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Last Updated: Apr. 13, 2008
Link to: NENSA Rankings
NENSA Points and Rules Explained
2007-2008 Season
Index:
| Subject Notes and NENSA, FIS, and USSA Compared JOQ Points, J2Q Points, and Substitutions NENSA Elite Team-Updated 3/27/08 | Page |
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NENSA Points
The NENSA Points system is a ranking system that uses the same calculations as FIS Points. NENSA Points allow New England skiers to compare themselves with skiers regionally, nationally, and internationally. A skier’s best 3 races in a 12-month period are used to determine NENSA Points. See www.fis-ski.com and www.ussa.org for further research.
Important Terms:
Penalty (or Base):
• Take the USSA, FIS, or NENSA points of the top 5 skiers in the race. If USSA points are available and fairly represent a skier’s ability, the will be used, if not, the athlete’s best FIS points (sprint or distance) will be used. If neither FIS nor USSA points are representative of a skier’s ability, NENSA points will be used.
• Any competitors in the top 5 without FIS,USSA, or NENSA points representative of his or her ability will receive 160 points for the purpose of the calculation. • Eliminate the best and worst points. Divide the remaining three values by 3.75. This is the calculated race penalty. NENSA Points List: The NENSA Points list is updated two times per year. Feb 1, and “End of Season” and include all results from the past year (12 months). For Penalty calculations, the current points list is used. This list can be found at www.nensa.netFor NENSA Points, the F-factor is: Individual starts = 800, Mass/Wave Starts: 1000, Sprints, 1200.
Distance Race Points: For Mass Start, Wave Start and Individual Start races. (Tx/To 1) x F, where Tx=time of competitor being scored; To=time of winner, and F=F-factor.
Sprint Race Points: Race points for each non-qualified athlete are determined using the distance race points formula above. The Penalty for sprints is determined by the Top-5 overall after the heats, NOT the Top-5 qualifiers. For all qualified athletes in the Premier heats, the following formula is used:
• P = R x (Ra-1) / (Q 1)
Where, P=points, R=Range, Ra=final rank of competitor being score, Q = number of qualified athletes.
• Range = (Tsq/Tf)-1), where Tsq=Time of slowest qualifier and Tf=Time of fastest qualifier.
Race Points Formula for all Races (sprint and distance): Race Points + Penalty = NENSA Points
Who calculates NENSA Points? NENSA Competitive Programs Director Janice Sibilia (janice@nensa.net) is in charge of all NENSA scoring. Bob Haydock, a volunteer member of NENSA’s Board of Directors, keeps all scoring up-to-date on NENSA’s website. Bob also independently calculates NENSA Points for each race to verify Pat’s scoring. TopPage 3
Some notes on using NENSA Points:The FIS Points system awards points on a linear scale where six points is equivalent to one percent behind. Lower points are most desirable. The system is zero-based; the top ranked skier in the world carries zero FIS Points. The top junior skiers in the world carry around 30 FIS Points. A skier with 80 FIS Points is approximately 10% slower than the world's best in an individual start distance race. A skier with 160 FIS Points is approximately 20% slower than the world's best.
Differences Between NENSA and FIS Scoring Systems:
1) NENSA does not keep separate ranking lists for sprints and distance. Instead, points from all races are used. (USSA also keeps only one list which is why we first look to the USSA points list, not the FIS list, for Penalty calculation.)
2) NENSA uses 1000 as the F-factor when determining points from a mass-start race. FIS uses 1200. Why? In FIS mass start races, athletes tend to stay bunched together until the last 0.5K where there is a mad dash to the finish line. In NENSA races, there tends to be less grouping so a lower F-factor is appropriate. Like FIS, we use and F-factor of 800 for individual starts.
3) NENSA uses 1200 as the F-factor for sprint races, which is the same as USSA and FIS.ß
4) NENSA uses an athlete’s 3 best races over a 12-month period. FIS and USSA use an athlete’s best 5 races.
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JOQ Points
JOQ points are used to determine qualification of J1 and Older Juniors for the New England Junior Olympic Team. JOQ points are simply NENSA Points from Eastern Cup races specified as NENSA Junior Olympic Qualifiers.
