A GENERAL GUIDE TO SKI RACING WITH SOSEF
General Information
High school ski racing is a united effort combining the skill and knowledge of the Coaches, Race Officials and Parent Volunteers. The leagues are run by the coaches with input from parent representatives. The coaches vote on all policy and rules changes. Each school has a designated head coach and parent representative (Parent Rep). The coaches and Parent Rep are required to attend all league meetings. Any parent/guardian is also welcome and encouraged to attend the league meetings.
Types of Races & Courses
High school ski racing uses two types of ski races. One is called a Slalom (SL) race which is the shortest race. The other is called a Giant Slalom (GS). A Slalom course is recognized by the type of poles and spacing between those turns used for the race course, a single turning pole. Where as the Giant Slalom uses two poles with a flag attached to the top of both poles indicating a course turn. In SL when there is a turning pole and an outside pole, this forms a “gate” which the skier will ski between. Often times there may not be an outside pole. For GS the racers must pass around the single pole on the “natural line” of the race course. The racers still must pass around the GS gate in the “natural line” of the race course. The distances between each turning pole is determined by course setting rules, terrain and discretion of the course setter. There are certain requirements for types of gate sets such as delays, flushes and hairpins. This also depends on the type of race, Slalom or Giant Slalom. On all types of courses, pole color is alternated between red and blue for each turn. A racer will not always be turning the same direction for each of those colors. For instance there may be a right turn at a red gate, followed by another right turn (or delay) at a blue gate. The next turn, regardless of the direction, would be at a red gate.
Examples of the two types of turning poles:
Giant Slalom pole, shown Left
Slalom pole, shown Right
What’s happening on race day?
First, it is important to understand the there is a lot of preparation done during the week preceding race day! All the Race Official’s positions must be filled. Are you interested in volunteering for one of these positions? The Host Team parent representative must fill all the volunteer positions, which will be discussed later. Arrangements are made to have all the race gate poles, course maintenance gear and timing equipment arrive on time. The Coaches, Race Officials, Timing crew and person to handle the Check-in Desk arrive hours before the racers show up at the mountain. If everything goes right, all the gear is hauled to the top of the race course. Sometimes the resort gives assistance with snow machines and other times the gear is carried by hand onto the chair lifts. The setup crew receives early-on lift tickets.
The Starting Line
While the coaches are setting the gates on the race course, the Start Referee, Assistant Start Referee and Starter are all setting up the starting area. This will include a corral area for the Assistant Start Referee to organize and stage the competitors so there is no delay in between racers. Generally the racers leave at about 45-60 second intervals. If a racer is not ready on time, they wait until the very end of their field. A racer's start time is triggered when the he or she leaves the starting pad, tripping a timing wand with their shins. This electronic start equipment is hooked to a set of wires that runs all the way down to the bottom of the race course. The starter uses a headset with a boom microphone to communicate with the Chief of Timing, who is located in the timing booth at the finish line. This is a closed circuit so only the Starter and Timing officials can speak. The starter will also have a hand radio to communicate with the other race officials.
The Finish Line
At the same time everything else is being readied, the finish line area is set. This includes netting to enclose the “run-out,” the area the racers utilize to stop themselves once they cross the finish line. The timing crew will setup the electronic sensors to capture the finish times for each racer. Both the start & finish sensors connect to equipment located inside the timing booth by wiring. No one is allowed in the timing booth while a race is running. In addition to the headsets as previously mentioned, the timing officials also utilize hand held radios to communicate with the race officials. Usually located with-in view of the finish area is a results board where a volunteer will post an unofficial race time for each racers run.
How is the race timed?
Timing of the race is done with electronic sensors, one recording the start and one recording the finish. The start sensor is a switch, the finish time is triggered by the interruption of a infrared beam of light. This is special equipment intended to work specifically for ski racing. The finish sensors are designed to minimize “false finishes” caused by blowing snow or debris. These signals are recorded by a timer which has a printed tape and looks similar to a visa machine. The timer is hooked to a computer which receives the start and stop times and records a total elapsed time for each run. Racers start and finish times are also backed up by hand times. In addition, there is a duplicate set of electronics in place for backup times. This timing equipment is set to the exact time of day and records times to the thousandth of a second. So if a racer leaves the starting line at 10:05:00.000 a.m. and finishes at 10:06.21.998 a.m. his/her elapsed time will be exactly one minute, 21.998 seconds. The timer is sophisticated enough so that multiple racers can be on the course at one time!
