NJRS - FAQs

General

Age groups

What are the age groups for the racers?
The racers compete in the following age groups for both boys and girls:

  • 0-5
  • 6-7
  • 8-9
  • 10-11
  • 12-13
  • 14-15
  • 16+

What is the cut off date for an age group?
December 31st: Athletes race in the age group corresponding to their age as of December 31st.

Non-NJRS Club Members

Can athletes not belonging to an NJRS club participate in the race?
Yes: NJRS encourages all kids to race.
If you want to compete in a single race you can but you will not qualify for a medal at Championship races.
If you would like to participate for the entire races series, you need to join one of the participating clubs.

Race Information

Race cancellation due to extreme cold

What are the criteria for canceling a race due to extremely cold weather?
Wind chill of -40F: Using guidance from the MN State High School League NJRS will cancel or postpone a race if the wind chill is predicted to be -40F or less at noon on race day.  If the weather forecast is questionable for race day, we will post an alert at 12:00 pm Saturday, and make the final call at 4:00 pm Saturday.  NJRS Coordinators and the host hill and club will make the final decision to cancel, delay, or postpone a race.  Many variables are involved, including safety measures/accommodations at each race location, forecasted temperatures/wind chills, and the ability to reschedule the race.  It is up to each family to decide for themselves if they choose to race in extremely cold conditions, and take personal safety precautions to prevent exposure.

If you are on the NJRS mailing list you will receive an email if the race is canceled and we will post cancellations on Facebook.  To be added to the email list please email us with your name, your racer's name, and email address. The email address is northlandjuniorraceseries@gmail.com 

Parent Participation at Races

How can a parent help at the races?
Ask at race registration: The NJRS races are run by parent volunteers.  There are a number of positions that need to be filled for each race.  Contact your coach a week before one of your club's races to see how you can help.  There are some positions like gate judge where there is always room for more help so please volunteer to help out at race registration even if it is not your club's race. With the addition of slalom
races, the need for gate judges is even more important to keep the course safe for the racers. The following are some of the positions that need to be filled at each race:

  • Chief of Race
  • Race Registration
  • Course Workers
  • Timing: Starter
  • Timing: Assistant Starter
  • Timing: Finish
  • Timing: Recorder
  • Gate Judges   
  • Course Slippers

Safety

Required Equipment

What safety equipment is required to race in the NJRS Races?
Helmets required: All racers are required to wear a helmet for NJRS races.Recommended:  Helmets with hard ears (race helmets) are recommended but not required.

Slalom Equipment

Are helmet chin guards required?

Chin guards optional: NJRS wants to make ski racing accessible to as many skiers as possible and at this time does not require helmet chin guards for slalom racing since many of the racers will not be hitting a lot of gates.   NJRS does recommend chin guards be worn if the racer has one or progresses to a skill level where they are consistently hitting gates during Slalom race runs.  We recommend keeping tools in your bag to remove your chin guard since some require Allen keys and other require a screw driver to remove the chin guard as chin guards should NOT be worn during any events other than SL race runs.

Can I have my chin bar mounted on my helmet during GS race runs?

NJRS STRONGLY RECOMMENDS that slalom chin guards are removed. Chin guards can increase the chance of injury or increase the severity of injury during GS racing due to higher skier speeds.  At higher levels of racing (not NJRS) chin bars are generally allowed only in slalom or Kombi events, i.e. USSA and FIS sanctioned racing.  For your racer's safety, we would appreciate your cooperation.  It is up to each individual host club/hill to decide whether to enforce the removal of chin guards for GS races.

NJRS Championship Race

Qualifying for championship awards

 

WHO MAY RACE AND QUALFYING FOR AN AWARD?

All NJRS athletes are welcome to race and we encourage it so as to amplify the championship day. Only racers that have participated in 2 races will be eligible for an award at the Championship. This is to avoid racers showing up just to win an award.  After the final regular season race, it will be up to each team review their team’s race season performance and participation.  Once complete, this information will be submitted to NJRS and cross referenced with the race day information. Team Coaches and Admins will need to communicate to their membership who is able to receive an award and who is not. Should there be questions on racer award eligibility, it will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.