J2Q Points
J2Q points are used to determine qualification J2 athletes for the New England Junior Olympic Team. J2Q points are calculated with the same formulas as NENSA Points, but compare J2’s only to other J2’s even when the race distances are the same as the older athletes. Also, when determining the penalty for J2Q Points, 220 is used for all athletes not listed on the NENSA Points list. Also, only the season-ending points from the previous season are used for determining the penalty. The Feb. 1 Updated list is not used for J2Q penalty calculation. This allows penalty to remain relatively stable throughout the season. J2Q points DO NOT go on the NENSA Points List.
Substitutions
Since NENSA Points, FIS Points, and USSA points are calculated in almost the same ways, NENSA allows JO athletes to substitute certain races for qualifying for the New England Junior Olympic Team.
Eastern Cup Points
Eastern Cup points are scored at Eastern Cup races, and accumulate over the course of the season. Points are awarded using the old World Cup system which awards points using the scale outlined below. A racer's best seven results of either discipline are counted toward the final standing.| Place=Points | Place=Points | Place=Points | Place=Points |
| 1=25 | 5=11 | 9=7 | 13=3 |
| 2=20 | 6=10 | 10=6 | 14=2 |
| 3=15 | 7=9 | 11=5 | 15=1 |
| 4=12 | 8=8 | 12=4 |
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Race Rules
NENSA runs all of its Eastern Cup and Championship Events following general FIS guidelines.
Seeding
NENSA Eastern Cup Events are seeded. 1) Individual Starts For individual starts, A, B, C, and D seeding groups are formed. The A-group includes the top-ranked athletes based on NENSA/FIS/USSA Points; the B-group includes a second tier of athletes based on NENSA/FIS/USSA Points; the C-group contains all other pre-registered athletes. The D-group includes all late or day of race registrants. In most races, the B group will start first, randomly sorted, followed by A, C, and D. 2) Sprints For sprint races, an A-group is created of all racers with below 200 (for men) and 250 (for women). Within the A-group, the highest ranked athlete starts first, followed by the second ranked athlete, etc. The B-group contains all other pre-registered athletes. The b group is randomly The C-group includes all late or day of race registrants. In most races, the A group will start first, followed by B and C. 3) Mass Start For Mass Start races an A-group is created of all racers with below 200 (for men) and 250 (for women). Within the A-group, the highest ranked athlete gets the most preferable start position, followed by the second ranked athlete, etc. The B-group contains all other pre-registered athletes. The C-group includes all late or day of race registrants. The A group gets the most preferable start position, followed by B and C.Results
Race results are unofficial for 15 minutes following the time of posting. All protests of results must be submitted within these 15 minutes to the Competition Office. Clerical errors, such as name spelling, incorrect NENSA#, etc may be cleared up for one week following the event by contact NENSA.Protests
All protests must be submitted in writing to the Competition Office at the event during the protest period (start of race to 15 minutes after unofficial results are posted.) Sprint Heats (except for the final) may not be protested. Instead, sprint heats are “refereed” by a 5-member jury.Jury
Each NENSA Eastern Cup and Championship Event is governed by a jury with at least three members. The jury is composed of: Race Director, NENSA Rep, and Technical Delegate (TD.) For sprint races, the jury is expanded to five members with two assistant Technical Delegates added to the jury.Page 6
Sprint Rules
Qualification Round: Racers start every 10,15,20, or 30 seconds depending on course and race director preference. 15 seconds is the preferred interval whenever possible. The running order for sprint qualification should be determined as specified in the section on seeding in the Organizer's Handbook.
Heats: In general, at NENSA Eastern Cup events, there will be two official sets of heats: “Premier” and J2. The Premier Heats feature the top 30 qualifiers. The top two finishers advance to the next round. There are no Lucky Loser heats in NENSA Eastern Cups or at JO's. The J2 Heats feature the top 12 qualifiers of J2 age or younger*. Often, J1/OJ, U23, and Master Heats will also be offered. These heats are unofficial and do not count for standings, NENSA Points, or JOQ Points.
