and five speed starts between the four series. Our NWC series hosts did a pretty good job for the most part. Site selection continues to be of importance as the cost of the sport continues to go up. Our athletes deserve to compete on venues that are well prepared and managed throughout the event. The PNSA competition reimbursement funds continue to provide a lot of hype and enthusiasm for our athletes. This continues to draw kids to our NWC events that they might otherwise skip. The group has come up with a proposal to potentially better distribute existing funds going forward (see below). FIS Series- PNSA had teams / athletes participate in nine FIS series alone in just the Western Region, as well as a number of out of region events such as NPS, Noram, Canadian FIS, and Rocky Central FIS races FIS events by division: IMD - 17 FW - 16 Nor - 0 AK - 0 PNSA 19 (six of these were relocated to PNSA per conditions) The WR site selection committee met in Park City a couple weeks ago to build out the WR FIS calendar

16 The region has 41 days of FIS starts next season per gender (excluding NPS, Noram, and UNI). 31 are Tech and 10 are speed. Our division is hosting only four of these which happen to be speed. This means no FIS tech racing will be held in division next season FIS events by division IMD - 9 tech FW - 13 tech, 6 speed Nor - 4 tech AK - 5 tech PNSA - 4 speed PNSA Travel Policy- The coaches that I communicated with were asked the following; In terms of PNSA travel policy, we have left all events up to individual clubs to manage the past couple seasons aside from the WRJC's. As a coach that spent a significant amount of time out on the road, are you happy with how this worked? Do you see a need to deviate from last years WRJC Team travel, especially given that it is out of division next year? Most agree that we need each other as a division to succeed. They also agree that while it often takes more work on their part when traveling as clubs and working together upon arrival it seems to make more since at this time for a variety of reasons. Those also agreed that traveling as a division for the WRJC s is the most effective way to manage this event. In summary we feel no need to revise next seasons PNSA Travel Policy. WRJC Selection - Double board selection is favored as this is the most objective way to select a championship team. The U16 s and U19 s should have the same double board selection model as we use the same series and those racing at this level have had plenty of opportunity to build a point profile by the time they get to their first NWC. Auto spots- With the extremely hectic schedule for those racing at Noram, NPS, and WR FIS events we might look at considering WRJC auto spots for a small percentage of our athletes. This way they can potentially train on NWC weekends if calendared between upper level FIS events. As a division we want to support our top end athletes as much as we can so they ll stay in division. Ideas that we circulated were creating a WR ranking cut off (like top 10% in the region), or being a WR Team member (which might be to limiting). Ability Class System Most agree that if this system were adopted nationally it could be really effective. However, we have put our selves in a bit of a bubble here in PNSA trying to orchestrate an effective ability class system within an age class sport. Last season we moved almost completely away from the original intent and really only offered ability class awards. This group would like to see us go back to age class awards for the age class racing. PNSA Alpine Team (awards / projects) Several seasons ago this committee put forth a proposal to take funds used for our alpine team members to compete out of division and redirect them toward our northwest cup circuit as competition reimbursement funds. This was done during the era of divisional FIS racing and proved to be effective at that time. Now, several seasons later we have a combine U16 / FIS series that is scored using national points. In 2018 we awarded $10,500 to our top NWC athletes and

17 another $2,800 to our top U16 s over the course of the season. This does not include the PNSA pace skier policy funds that were distributed (another $3,600 distributed to our top tier kids racing in division).. In terms of attempting to further support our top PNSA athletes who race divisionally as well as make the PNSA Alpine Team mean more, this committee would like to see us amend the use of these funds to be used for the following: Combine the U16 and NWC awards into one group and award funds to the top five per discipline as well as the top five overall. Reduce the reimbursement funds to 50% of what is currently being used ($13,300 to $6,650). Take the remaining $6,650 and create an in season camp (or two) either in division or at a FIS race site prior to the competition. Athletes on the PNSA alpine team would be subsidized at this. The idea is to get our fastest kids (and coaches) together for a training block to raise the level of skiing and support for our divisions most committed kids. Respectively Submitted, Jamie Landwehr (SARS PD / Head Coach) U19/U21 Chair