Officials & Volunteers
Each race takes a tremendous amount of work, before, during and after the race. This is all done with the help of the coaches, parents and after the race the athletes help take down the course. Throughout the season all teams will be called upon to help gather parent volunteers. Some will help the whole season and others will help during the race when their team has been chosen to host or co-host the race. Generally the Race Official positions will be filled by an experienced parent that will perform that duty for the entire season. The remaining volunteers generally come from the host and co-host teams for that race. That’s not to say you can’t volunteer for more than the one race, or wait for your team to host a race to volunteer! Gate Judges (or gatekeepers) have need for the most positions. Usually a gate judge will be responsible to watch a skier race through 3 to 4 gates. So, if a course has 50 gates you can see this would require many gate judges! Training is provided for all volunteers! Please don’t hesitate to volunteer.
Officials:
Chief of Race (Directs and controls the work of all officials)
Technical Delegate (Ensures the race is run safely & effectively)
Referee (Responsible for all matter involving safety & course legality)
Chief of Course (Responsible for preparation of the race course)
Start Referee (Responsible for the start area, ensures the order of start are followed)
Chief of Gatekeepers (Organizes & supervises all gatekeepers)
Starter (Ensure proper racer is in start, gives start command to the racer)
Start Assistant (Assists starter, makes sure racers are ready to enter start line)
Finish Referee (Responsible for the finish area, records all racers that cross the finish line)
Chief of Timing (Ensures timing equipment is in place, racer times are recorded including backup times)
Assistant for Timing (Helps in setup & timing the race)
Race Volunteers:
Gatekeepers (10-15 people)
Course Maintenance (6-8 people)
Crossing Guard(s) (1 for GS races from Upper Tempest)
Start Hand Timer
Start Hand Timer Recorder
Check-in Desk (full season)
Common Race Disqualifications
It is up to the athletes to know and understand the rules for racing. The order of importance is League rules, OISRA rules and USSA (FIS) rules.
League Rules
OISRA Rules
Your Team Coach is the best source for understanding the race rules. All racers must wear their race bib while inspecting the course or racing. If a racers loses one or both skis during the race run he/she is immediately disqualified and should quickly gather their gear and ski off the course. Do not cross the finish line. If a racer misses a gate in a Slalom, they may hike back up and make a proper correction as long as they don’t interfere with an on coming racer. If a Race Official makes a judgment that the racer is going to interfere they will ask the racer to leave the course. If a racer misses a gate in Giant Slalom they are immediately disqualified, NO hiking in GS! Racers are given proper and equal start intervals. If a racer uses obscene language anywhere on the course or in the finish area they will be disqualified.
Understanding Basic Rules
Please remember, it is not the job of a gatekeeper to give any verbal instructions unless the racer asks for help. So, if a racer misses a gate (committed a fault) and the gatekeeper does not say anything, they are only doing their job! If a racer asks for help, and has not committed a fault, the gatekeeper will reply with a simple, one word command, “GO”. If the racer has committed a fault and asks for help, the gatekeeper will respond with the word “Back” and points to the gate that the fault has occurred. The gatekeeper may call out the gate color, such as “Back to Red” Also remember, if a racer loses a ski, he/she is immediately disqualified for that run and needs to ski off the course and remain off, and not cross the finish line. There will be a board (usually located near the timing both or on the results board) where all DNS, DNF or DSQ are posted. The list will be posted immediately following each race run. The coaches and racers should always check this board for the postings, even if they are positive they had a clean run. An incorrect bib number might have been posted! Should a racer be listed on the posting and there is a dispute, there is a method for protest and the coach should be immediately informed. The athlete should hurry, there is a short time deadline for disputes.
Understanding the Acronyms
DNS – Racer “Did Not Start” this bib number is not showing a start (or finish) time.
DNF – Racer “Did Not Finish” this bib number did not cross the finish line.
DSQ – Racer is “Disqualified” for that run. He/she is accused of committing an infraction of the rules which is usually a missed a gate, straddled a gate, violated behavior rules, etc. (Note… swearing is not allowed and will be justification for disqualification!) Any of these may be protested to the Race Jury. After all, mistakes can be made!
After the Race
All racers should check with their Coach or Parent Rep before leaving for the day. Once the race is finished and the course is called closed, take-down begins. The host and co-host teams, it’s coaches, athletes and parents are responsible to bring all the gates down to the finish area. They are also responsible to take down safety netting and roll it up and bring it to the bottom of the hill. If everyone helps this process goes amazingly fast but does take a little extra time. If your athlete is a member of the host or co-host team and is riding home with you, please allow extra time after the race for take-down. It is mandatory that all athletes help out.
Where to look for more information? Questions?
