Central Cross Country Ski Association

2009-2010 MIDWEST TEAM SELECTION CRITERIA - NEW IN 2010:
This year CXC will introduce a Super JOQ weekend at Telemark Resort. Overall male and female winners in every age category including J4, J3, J2, J1 and OJ will be recognized and awarded with a Trophy Cup.

CXC will also be adding an Adaptive Class for athletes with physical disabilities. For more information about participating in this class please contact Scott Wilson, CXC Race and Adaptive Program Director at wilson@cresthillresort.com or go to http://cxcskiing.org/site_pages/adaptive/about.htm

Direct web address www.midwestjoq.com

Race requirements:
A minimum of four (4) races are required for scoring to establish a point value to qualify for team selection. The combination of techniques or distances does not matter in the minimum of four (4) races. If more than four races are completed, the best of four (4) will be scored. Automatic selections do not have to race a minimum of four (4) races.

Age Categories:
- 2000 or 2001 - J5
- 1998 or 1999 - J4
- 1996 or 1997 - J3
- 1994 or 1995 - J2
- 1992 or 1993 - J1
- 1990 or 1991 - OJ

A. Automatic Selection
a. Skiers ranked in the first 20 men or first 20 women on the final World Junior Championships Tryouts points list are automatically qualified to enter JO’s as part of the MW team.
b. Skiers who are named to the Scandinavian J1 Trip are automatic qualifiers.
c. Skiers ranked in the top five U.S. junior men or the top five U.S. junior women on the final NCAA East, Central or West ranking list are automatically qualified to enter JO's as a part of the MW team.

Skiers who are automatic selections do not count against the MW quota.

B. Points List Selection
Twenty-one (21) boys and twenty-one (21) girls will be named to the team off the MW points list at the conclusion of the Midwest qualifiers. The qualifiers will be divided between the three age classes by a ratio of the average percentage of race finishers in each of the JOQ's. This percentage, based on all result finishes, will be done separately for the boys and girls finishing fields.
Example:
Average of boys’ J2 finishers after eight races = 11.3 or 28% or 6 skiers
Average of boys’ J1 finishers after eight races = 14.5 or 35% or 7 skiers
Average of boys’ OJ finishers after eight races = 15.2 or 37% or 8 skiers

MIDWEST TEAM MINIMUMS AND MAXIMUMS
The ratio of average finishers cannot shrink the J2s named to the team below six, nor can it expand it beyond nine. There will be a maximum of nine (9) J2 boys and nine (9) J2 girls named to the MW JO Team. There will be a minimum of six (6) J1 boys and six (6) J1 girls named to the JO team. Class maximums are 12 skiers. Automatic qualifiers do not count against this maximum. In case of ties in the competition finishes, each skier will receive the same points. Ties in the JOQRL will be broken by using the athlete’s best result, if a tie continues the second best results will be considered and so on down to the tenth result. A DNS or DNF (no points) is considered a worse result than a finish. (i.e. If the tenth race results for skier A is 35th, and skier B missed the 10th race and therefore had no result, skier A would win the tie breaker). The MW Junior Committee shall have power to alter or amend criteria due to weather, snow conditions, or schedule problems. The team will be named on February 1st, 2009 at Telemark after the last race. After the team is named, if there are any additional spots that open up due to an athlete declining a spot or additional automatic qualifiers the MW Junior Executive Committee will name alternates to the team. These alternates will become full members of the team and DO NOT have to be from the same age class as the declines or automatic qualifiers. Alternates will be named based on what will give the Midwest the strongest team at Junior Olympics based on comparative analysis of results and Midwest points list ranking.

ATHLETE PARENT INFORMATION

1. Event Registration
The deadline for the JOQ events is typically the Tuesday prior to the event. Some events may differ, but it is wise to register on line one week prior to the event. Where paper registration is available it also must be received on the Tuesday before the event.

2. Travel/Hotels
All JOQ’s are on weekends. Finding hotels in most of the towns can be difficult if you wait to obtain one within a week of the event. Book rooms ahead of time. Many of these small towns have other activities such as hockey going on and it can be difficult to find rooms with a limited supply. It is best to travel to an event the afternoon or evening before the first race. It gives time for course review and wax testing which can be a great advantage on unknown courses.

3. Competition license requirements
A CXC membership/license is required to obtain a point score in a JOQ event. The license MUST be obtained before the first qualifier that an athlete races in, in order for points to be awarded.

4. Points/Qualification lists
This year’s point list will be calculated using a system that is similar to USSA point’s calculation. It will not be the Continental Cup System that has been used in the past. The change in scoring systems provides additional opportunities for race selection without athletes feeling penalized if they do not attend all races. The points that an athlete will receive from an event are not only based on their placing, but also on the strength of the racing field. As with the past system, the best opportunity to qualify for Junior Olympics for most athletes requires racing in as many events as possible.