In the Sprint Heats the starting positions are chosen according the following: Quarterfinals: Highest ranked qualifiers get first lane choice Semifinals: Winners of quarterfinal get first choice, with highest ranked qualifier choosing first. Finals: Winners of semifinal get first choice, with highest ranked qualifier choosing first.Heats
*50% of participants, or 30 athletes, whichever is the lesser amount, may advance to official heats in sprint competition. (Maximum of 12 for the J2 heats). This is a correction to what was previously printed. To determine the maximum number to advance to official heats divide the total number by 2 and round up to the nearest even number.
For example, if 20 people register for a J2 sprint race, only 10 of those may advance to official heats. If 22 people register, 12 may advance (22 divided by 2 = 11 then round up to the nearest even number, 12.
__ If race organizers choose to have more athletes compete in heats, they must be isolated from the official heats; they may not be mixed with official heats.
__ The heats do not need to be timed.
__ Qualifiers should be assigned to the heats so that the fastest qualifier races the slowest qualifier, the second fastest qualifier races the second slowest qualifier, etc. The following chart (where numbers represent the finish placing of qualifiers) may be used to construct heats for a 30 racer scenario:
Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Heat 4 | Heat 5 |
1 10 11 20 21 30 | 4 7 14 17 24 27 | 5 6 15 16 25 26 | 2 9 12 19 22 29 | 3 8 13 18 23 28 |
__ A consolation final may be provided for semifinalists who do not advance.
Results
Results
__ Sprint results are determined as follows (all examples are based upon a 30 racer field with five heats of six racers in the first round, followed by 2 heats of 5 racers in the second round, and 2 heats of 4 racers in the B-final and A-final):
o Order of finish in the A-final.
o If a consolation final is provided, then places 5-8 will be determined by order of finish in the B-final.
o Then:
___ 9th Place: the faster qualifier of the two last place semifinal skiers.
___ 10th Place: the slower qualifier of the two last place semifinalists.
___ 11th - 15th Place: ranked based on qualifying, the five 3rd place quarterfinal finishers
___ 16th - 20th Place: ranked based on qualifying, the five 4th place quarterfinal finishers
___ 21st - 25th place: ranked based on qualifying, the five 5th place quarterfinal finishers
___ 26th - 30th place: ranked based on qualifying, the five 6th place quarterfinal finishers
__ Qualification times must be listed for each athlete, including racers who move on to the heats.
__ Organizers should provide sprint results as follows.
The competitor must ski the entire course in each heat in order to be ranked, otherwise he will be ranked as the last of all qualifiers. If a competitor does not start a heat, he will be disqualified from the competition and not scored. If a competitor does not start or finish a heat due to force majeure (verified by a protest) he is ranked last in this heat. If an obstruction causes an athlete not to advance to the next round, that athlete will be allowed to proceed into the next round. Obstructions can be sanctioned by competition suspension (ranking the athlete in last place of the relevant heat accompanied by a written reprimand) or disqualification from the competition.
Bracket:
Protests
Due to the timeline pressure or running successive heats it is not possible to allow for protests during heats and semifinals. Protests will only be accepted after the finals (as it is in normal competitions).
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NENSA Elite Team
The NENSA Elite Team exists as a program to support and facilitate the appropriate development of top athletes toward the goal of international excellence. In addition to recognition for accomplishments, this program seeks to provide incentives for athletes to seek high levels of competition, and to encourage athletes to think in terms of long-range development. In order to gain access to the Elite Team an athlete must achieve a certain level of success at national level competition.
The Elite Team is nominated once a year in Mid April, as soon as the USSA final Ranking list is updated.
Criteria for Elite Team Selection
A pool of athletes will be identified based on results in national level competition, comprising individuals who meet the following criteria:Juniors (Note: revised 3/27 for future 2009 -2010 criteria. 2008-09 team will honor this previous criteria).
1 top 5 (overall, J1&OJ) result at Jr Nationals or Jr World Trials.U23
1 top 5 U23 result at US Nationals. 1 top 15 result at NCAA Nationals.Seniors
1 top 8 result at US Nationals. 2 top 15 results at US Nationals. Top 15 ranking on year-end USSA National Ranking List. In addition, any skier with Elite Team status from the previous year is eligible for discretionary addition to the Elite Team.