18 Pacific Northwest Ski Association A Division of U.S. Ski & Snowboard NW COLLEGIATE SKI AND SNOWBOARD CONFERENCE SPRING REPORT 2018 The Northwest Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Conference had a successful year with 9 teams participating in alpine events; no snowboard events were scheduled. The NWCSC hosted 16 alpine qualifying races at four different venues. The conference continues to own or rent all of the equipment to support its alpine events. The athletes provide all of the on-hill maintenance and gate judging. NWCSC concluded its season with teams competing at the USCSA National Championships in two disciplines (alpine, freeski) realizing varied levels of success. ALPINE: Brundage Mountain, ID, Mt Hood Ski Bowl, OR, 49 Degrees North, WA, and Grouse Mountain, BC, provided race arenas for the NWCSC for the 2018 race season. Data for the 2018 season: Gender/ # Participants Penalty Event NWCSC WGS 56 NA (Average) MGS 41 NA WSL 63 NA MSL 53 NA Regional WGS 74 NA Jackson, WY MGS 75 NA WSL 74 NA MSL 76 NA Nationals WGS 97 NA Lake Placid, NY MGS 98 NA WSL 103 NA MSL 102 NA Mary Totten, The College of Idaho, and Lucas Underkoffler, The College of Idaho, were the alpine overall point leaders for the 2018 NWCSC season and were named NWCSC conference champions. USCSA WESTERN REGION CHAMPIONSHIP The Rocky Mountain Conference hosted the 2018 USCSA Western Region Championship in Jackson, WY, February Alpine events took place over three days (M/W GS, M/W SL and M/W Dual). Entry fees for the three day event were $225/athlete which included entry fee, lift passes, tee shirt, BBQ, and awards. 15 colleges/universities participated in the alpine events: Rocky Mountain College University of British Columbia University of Washington University of Colorado Colorado Mesa University Montana State University The College of Idaho Whitman College Colorado School of Mines Air Force Academy Western State Colorado University Colorado State University Denver University University of Idaho Washington State University The snowboard/freeski and Nordic regionals were not held due to participation numbers. USCSA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ALPINE: Three schools represented the NWCSC in alpine events at the 2018 USCSA National Championship in Lake Placid, NY: The College of Idaho, Washington State University, and University of British Columbia. USCSCA NATIONAL RESULTS UBC CI WSU

19 Overall finish W N/A M IND 8 16 All American M/W NORDIC: Washington State University: Cai Yamamoto 2 nd Team All American, Giant Slalom University of British Columbia: Samantha Boughner 2 nd Team All American, Slalom Samantha Boughner 2 nd Team All American, Giant Slalom Cameron Hale 1 st Team All American, Dual Slalom USCSA NATIONAL RESULTS Overall finish W M All American M/W NWCSC was not represented at the 2018 USCSA Nationals for Nordic SNOWBOARD/FREESKI: USCSA NATIONAL RESULTS CI WSU Skier Cross W 2 N/A M 3 4 Freestyle W N/A N/A M N/A N/A Snowboard W N/A N/A M N/A N/A All American M/W 2 1 ACADEMICS: The College of Idaho: Elyse Burandt - 2 nd Team All American, Skier Cross Brady Nilsson - 2 nd Team All American, Skier Cross Washington State University: Spencer Barclay 1 st Team All American, Skiercross Rocky Mountain College: (Former PNSA athletes) Carina Bracy 1 st Team All American, Skiercross National Champion Linnea Baysinger 1 st Team All American, Skiercross The NWCSC was also well represented in the classroom Scholar All Americans The College of Idaho 7 Washington State University 3 The College of Idaho: Elyse Burandt Emily Gahn Beth Mixon Brady Nilsson Mary Totten Trevor Trimble Lucas Underkoffler Arnav Virmani Washington State University: Cai Yamamoto Reid Reininger Spencer Barclay - 1 st Team Scholar All American - Honorable tion Scholar All American - Honorable tion Scholar All American - Honorable tion Scholar All American - 2 nd Team Scholar All American - 1 st Team Scholar All American - Honorable tion Scholar All American - 1 st Team Scholar All American -1st Team Scholar All-American - 1st Team Scholar All-American - Honorable tion Scholar All-American

