IMPRESSIONS INCORPORATED CXC ADAPTIVE CUP
To include more diverse racers and participants in the sport of cross-country skiing, CXC is hosting a race series where athletes with physical disabilities and visual impairments have the opportunity to ski with their peers.
The CXC Adaptive Cup is sanctioned and scored by Central Cross Country Skiing (CXC) and U.S. Ski & Snowboard and features a series of events in Minnesota and Michigan. Participating athletes (ages 20 and under) learn how to progress through the competitive skiing pipeline with the support of friends, families, clubs, and race organizers.
Since its inception in the winter of 2018, the CXC Adaptive Cup has promoted the growth and development of adaptive cross-country skiing, helping athletes acquire the skills required for cross-country ski racing while providing challenging racing opportunities within the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee's (USOPC) pipeline.
HOW TO BEGIN
If you are an aspiring adaptive athlete, we invite you to participate in the CXC Adaptive Cup. When registering as an adaptive skier, each racer/parent will need to confirm which adaptive category the racer is in:
1. Sit skier
2. Standing adaptive skier
3. Visually impaired (VI) skier
There is the option to specify the classification of the adaptive skier in the chosen category based on the International Paralympic Committee's Paralympic classification system and time factors. If you haven't contacted U.S. Paralympic Nordic Skiing to confirm what class you would be in, please email them at: USPNordic@gmail.com, to do so. Choosing the class will allow the athlete to receive a time factor on their final result time; see the link above for more details on this factor. If a class is not chosen, the skier will be placed in the category with the smallest factor (B3 for VI, LW12 for sit skiers, and LW4 for standing skiers).
All standing and visually impaired skiers will be fully integrated into the main race field with non-adaptive athletes. Visually impaired athletes are allowed to ski with a guide in front of them and have the option of using a voice amplifier. Standing and VI athletes will be seeded based on FIS/U.S. Ski & Snowboard and/or Regional Ranking list. If the athlete does not yet have points, they will start at or near the back of the field. Keep in mind any standing or VI adaptive athlete can register for the race and choose not to register as an adaptive athlete if they wish not to receive a time factor.
Sit skiers will compete on a course designed specifically for them and start at their own specified time.
Results and awards will be provided for skiers in the three adaptive categories, separated into male and female divisions. In addition, standing and VI athlete results will also be integrated into the overall results.
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IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE:
1. If you are between the ages of 7-13, no membership is required to participate in any of the CXC Adaptive Cup events.2. For athletes ages 14 through 17, a Cross Country General Membership is required to enter a race.
3. For preferential race seeding and to earn U.S. Ski and Snowboard NRL ranking points, a Cross Country Adaptive Competitor Membership is required.
4. All CXC Adaptive Cup events are subject to the CXC Cup Wax policy.
5. All CXC Adaptive Cup races are run in conjunction with the CXC Cup and have the same registration deadlines. Online registration closes Tuesday before the race at 10:00 pm.
6. Racing Age Group is defined by competitor's age as of December 31st.
U10 (8-9-year-olds)
U12 (10-11-year-olds)
U14 (12-13-year-olds)
U16 (14-15-year-olds)
U18 (16-17-year-olds)
U20 (18-19-year-olds)
U23 (20, 21 & 22-year-olds)
Senior (23-29-year-olds)
CXC ADAPTIVE CUP GRANT
Impressions Incorporated is the official CXC Adaptive Cup partner. This family-owned specialty printing and packaging company's support comes with grants to athletes with physical disabilities and visual impairments who need assistance covering transportation costs, event registration fees, and room and board when traveling to CXC Adaptive Cup events.
All adaptive athletes are eligible to apply for a CXC Adaptive Cup Grant. An adaptive athlete is an individual with a permanent physical disability or visual impairment competing in the CXC Adaptive Cup. CXC uses the International Paralympic Committee's classification structure as a guideline for disability qualification. The individual's permanent disability must impair mobility, affect the neuromuscular system, and impair balance, motor control, or vision. Hearing impairments and intellectual and developmental disabilities do not qualify for support through CXC.
This grant will cover the cost of the race entry, travel, and housing for any of the three CXC Adaptive Cup weekends for families needing financial assistance. The maximum award per weekend is $500 if competing on both days or $300 if competing on one of the days.
Send grant requests to Yuriy Gusev at yuriy.gusev@cxcskiing.org.