Team SelectionThe Elite Team will be named, up to six junior boys and six junior girls, five U23 men and five U23 women, and five senior men and five senior women, based upon the following criteria: • ADC discretion (only for returning Elite Team members) • Year-end NENSA ranking
NENSA Elite Team Requirements
In order to accept a position on the Elite Team an athlete must agree that he/she will: • Represent the Eastern Region in any national level competition. • Belong to a NENSA club/be a NENSA member.NENSA Elite Team Support:
• Invitation and roster preference for NENSA training and testing programs, and invitation to USST camps in the region. • Free entry at any Eastern Cup event. Consultation (in cooperation with personal coach) in evaluation of goals and markers in a multi-year planning process designed and used by the USST (discretionary additions to the Elite Team will be based upon the successful attainment of markers established in this process). USSA Eastern Development Director Janice Sibilia and NENSA’s Athletic Development Committee (ADC) oversee this program.Page 8
NENSA Development Team
A Development Team will be named based upon regional results. The top 5 ranking skiers on the season-ending NENSA Points list (NOT the JO Selection List) and excluding those that are named to the Elite Team, in the J1, OJ, U23 and SR age-groups who are also ranked in the top half of all competitors overall qualify for the Development Team, all J2s who make the New England JO Team are also named. In addition, up to a total of 10 males and 10 females may be named at the discretion of the Athlete Development Committee. New in 2008: Any College athlete who places in the top 15 on the EISA Ranking List will be nominated for the NENSA Development Team. In addition, up to a total of 10 males and 10 females may be named at the discretion of the Athlete Development Committee.
The Development Team is nominated once a year no later than the 2nd week in April.
NENSA Development Team Requirements In order to accept a position on the Development Team an athlete must agree to represent New England in any national level competition, and must belong to a NENSA club.
NENSA Development Team Support 1) Invitation to NENSA training and testing programs. 2) All J1, OJ, and U23 athletes named will be invited to the summer Elite Team camp. USSA Eastern Development Director Janice Sibilia and NENSA’s Athletic Development Committee (ADC) oversee this program.
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2008 New England Team Junior Olympic Selection Criteria
Summary of Rule Changes:
• No changes from 2007.
New England Junior Olympic Team Qualification Criteria, 2008.
The 2008 Junior Olympics (JO’s) will be held March 9th-15th, 2008 at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska. Skiers may only compete in JO’s as part of their district or divisional team. To be eligible for the New England team, a skier must be a competition member of USSA and must have a permanent or temporary address in New England.
Team Size and Composition
The team shall be 21 males and 21 females plus any skiers who qualify at World Junior Championship team trials or through the final regional NCAA lists (USSA rules). Excluding World Junior Championship team trials qualifiers and NCAA regional list qualifiers (USSA rules), the New England team will include members from the following age categories: at least 6 males and 6 females in the J2 age group; with no more than 12 athletes in each age/sex category (USSA rules).
JOQ’s
J1/OJ Athletes are ranked based on the average of their best 4 points in JOQ races. J2 athletes are ranked based on the average of their best 3 points in JOQ races. For races taking place in Canada, FIS points will be used. For races taking place in the United States outside of New England, USSA points will be used. For races taking place in New England, NENSA points will be used. Please note that any races being scored by USSA points, require a USSA license prior to competition.
New England JOQ’s
Athletes must use at least 2 out of 8 of the New England JOQ’s to qualify for the NE JO Team. J1/OJ athletes may count up to 4 of 8 New England JOQ’s, J2’s may count up to 3. Athletes can use up to 2 of the Out of Region races to qualify for the NE JO Team.
December 15 TD Banknorth Eastern Cup Presque Isle, Maine.
December 16 TD Banknorth Eastern Cup, Presque isle, Maine
January 26 TD Banknorth Eastern Cup, Rumford, Maine.
January 27 TD Banknorth Eastern Cup, Rumford, Maine
February 9 TD Banknorth Eastern Cup, at Prospect Mountain, Woodford, Vermont
February 10 TD Banknorth Eastern Cup at Vermont Academy, Saxtons River, Vermont
February 23 TD Banknorth Silver Fox Trot Eastern Cup, Hanover, New Hampshire
February 24 TD Banknorth Cheri Walsh Eastern Cup, at Holderness, Plymouth, New Hampshire
Other JOQ’s
Out of Region NRL (scored using official USSA Points listed at ussa.org. You must be a USSA member prior to these races to be awarded USSA Points.)