20 Rocky Mountain College: (Former PNSA athletes) Carina Bracy - 1st Team Scholar All-American Linnea Baysinger - 2nd Team Scholar All-American Business for : Maintenance o General information distribution network o Live timing broadcasting for conference events o NWCSC website Review the relationship with PNSA for services offered o Club Within a Club promotion Advise teams on club development methods for new program and for continuity from year to year Support inter-team relationships and communication (e.g. co-team training, transportation, shared equipment, etc) o BNet program o Website calendar o Elite Pass Expand XC and snowboard participation within PNSA/USASA structure Proposed alpine race calendar for 2019 site confirmation TBA o January GS Qualifier #1 McCall, ID o February 2-3 2SL Qualifier #2 TBA o February GS Qualifier #3 TBA o February SL Qualifier #4 TBA o February 28-Mar 2 GS/SL Regional Red Lodge, MT o March GS/SL National Jackson, WY Fall NWCSC meeting, October 6, 2018; location TBA. Respectively Submitted: Ron Bonneau 4/26/18

21 Pacific Northwest Ski Association A Division of U.S. Ski & Snowboard Rules and Tech Update 2018 All clubs must be SafeSport compliant, including coaches SafeSport training, and screening must be undertaken for all coaches, officials and volunteers. Background checks for USSS licensees will be every 2 years. Coach-athletes must be 18 years of age and are subject to same rules as coaches and officials. Ability Class Seeding exemption extended for 18/19, should PNSA choose to continue. USSS will implement new standards for minimum penalties to be applied to substandard/non compliant races that do not meet minimum vertical drop, to align with FIS. Final decision on implementation, fall 2018 USSS rules to be modified to allow for Dual events to be run as Single Pole SL, to allow for Dual races to be USSS scored for SL. FIS to limit tech starts for 16 and 17 year olds, 16 = 30 max starts; 17 = 40 max starts, to allow for more training blocks and encourage speed starts. College races may limit second run starts to 60 competitors, so long as posted in Race Announcement. Auto-return start wands are now expired and may only be used in non-scored events or be retired 18/19 Course and Equipment matrices not published as of this report, however, no major changes anticipated. Respectfully submitted, Kurt Westman

22 2671 Flowery Trail Road Usk WA Phone: Fax: ALPINE SPORT COMMITTEE ACTION ITEM PROPOSAL Date: 4/19/17 For consideration by: Copy to: Rule reference: Alpine Sport Committee U16 and Older WG USSA Competition Equipment Rules -- Ammended Reference: Alpine Competition Guide p. 135 Original Version: See attachment New Proposal: See attachment Comments: Proposal to adopt the recommendations of the Equipment Task Force: to follow the current U16 equipment regulations for SL and GS at the U19 and older level for USSA competition. Submitted by: Contact Person: Equipment Task Force: Chip Knight, Kyle Darling, Martin Guyer, Darlene Nolting, and Darryl Whitaker Jake Stevens, Jon Rucker, Will Courtney, Thatcher Jacques, Pearson Neal, Ethan Korpi, George Couperthwait, Jake Strassburger, Miguel Azcarate, Bill Farwig, Tony Olin, Kathy Okoniewski, Jim Schaffner, Rob Worrell, Mike Morin, Paul Van Slyke, Darryl Landstrom, Chip Knight, Kyle Darling, Martin Guyer, Darlene Nolting, and Darryl Whitaker Chip Knight

