MSHSL Activity Advisory Committee Proposal - Nordic Ski Racing Committee: Nordic Coaches Association Submitted: 1/26/2019 4:45:43 PM Committee Members: Robb Lageson - St. Paul Central, President of Nordic Ski Coaches Association; Doug Boonstra - Eden Prairie, Past President of Nordic Ski Coaches Association; Dan Josephson - Detroit Lakes, Past President of Nordic Ski Coaches Association; Brian Abery - District 196, Past President of Nordic Ski Coaches Association; Larry Myers - Wayzata Nordic Head Coach Current Rule/Policy: (State the rule/policy as it appears in the current Rules and Policies Manual. Please Note that this is a re-submission of the Nordic Ski Tournament Format Proposal originally submitted February 2017. This proposal was not acted upon due to the Board Classification and Tournament Format Moratorium. This re-submission includes no substantive changes from our previous unconsidered proposal. From Page 3: RULE 11: Competitors, Seeding and Start and Finish - Cross Country SECTION 2 Each member school may enter a maximum of seven skiers. The team score will be determined by totaling the points scored by the top four finishers in the pursuit event. The first-place finisher of the event receives the full value of the scoring base. Each successive finisher shall score one point less than the previous place. Each team member will hold his or her place in the final standing. In case of a tie, the skiers share the value of their positions. The team with the highest overall score shall be declared the winner. All skiers shall maintain their individual ranking. Teams with fewer than four (4) finishers shall be included in the team point totals. At the State Meet non-team qualifiers will ski only as individuals and will not be included in the team scoring. From Page 5: COURSE LENGTH: Freestyle - 5 Kilometers, Classical - 5 Kilometers From Page 6,: SCORING PROCEDURE: The team score will be determined by totaling the points scored by the top four finishers in the pursuit event. The first-place finisher of the event receives the full value of the scoring base. Each successive finisher shall score one point less than the previous place. Each team member will hold his or her place in the final standing. In case of a tie, the skiers share the value of their positions. The team with the highest overall score shall be declared the winner. All skiers shall maintain their individual ranking. Teams with fewer than four (4) finishers shall be included in the team point totals. At the State Meet non-team qualifiers will ski only as individuals and will not be included in the team scoring. TIE BREAKER FOR TEAM SCORING: 1. Combine the times of the four fastest finishers in the pursuit event. The team with the fastest time shall prevail. 2. If a tie still remains, go to the tied teams' fifth-place finishers in the pursuit event. The team with the highest score shall prevail. 3. If a tie still remains, go to the tied teams' sixth-place finishers in the pursuit event. The team with the highest score shall prevail. 4. If a tie still remains, go to the tied teams' seventh-place finishers in the pursuit event. The team with the highest score shall prevail. ENTRIES FOR SECTION MEETS: Eight section meets will be conducted in boys' and girls' Nordic ski racing.
A. Each member school may enter a maximum of seven skiers. Each skier shall be eligible to ski in the pursuit event. B. A team shall consist of a maximum of seven skiers. ADVANCEMENT TO THE STATE BOYS' AND GIRLS' NORDIC SKI RACING MEET A. Team: The first-(1st) and second {2nd) place team in each section meet shall advance to the state meet. A team shall consist of a maximum of seven skiers plus two alternates. B. Individual - Pursuit: The first six (6) pursuit skiers not on the winning team shall advance to the state meet. SECTION AWARDS Trophies 1st & 2nd place teams 1st & 2nd place teams (7) 1st - 10th place Pursuit individuals SCHEDULE Boys' SK Freestyle 10:00 a.m. Girls' SK Freestyle 11:1S p.m. Boys' SK Classical/Pursuit 2:00 p.m. Girls' SK Classical/Pursuit 3:00 p.m. Trophies - 1st, 2nd & 3rd place teams Certificates - All Participants Coach of each team (1) 1st, 2nd & 3rd place teams (7) and coach (1) 1st - 10th place Pursuit individuals Submit your proposed change to the above-stated rule/policy: From page 3 RULE 11: Competitors, Seeding and Start and Finish - Cross Country SECTION 2 Each member school may enter a maximum of seven skiers. (5 Pursuit Skiers, and a 2-person Relay Squad). The Team Score will be determined by totaling the points scored by the top three pursuit skiers and the score of each team's sprint relay squad. At the State Meet, non team pursuit qualifiers will ski only as individuals and will not be included in the team scoring, but will be eligible for place awards in the Pursuit event. At the State Meet Relay Squads that qualified separate from a team will not be included in team scoring, but will be eligible for place awards in the Relay event. From page 5: COURSE LENGTH: Freestyle 5 Kilometers, Classical 5 Kilometers, Sprint Relay 1.2-1.5 Kilometers SCORING PROCEDURE: The Team Score will be determined by totaling the points scored by the team's top three finishers in the pursuit event and their two-person sprint relay team score. The pursuit event is weighted 60%, and the sprint relay is weighted 40% of the team total score. At the State Meet, non team pursuit qualifiers will ski only as individuals and will not be included in the team scoring. At the State Meet, Relay Squads that qualified separate from a team will not be included in team scoring.
