WELCOME TO THE GRAND TRAVERSE SKI CLUB
WELCOME TO THE GRAND TRAVERSE SKI CLUB
SUNDAY RACES

On most Sundays through the season there is a team race at Hickory Hills.  Kids race against other kids in the following age groups:

0-7  years old on Birch Hill
8-9 years old on Buck Hill
10-11 years old on Buck Hill
12-13 years old on Buck Hill
14 and older on Buck/Pete

Depending on weather, the kids 8 and up may race Giant Slalom on Swede.

Racers should be on the hill and ready to go prior to the 12:30 inspection of the courses. All racers should inspect the race courses with a coach and make sure they understand how to best ski the course during the race.

Races start at 1:00.  Each racer will run each slalom course once for a total of two runs and will combine the times for their slalom score.  There will be a short break and the Giant Slalom courses will be set with the same format.

Following the races will be an awards ceremony.  Ribbons will be given out for the top 15 boys and girls for the 0-7 group and the top 10 boys and girls for all other age groups.

All parents are requested to volunteer in some manner for 4 out of 5 races.  There are many fun positions available and this is a great way to get involved with your kids during race day.

There is an end of year fun/awards day and all skiers that participated
in a minimum three races will get a medal indicating their position
based on race points (trophies are given to the top three boys and girls.)

Invitational and Off Site Races

During the season there are off site races held by other clubs that our members can attend. Some (but not all) of these races require a skier to qualify based on race points since we can usually send only 5 boys and girls from each age group.  Also, there is an end of season club championship race called the Technica Cup (usually held at Boyne Highlands) that is available to the racers that qualify.  There may be additional costs to attend these races to cover coaching fees and registration fees.

The Grand Traverse Ski Club also hosts an Invitational Race at Hickory that is open to club members that qualify based on their race points.

GTSC Point System/Racer Rankings
At each Sunday race, every registered racer receives a finish position (“place”) for each race event (Slalom and Giant Slalom).  The place determines your points for that event.  The goal is to receive the minimal number of points throughout the season.

1st place  = .75 points
2nd place  = 2.0        points
3rd place  = 3.0 points
4th place  = 4.0 points
5th place  = 5.0 points, etc…
DQ (disqualified during race)  = number of racers started + 1 point
DNS (Did not start the race)  = number of racers started + 2 points

Each race will result in a score, even if the racer was not present.  Each event (GS and Slalom) will be scored seperately.

Invitational Races
An invitational race is a race involving other ski clubs/teams.  These races typically allow the top 5 M/F competitors per age group.    The lowest number of points (the sum of Slalom and Giant Slalom finish positions) qualifies the top five racers from each age group.  The total points from all previous Sunday races are considered, except the racer’s worst Slalom and worst Giant Slalom race.  If there are only two Sunday races prior to an invitational, qualifiers are calculated based on “the best of two” finish positions for each event.  If there is only one Sunday race prior to an invitational, qualifiers are calculated based on the finish positions from the first race.  Tecnica Cup Roster and Year End Awards will be calculated based on dropping the worst 2 GS and slalom scores.

Racers must be registered in a GTSC race clinic to participate in invitationals for GTSC.

“Move-Ups”
Racers from younger age groups can fill vacant spots in older groups if space is available. They will be chosen based on point standings, starting with the oldest possible age group.

Ties
If there is a tie in the point standings for invitational races, the dropped race (the racer’s worst Slalom and worst Giant Slalom) are scored to break the tie.  If a tie remains after the dropped race is scored or if there is only one race to score, the racer’s points for each event (Slalom and Giant Slalom) will be scored separately to determine qualifiers/standings for each event (Slalom and Giant Slalom).  Ties for Year-End Awards/Final Standings remain in place.

Tecnica Cup
Tecnica Cup qualifiers are determined the same as all other invitationals, except that two races can be dropped.  To qualify for Tecnica Cup, a racer must participate in at least three Sunday races.  Again, the athlete will be allowed to drop the worst two GS and Slalom scores to determine if they qualify for this race.

Year End Awards/Final Standings
Year end awards are based on results of  the Sunday races.  Racers must participate in at least 3 Sunday races to be included in the final standings.  Standings are determined based on the points system described above.  Two GS and Slalom races will be dropped to determine the score. Ties will remain in place.

GRAND TRAVERSE SKI CLUB
SUNDAY RACE INFORMATION