23 Alpine Equipment Regulations U19 and older Current as of 10/14/16 Equipment Task Force proposed changes for the season are in red text Ammendments in green text Description Event FIS USSA Ski Ski length (minimum) length measurement tolerance +/--- 1cm **---5cm for tolerance FIS/ENL competition DH Ladies 210 cm** 205 cm 183 cm DH 218 cm** 205 cm 183 cm SG Ladies 205 cm** 200 cm 183 cm SG 210 cm** 200 cm 183 cm GS Ladies 188 cm** No rule GS 193 cm ** No rule SL Ladies 155 cm 155 cm 130 cm 165 cm 165 cm (155 cm for SL (155 cm for U19 men) U17 men) 130 cm Radius (minimum) DH Ladies 50 m 45 m 30 m DH 50 m 45 m 30 m SG Ladies 40 m 40 m 30 m SG 45 m 40 m 30 m GS Ladies 30 m 30m 17m GS 30 m 30m 17m SL Ladies No rule No rule SL No rule No rule

24 Profile width in front of Binding DH Ladies <= 95 mm No rule & SG Ladies <= 95 mm No rule & GS Ladies <= 103 mm No rule GS <= 103 mm No rule Profile width under Binding Maximum Standing Height ski/plate/binding SL & DH & SG & GS & SL & all Ladies Ladies Ladies Ladies Ladies events No rule No rule <= 65 mm No rule <= 65 mm No rule <= 65 mm No rule >= 63 mm >= 63 mm 50 mm No rule Key: >: minimum <: maximum U16 Description Event FIS USSA Ski length (minimum) DH Ladies & Ski length measurement SG Ladies & tolerance +/--- 1cm GS Ladies & SL Ladies & Radius (Minimum) DH Ladies & SG Ladies & GS Ladies & SL Ladies & Profile with under SG Ladies & binding GS Ladies & Maximum Standing all events Height ski/plate/binding No rule 183 cm >= cm cm <= 188 No rule cm >= cm cm No rule 30 m 30 m 30 m 17 m 17 m No rule No rule <= 65 mm <= 65 mm No No rule rule 50 mm No rule

25 U14 Description Event FIS USSA Ski length (minimum) DH Ladies & Ski length measurement SG Ladies & tolerance +/--- 1cm GS Ladies & SL Ladies & Radius (Minimum) DH Ladies & SG Ladies & GS Ladies & SL Ladies & Profile with under SG Ladies & binding GS Ladies & Maximum Standing all events Height ski/plate/binding Key: >: minimum <: maximum No rule No rule No rule No rule <= 188 No rule cm >= cm cm No rule 17 m No rule 17 m 17 m 17 m No rule No rule <= 65 mm <= 65 mm No No rule rule 50 mm No rule

26 Downhill (DH) 700 and U1253 Slalom (SL) 800 and U1254 Giant Slalom (GS) 900 and U1255 Super G (SG) 1000 and U1256 Distance between gates USSA Course Setting Specifications (Scored and Non--Scored) U10 and younger U12 U14 U16 and Older X X 50 m max. As required Vertical drop Max. 350 m Max. 500 m 1 Direction changes As required As required Distance between gates Combination 4--6 m;; Open m;; Delay m Combination 4--6 m;; Open m;; Delay m Vertical drop Max. 100 m Max. 120 m Max. 140 m Max. 160 m 1 Additional requirements Distance between gates Max. 2 hairpins;; Max. 1 vertical combination;; Max. 1 delay gate Open m;; Delay min 8 m between successive gates and 30 m max from turning pole to turning pole 2--4 hairpins;; 1--2 verticals (3 gates 3--6 hairpins;; 1--3 verticals (3--4 gates max);; max);; 1--3 delays 1--3 delays Open m;; Open m;; Delay min 10 m between successive gates and 35 m max from turning pole to turning pole Delay min 10 m between successive gates and 35 m max from turning pole to turning pole Vertical drop Max. 200 m Max. 250 m Max. 300 m Max. 350 m 1 Additional requirements Variety of terrain suggested Distance between gates m Delay min 10 m between successive gates and 45 m max from turning pole to turning pole Open m;; Delay min 15 m between successive gates and 50 m max from turning pole to turning pole Open m;; Delay min 15 m between successive gates and 55 m max from turning pole to turning pole X Vertical drop Max. 300 m Max. 350 m Max. 450 m 1 Min. of 1 jump recommended Min. of 1 jump recommended Additional requirements Training run required (U1256.4) 3 Training run recommended (U ) Variety of terrain suggested Parallel Kombi -- SL/GS U1259 Distance between gates m 2 Maximum vertical drop Distance between gates SL m, GS m SL m, GS m Maximum vertical drop 150 m 180 m 200 m 1 In U19 and Older only competition, maximum vertical drop may be expanded to DH: 700 m, SL: 200 m, GS: 450 m, SG: 600 m 2 Distance between courses should be 8--12m. 3 U Official training for U12 and U14 SG must include at least one SG training run prior to the first competition. Official training for U12 and U14 SG events is an integral part of the competition and all athletes are required to * Crossover between age categories for SL, GS, SG, Kombi and SkillsQuest is encouraged. Where multiple age classes are competing, course setting guidelines will be based on the guidelines for one class older than the youngest class (for example, if a race has U10, U12 and U14 racers, it should use the U12 course setting guidelines) except in DH where course setting guidelines will be based on the youngest class participating. 100 m