In team scoring, the first-place finisher of the pursuit event receives the full value of the scoring base. (Scoring Base of 80) Each successive finisher in the pursuit event shall score one point less than the previous place. Each team member will hold his or her place in the final standing. In case of a tie, the skiers share the value of their positions. In team scoring, the first place Team Relay Squad in the relay event will score the full value of the relay scoring base. (Scoring Base of 80, 1st place is 159 points, 2nd place is 156 points, 3rd place is 153 points ) Each successive Team Relay Squad will receive 3 points less than preceding Team Relay Squad. The Team with the highest overall score shall be declared the winner. Teams with fewer than four (4) finishers shall be included in the team point totals. TIE BREAKER FOR TEAM SCORING: 1. Combine the times of the two fastest finishers in the pursuit event. The team with the fastest time shall prevail. 2. If a tie still remains. combine the times of the three fastest finishers in the pursuit event. The team with the fastest time shall prevail. 3. If a tie still remains, go to the tied teams' relay squad. The team with the best placing relay squad shall prevail. 4. If a tie still remains, go to the tied teams' fourth place finisher in the pursuit event. The team with the best placing fourth place skier shall prevail. ENTRIES FOR SECTION MEETS: Eight section meets will be conducted in boys' and girls' Nordic ski racing. A. Each member school may enter a maximum of seven skiers. Up to five (5) skiers will race in the pursuit events and two (2) skiers will race in the team sprint relay. B. A team shall consist of a maximum of seven skiers. ADVANCEMENT TO THE STATE BOYS' AND GIRLS' NORDIC SKI RACING MEET A. Team: The first-(lst) and second (2nd) place team in each section meet shall advance to the state meet. A team shall consist of a maximum of seven skiers plus two alternates. B. Individual - Pursuit: The first four (4) pursuit skiers not on the top two teams shall advance to the state meet. C. Sprint Relay: The fastest relay squad not qualifying for the state meet as a team, shall also advance. SECTION AWARDS Trophies to 1st and 2nd Place Teams to 1st and 2nd Place Teams (14) 1st - 7th Place Pursuit Individuals (7) 1st - 3rd Relay Squads (6) SCHEDULE (Boys & Girls Are On A Rotating Schedule Every Year) State Meet Schedule: Wednesday: 2:00 State Meet Boys 5k Skate Race (112 skiers: 80 from 'Team_' and 32 from 'Individual') 3:00 State Meet Girls 5k Skate Race (112 skiers: 80 from 'Team' and 32 from 'Individual') Thursday: 10:00 Boys Team Sprint Relay Heat 1 (Fastest Relay Teams from Section 1,3,5,7, 2nd fastest teams from Section 2,4,6,8,
10:30 Boys Team Sprint Relay Heat 2 (Fastest Relay Teams from Section 2,4,6,8, 2nd fastest teams from Section 1,3,5,7, 11:00 Girls Team Sprint Relay Heat1 (Fastest Relay Teams from Section 1,3,5,7, 2nd fastest teams from-section 2,4,6,8, 11:30 Girls Team Sprint Relay Heat 2 (Fastest Relay Teams from Section 2,4,6,8, 2nd fastest teams from Section 1,3,5,7, 12:30 Boys Pursuit 1:30 Girls Pursuit 3:00 Boys Sprint Relay Final 3:30 Girls Sprint Relay Final Per FIS: ***If semi-finals ARE timed, then the top 2 teams from each semi-final heat advance to the final, and the next 4 fastest teams will also advance. This is our preferred option. If semi-finals are NOT timed, then top 4 from each heat will advance. (Cold weather or perhaps 1-day section format) Section Meet Schedule: 9:30 Boys 1st leg of pursuit 10:00 Girls 1st leg of pursuit 11:00 Boys Team Sprint Relay Semi-Final Heat 1 (If not timed - top 4 teams advance) 11:30 Boys Team Sprint Relay Semi-Final Heat 2 12:00 Girls Team Sprint Relay Semi-Final Heat 1 12:30 Girls Team Sprint Relay Semi-Final Heat 2 1:30 Boys Pursuit 2:30 Girls Pursuit 3:30 Boys Team Sprint Final 4:00 Girls Team Sprint Final Semi-final Heat Assignments will be based on previous years section "Team Results". le. Heat 1 will be all odd place finishers from previous year sections. 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th & Heat 2 will be even place finishers, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th. Cold Weather Schedule 11:00 Boys 1st leg of pursuit (2 skiers every 15 seconds) 11:45 Girls 1st leg of pursuit 12:30 Boys Semi-Final Heat 1 (Not timed - top 4 teams advance) 1:00 Boys Semi-Final Heat 2 1:30 Girls Semi-Final Heat 1 2:00 Girls Semi-Final Heat 2 2:30 Boys Pursuit 3:00 Girls Pursuit 3:30 Boys Team Sprint Relay Final 4:00 Girls Team Sprint Relay Final STATE AWARDS Trophies 1st, 2nd & 3rd place teams 1st, 2nd & 3rd place teams (7) and coach (1) 1st - 7th place Pursuit individuals 1st-3rd place Relay Squad Certificates