- November 23 and 24 SuperTour, West Yellowstone, MT
- January 1 -6 – US Nationals. Houghton, MI
- January 12 - NYSEF NRL/Mid A JOQ, Lake Placid, NY
- January 18-19- Soldier Hollow Super JOQ, Midway, UT
International Events (scored using FIS Points listed at fis-ski.com You are not required to be a FIS members to appear on FIS-ski.com.)
- Dec 1 -2 - XC Nor Am-Canada Cup, Soverign Lakes, Canada.
- Dec 12/13, 15-16- Haywood Canada Cup, Valcartier/Fort Montorency, Canada
Scoring of Races
The NENSA points scoring system will be used for the New England JOQ’s. Please note that J2’s are scored separately from other skiers for JO qualifying purposes even when they race the same distance as the older skiers. See www.NENSA.net and the “Points/Rules” page for details about the NENSA, FIS, USSA, World Cup and JOQ points systems.
I. Team Selection Process
A. Naming Order
1. Skiers who finish in the top 20 on the final ranking list from the World Junior Championship team trials automatically qualify for their division or district teams, above the team quota. In addition, athletes who qualify for and compete in the J1 Scandinavian trip based on results from World Junior Championship team trials automatically qualify for their division or district teams, above the team quota. The New England athletes meeting these criteria will be the first named.
2. The top 5 U.S. junior skiers on the final NCAA East, NCAA West, or NCAA Central ranking lists are automatically qualified to enter JO’s as a part of the team from their home division, above the team quota. The New England athletes meeting this criterion will be the second named.
3. Up to 3 male J2, J1, or OJ and up to 3 female J2, J1, or OJ may be named to the team as a discretionary selection by the NENSA Athletic Development Committee (ADC). Discretionary selections are made between January 1 and February 15, 2007, and will be named to the team and counted toward the team quota.
4. Junior 2 (J2) skiers will be scored at the New England JOQ’s and Other JOQ’s defined above. Each racer’s best three scores will be averaged to place the skier on the final J2 Ranking List. Junior 1 (J1) and Older Junior (OJ) skiers will be scored at the New England JOQ’s and Other JOQ’s defined above. Each racer’s best four scores will be averaged to place the skier on a final J1/OJ Ranking List. Skiers will be named to the team in I.B below following the order of placement on these final Ranking Lists.
B. Naming Process
The athletes qualifying through World Junior Championship team trials will be named first. The athletes qualifying through the NCAA lists will be named second. Using procedure I.A.3, and I.A.4 above, 6 J2 women and 6 J2 men will be named to the team. Then counting the J1/OJ athletes who qualify by I.A.1, I.A.2, I.A.3, and I.A.4 above, 6 J1 women and 6 J1 men will be named. Finally, the J1/OJ Ranking List described in I.A.4 will be used to name skiers to the team until the team quota is filled. (Note: A maximum of 12 in each age/sex class may be named - USSA rule.)
II. Selection to the Team
After the World Junior Championship team trials, NCAA qualifiers, and 21 men and 21 women from B above have been named to the team, the athletes to participate in the JO’s will be selected according to the following procedures.
A. J2 Skiers
If no J2 athlete declines his or her team nomination, the team selected will be the team named as above. If a male or female J2 athlete named via I.A.3 or I.A.4 above declines his or her nomination, replacements will be named from the J2 Ranking List starting with the next ranked skier, until 6 male and 6 female skiers have been named to and accepted positions on the New England team.
B. J1 and OJ Skiers
If no J1/OJ athlete declines his or her team nomination, the team selected will be the team named as above. If a J1/OJ athlete named to the team via I.A.3 or I.A.4 above declines his or her nomination, replacements will be named from the J1/OJ Ranking List starting with next ranked skier until the total team size (including J2’s) reaches 21 males and 21 females. A maximum of 12 athletes in each age/sex J1/OJ category will attend JO’s from New England, excluding athletes qualified through World Junior Championship team trials and final NCAA lists who may participate above the USSA regional quota of 12 per class by sex (USSA rule).
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