27 Pacific Northwest Ski Association A Division of U.S. Ski & Snowboard May 20, 2018 PNSA Masters ACC Report 2017/2018 Masters Membership PNSA slight reduction/stable at 147 (Nationally approx. 2000) PNSA Masters races/race starts 15 races (reduction from 2016/2017 and increase in field sizes with reduced races 2017/2018) PNSA Masters athlete starts (2017/2018) /2018 PNSA Masters Finals held at Timberline (hosted by Schnee Vogeli and Skiyente) 170 starts PNSA Head tax paid (Masters Starts) - $2845 PNSA Masters donation to 49 degrees North Winter Sports Foundation - $2,895 PNSA Masters FIS Level Training Grants - $1,000 ($500 funded for each gender - PNSEF distribution) ACC Sub-Committee selects athletes PNSA Masters events calendar 2018/2019 to be set post PNSA Spring Conv. PNSA Masters finally financially solvent (savings and operating capital) National Masters Committee Updates US S&S Masters Comp Guide Course setting specs updated to current US S&S formats (first time in over 25 years). Dual and Parallel events added. (Course Spec Committee Chairman - Rob Cravens) US S&S National Masters Championships Mammoth Mountain, CA March 18-23, 2019 (4 events) Masters Summer Fun Nationals - Timberline July 13, 14, 15, Coaches can upgrade membership for free. Good fun, lots of swag, free beer and Timberline Pool party Honorable mention Jim Doudna, Chris Thompson, Jim and Bob Landweir, Schweitzer Masters, Peter Dodd (Schnee Vogeli/Skiyente clubs at Mt Hood) Top PNSA Masters from the 2018 FIS World Masters Criterium in Big Sky: George Frazier 2nd in SG and GS, 4th in slalom. Class M8 Chris Maxwell 3rd in slalom, 6th in GS and 8th in SG. Class M5 Tim Hill 2nd in slalom. DNS other events. Class M5 Mark Kandianis 7th in slalom. Class M9 Mike Smith 9th in SG, 10th in GS Class M6. (Started around 150th or later each event in Group B. Class 6 was youngest and last to go in Group B) Karen Killian 5th in SG. Class F

28 PNSA Member obituaries None to report Respectfully submitted, Rob Cravens PNSA Masters Chairman

29 Pacific Northwest Ski Association A Division of U.S. Ski & Snowboard Officials Committee Report Season Committee Members: Roger Root, Bill Brooks, Gillian Esson, and Craig Panos. Duties: The education and training of officials; Maintaining and updating the records of PNSA Officials; Assigning of Technical Delegates; Providing support and assistance to race organizers; Helping coordinate the PNSA Concussion testing program; Reviewing document packets and TTDR for alpine races held in PNSA. Clinics this season: 3 zone clinics and several club or individual clinics to meet specific needs. Statistics: Season Alpine Officials (Including coaches) Coaches Only (25 TDs) (25 TDs) (35 TDs) (27 TDs) Not Available Not Available Not Available Not Available