All participants Coach of each team (1) Identify your rationale for the proposed change: 1. Excitement! Kids love sprints, and they also love competing on relay teams with their teammates. Incorporating both sprints and relays into a Team Sprint Relay, is the ultimate merger. 2. By adding a sprint relay into the program for Nordic skiing, we will be increasing the participation of students who normally do not see themselves as endurance athletes. 3. Adding a sprint relay will drastically improve the spectator quality and experience. Normally spectators can only see the start and finish of the event. In the sprint relay, athletes will be visible several times, and at some-venues, their-progress can be viewed and tracked-for much of the duration of the race. 4. Minnesota has a rich history in producing national and international caliber skiers. Our sport in Minnesota is somewhat behind the curve in what is being done at the national and international level. Sprints, and sprint relays are perhaps the most popular event on the world cup and national circuit, so incorporating into the MNSHSL program will filter down to the conference level as well and keep our state at the forefront of the developmental pipeline in our country. Cite an Example of how the proposed Change would affect this activity: It will add drama and suspense to the event, much like the 4 x 400 relay does in Track. The last event of the day, often the outcome of the meet hinges on that last race. Very spectator friendly, and a real increase in visibility to the sport that often is decided out in the woods outside of many of the spectators' view. Participation should increase for the sport, and bring in the middle distance type kid who has shied away from Nordic because they never saw themselves as distance athletes. Even though our races are only 5k, a short distance in the Nordic world, some of the sprint type athletes will now have a winter sport that they could excel in, and not have to run all winter. How does your proposal impact: a. the tournament administration: For the section management, the meet manager will need to determine and mark the new sprint course, and the same would be true for the state meet manager. With the Nordic State Meet starting in the late afternoon on Wednesday, there may need to be some coordinating of duties if the Alpine meet is still underway. There would be no administrative impact for running the section meets. b. the change in competition time needed to accommodate your recommendation: The State Meet time schedule utilizes the late afternoon time on Wednesday to begin the first leg of the pursuit, a 5k race. Schools are already on site doing their course preview, so no additional time away from school, and the corresponding expenses would occur. There would be no need for an additional night of lodging, since the start time is so late in the afternoon. At the section meet, the program would still be run on one day, with a 30 minute earlier start, and a slightly condensed schedule. We do have an approved schedule for the event of cold weather delays. All of the schedules have been approved by State Meet Director, Bob O'Hara. c. the number of competitors: The number of competitors at both the section and state meets would not change. The type and number of athletes drawn to the sport will likely change and rise, but the number of athletes on the section teams, and also the number of athletes from each section that advance to the state meet, would remain the same. d. the facilities needed to accommodate your recommendation: Most, if not all, of our current section and state meet venues, already have a sprint course. Those venues that do not have a pre-determined sprint course will need to think through where the cutoffs would be to facilitate a 1.2-1.5 k loop. e. the number of awards: The depth of the medals will change from 10 individuals to seven, in order to accommodate the three relay teams earning medals. So, there would be three more medals needed, an increase from 10-13 total. f. other items which should be considered regarding the above-stated proposal: In the vote of the members of the Mn Nordic Ski Coaches Association, there were 88 yes votes, and 22 no votes. That was an amazing 80% approval rate!, the highest of any proposal that has come before the association in my 21 years.