Great Lakes Junior Committee / Great Lakes Division Junior National Team

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS


GREETINGS CENTRAL REGION ATHLETES & FAMILIES:

We thank you in the Central Cross Country Skiing Community for your patience as we work through the pandemic. We are excited to be moving forward as a region. We urge each of you to both remain vigilant in following CDC guidelines to reduce the spread of the coronavirus so we can safely have competitions and to be flexible in your ability to change plans given conditions in each local community as our ski season progresses.

The 2020-2021 CXC Cup Schedule has been finalized.

REGULAR SEASON CXC CUP EVENTS WITH FORMATS

Dec. 12-13 Regional Super CXC Cup - Season Kick Off @ Duluth/GANC (FS SP, CL MS distance 5/7.5/10)

Dec. 19-20 CXC MW JR/Youth Cup Holiday Carnival @ Mt Itasca (SP CL, 5/7.5k FS Int.)

Jan. 16-17 Regional Super CXC Cup - GGG @ Birkie Start (MS CL Distance, FS Ind. 5/10K)

Jan. 30-31 CXC GLD JR/Youth Cup Hickory Hills Classic, Traverse City, MI (Dist FS, Dist CL)

Feb. 20-21 Regional Super CXC Cup - Mayor's Challenge @ Wirth Park (Sat. AM FS Ind. PM CL Spr Qualifier, Sun AM CL SP Heats)


CXC CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS FIS RACING

Super CXC Cup Holiday Championships @ Michigan Tech to take the place of US Nats Competition - Jan 2-3 (Tech) Sat. CL MS 5K U16, 7.5K Female, 10K Males, Sun. 10/15 FS Ind.

Super CXC Cup Regional Finals - @ Wirth Park (Hosted by LNR) - Mini Tour - Mar 5-6-7 Fri afternoon/evening FS Prologue Spr Qualifier, Sat AM CL MS 5K/7.5K/10K, Sat PM SkiX, Sun AM FS Pursuit (based upon finish times from Spr Qualifier & MS CL and a bonus schedule from the SkiX)

OTHER NOTES:

U18/WJC/U23 Qualifying - the US Ski Team discretionary committee will likely look at outstanding performances in the Central from the Duluth Super CXC Cup and the Super CXC Cup Holiday Championships. To make one of these teams an athlete will have to have an eye popping performance or more than one. One race winning by a minute and a half is better than winning 4 age group races by 5-10 seconds. Jrs who are skiing with known quantity professional level seniors will get a look.

The CXC Cup Schedule remains "Tentative" and should be approached knowing there is a need for flexibility based upon health & safety.

- Formats or locations could change based upon health and safety risk mitigation.

- Accommodations reservations should only be made with a "hold" that will not result in charges if canceled the week of the event.

Stay healthy, stay safe and keep training!
The Great Lakes Division (GLD) Junior Committee is the governing body of Great Lakes Junior National Team and responsible for naming a team of athletes to compete at the yearly U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Skiing Junior National Championships (JNs). All criteria, operating procedures and rules for Great Lakes junior skiing are development and set forth by the GLD Junior Committee. This includes but is not limited to the governance of the Great Lakes Junior National Team and Junior National Qualifying Races.

The Great Lakes Junior National Team athletes are selected based on a Regional Points and Rankings List generated from the results of the Junior National Qualifying (JNQ) races.

The CXC Junior Cup's Goal is to provide an opportunity for junior racers to be exposed to high level regional and national level racing. The Junior Cup events should offer junior athletes an opportunity to improve their US Ski & Snowboard National Ranking List and possibly FIS profiles. The Junior Cup should be welcoming to all and even those not aspiring to make a JN team are encouraged to compete against their top peers in the region. But, it is not necessary for all junior skiers to be involved in series wide, trying a race in your home area for a introduction to CXC Cup racing is a great way for a junior skier to test themselves and see where their competition is at. More importantly, racers should have non series races available to them locally to make a sound schedule. The Goal of the Midwest and Great Lakes Junior Teams is to introduce and elevate regionally successful athletes to the National racing scene.


- Great Lakes Division States / Michigan, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio
- Midwest Division States / South and North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri

High School Skiers

If a high school athlete is a club member, they represent and ski in the division the club is a member of, regardless of their home address.

Clubs are members of the division they reside in unless they have petitioned to change divisions. If you are not sure of your club's division membership, please contact your club coach.

If a high school skier is not a member of a club, they ski in the division of their home address. Your home address is determined by the address associated with your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership.

College Skiers

College skiers can represent either where their college team is located or where their home is. Your home address is determined by the address associated with your US Ski & Snowboard membership.

To declare your division, you must email Joe Haggenmiller (joe.h@cxcskiing.org) by February 1, 2020. If we do not hear from you, we will assume you are representing the division your college team is a member of.

Auto qualifiers have the option of declaring their division after the Junior Nationals team has been named if they qualify for the team after the last Junior National Qualifier race. (ie top 5 US juniors on the Central NCAA qualifying list).

GENERAL PARTICIPATION TIPS

Whether you are new to the Junior National Qualifying (JNQ) races or a returning racer, here are some tips to help you feel comfortable with the process.

Registration for JNQ races typically closes on the Tuesday before the race. Plan your races and register early.

Give yourself the highest opportunity to earn a place on your division's JN team, and increase your elite racing experience, by purchasing a Cross Country Competitor (U16+) Membership before the racing season starts and participating in all your division's JNQ races if possible.

If you are on a school team, good communication with your coach is essential. Work together to establish a plan that supports both your school team and your JNQ races.

The Divisional Junior Teams (JNs, NENSA U16s, CXC U18 Trip) will be named after the final race in the JNQ series.

Please be prepared to pay for the full cost of the US Junior National Nordic Ski Championships (JN) trip at the team naming that takes place after the final JNQ race if you are selected for the team. For instance, JN trip to Anchorage, AK in 2019 was $2,900 per team member, exclusive of team uniform. The required Divisional team uniform could be purchased new or borrowed/bought from a former team member if available. The 2020 JNs will be in Truckee, CA, which will likely have a slightly lower overall cost with expenses to fly and stay in the Sierras being less expensive than traveling to and staying in Alaska.

Junior National team members must have a CXC/US Ski & Snowboard Membership. Serious competitors should not wait until February to do this, as lowering NRL points and getting seeded based upon the NRL at races are both important to having the best chance to compete.

Keep a close watch on the website as race and JN trip details can change rapidly. The website will also be your first source for info on summer camps and clinics.

Finally, enjoy the experience of elite racing! The JNQ races, NENSA U16, CXC U18 and Junior National Championships trips are opportunities to meet and ski with the finest skiers in the Central Region of the country, and beyond. It's exciting, motivating and really fun.
If you have a question, concern or opinion you would like to share, please let us know.