30 Not Available Not Available Not Available Not Available Season Nordic (Including coaches) Coaches (inc 8 TDs) (inc. 8 TDs) Not Available Not Available Not Available Not Available Not Available Not Available Not Available

31 Not Available 2018 Fall Clinic Dates: Tentative Dates for Divisional Clinics (3): October, 7,14, 21, 28 and November 4, FIS TD Update: TBA TD Conference Calls: This year the division hosted two conference calls for PNSA TDs. Each call h included an educational component, comments from the PNSA President, ACC Chair and AO Chair and remarks from the TDs. Focus Group with TDs and Officials: The division hosted a small group of TDs and senior officials in the Oregon zone the evening before the Oregon zone AO clinic. The small group setting and an agenda for the discussion helped make this a successful and useful forum. Based on the success of this meeting we are planning on rotating the dinner meeting through the three zones. Document Packet and TTDR Reviews: There were 262 races codes/codex registered in PNSA. A few statistics are listed below: Total race codes 262 Completed 208 Cancelled 27 Not processed 19 May races 8 Missing packets 85 Reviewed 123

32 Document Review Results: Submission is the largest problem Missing information from Team Captain s meeting is the second most common issue. Incorrect preparation of the minutes of jury meeting form is the third significant issue. The most common mistake was the inclusion of start and finish referees followed by missing signatures for the jury members. Plan for Season: Conference call with RA s early season Updated RA letter forwarded with each TD assignment Continued emphasis with TD s via updates and conference calls Earlier review of document packages and feedback to ROC s and TDs. ROC-Resort Relationship: Ski racing is totally dependent on ski resorts. Given this fact we need to continually work on that relationship. Races/events often present a challenge to the relationship a club/roc has with a resort. Athletes, coaches and parents from other clubs are present and very visible. When behavior problems arise the natural inclination of the ski area management is to refer the problems to the ROC and/or Jury. The problem is that the ROC and the jury s authority is limited in scope and area. Curt Hammond, PNSA President, has developed a matrix to help ROC s work with their ski resort to manage behavior problems. A copy of the matrix is attached. Updated Membership Requirements USSS has updated the requirements for Coaches and Officials: o The frequency of background checks will be changed to every other year. o All members whose license requires a background check will have to complete SafeSport Training. o Coaches and officials who have not completed the SafeSport and Fast Start Coaching training (if applicable) will have their memberships suspended. o Coaches and/or Officials will have to be 18 years of age or older.

33 Clubs: o Board members will have to hold a USSS membership which requires a background check. o Board members will have to complete all applicable SafeSport training. o Clubs who are not in compliance may not be allowed to calendar sanction events. A copy of membership requirements from the USSS website is attached in Appendix B. Respectively submitted: Roger Root Appendix A: One of my priorities as PNSA president is to upgrade the quality of our race events. Better education and training of TD s/rc s/coc s are a major part of that focus. Too often we are seeing behavior issues outside of the venue be handled differently at each site. One site, the Jury may step in immediately, at another, the ski area may become involved, and at others, the club or division or RC may lead. This creates confusion on the athletes, the Jury, and coaches/parents. As well as potentially leaving us open for appeals of sanctions, due to inconsistencies in our processes. By having a logical protocol that every TD/RC knows, many of the issues we are seeing in today s races, could be diffused by having a pre-determined protocol as to how they are handled. We all have seen many minutes, if not hours, and stress, be wasted by race jury s trying to determine who should lead on behavioral type issues that originated outside of the venue. I d like to propose for discussion, a protocol for how we handle how behavioral incidents that take place outside the venue. I propose for discussion: 1. If within the venue, (or fences and including training space), of a race. Any disciplinary actions (behavior, staddle, skiing too fast after DQ, etc.) should be handled by Race Jury. Pretty clear, this is what we do now.

34 2. If outside the venue, (Lift line, lodge, parking lot, ski run other than within venue (venue could be training hill, if part of race), then the following protocol should be utilized. a. Once made aware of incident: Race Committee should contact ski area to see if they would like to handle it first. This could be due to legal requirements (i.e, jumping from lift illegal in some states, fighting, disrespecting employees, skiing reckless on public runs, etc.). If Ski Area chooses to handle it, it is out of RC/Jury hands. b. If Ski Area chooses not to get involved, next body to handle would be (depending on level of race) Race Committee/Division/Club. c. Final group to handle, (and only if a) and b) are not met), and Jury determines that for the good of the sport, and to be avoided if at all possible, would be Race Jury. Jury could only engage if during the time of the race, i.e., racer load lifts to end of race protest period. Appendix B: Background Screening Required COACHES, OFFICIALS, and CLUB VOLUNTEER MEMBERS All coaches, officials, and club volunteer members are required to undergo background screening. coaches, officials, and club volunteer memberships are not valid until positive background screening results are received by U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Your digital membership card will only display those memberships which do not require screening until positive results are received by U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Background screening registration must be complete within 10 days of membership registration. Failure to register within 10 days will result in inactivation of membership until U.S. Ski & Snowboard receives a green light determination on your screening. Please allow several weeks for screening process to be completed. Individual screening times will vary. Foreign screenings may take a month or more. A link to register for background screening will be provided on the final registration page if screening is required. Safari isn't compatible with NCSI's application Go here to complete your background screening. Safe Sport Training Required COACHES, OFFICIALS AND CLUB VOLUNTEER MEMBERS All coach, official and club volunteer members are required to complete SafeSport training annually. Your digital membership card will only display those memberships which do not require SafeSport training until the course is complete. The SafeSport course must be completed within 14 days of membership registration. Failure to complete the course within two weeks of registration will result in inactivation of your membership until completion. Those required to complete the training are not eligible to participate in U.S. Ski & Snowboard events until the course is complete. Click here to access the required SafeSport training safesport.org You will be required to create an account using the U.S. Ski & Snowboard SafeSport access code which is NBUD-E6QB-WGT3-BW7Z. An confirmation with the SafeSport access information will be sent within hours of completion of online registration. Go here to complete your safe sport requirement.

35 Pacific Northwest Ski Association A Division of USSA PNSA Coaches Committee Annual Report The PNSA Coaches Committee coordinates PNSA travel-team staffing, is in charge of developing an annual coaches education symposium, develops PNSA Divisional training camps, and maintains an approved course setters list for Western Region races, Northwest and Evergreen Cups. PNSA Travel Teams This year the coaches committee named a head coach for each Championship race series (U14, U16 and U19), and for two non-team travel FIS races: Schweitzer and Jackson Tec Series. Feedback from U14 and U16 project indicate successful coaching and athlete interactions. A couple of best practices that came out of these championship events are as follows: U14 athlete team meetings and video session are mandatory. U14 athlete dinner with no parents. Head coach contacts staff 2 weeks prior and delegate s duties and equipment needed. A check list has been suggested. U19 Championship were held in division at Schweitzer, this provided some conflict for SARS athletes and staff. Various recommendations have been brought forward to remedy conflicts in the future, should a championship event be held in division again. Named athletes from the home area are required to attend team meetings, video sessions and all team functions, but are not required to stay with team. Named coaching staff from home area required to attend team meeting s, video sessions and all team functions, but are not required to stay with team. PNSA Summer Training Camps SL Camp August , Timberline 29 enrolled, 14 L, 15 M Very positive feedback from kids and families o Kids love training and hanging out with kids from other teams o Parents love the affordable nature of the camps 2671 Flowery Trail Rd Usk, WA Phone: Fax: Website: pnsa@pnsa.org