PSC Recreational Racing Program Rules
The PSC has offered a recreational racing program over the years and has encouraged our members to
participate. Recreational racing helps improve your skiing and adds another dimension of fun to our skiing.
We present a number of awards at the end of each season, with the competition based on a set of rules that
establish the eligibility criteria and define the various award categories.
The program has evolved over the years as we tailor it to our skiers. Several years ago we altered the rules
to further broaden the competition. We dispensed with a formal signup procedure and registration fee. All you
need to do is race Nastar during the winter, making sure you register yourself as a member of the Pentagon Ski
Club using Nastar's Ski Club Team feature. Only three races are needed to qualify for our awards (we used to
require four races). We eliminated the Mixed Doubles awards (there had been too little competition in this
category). And we added an explicit awards category for snowboarders.
2007-2008 Rules
Here are the rules for this-year's program. There are no noteworthy changes from last winter:
Eligibility: The program is open to every club member in good standing (your PSC membership dues must be paid-up through the current season).Registration: Simply register for racing with Nastar (more below on this), and be sure to enter Pentagon Ski Club in the space for ski club name. Then, every time you race Nastar, your results will show up under your name and will be credited to the PSC.
Awards Eligibility: Everyone who races Nastar three or more times during the season will qualify for our awards. Your races will count whether they're run during a club trip or a trip made on your own.
Last Day to Race: All races must be completed by Saturday, April 5, 2008 to be counted for our awards.
Race Validity & Scoring: You earn a different handicap each day you race at any of the approximately 100 participating Nastar ski areas across the country. Your handicap is simply an expression of your fastest time from the several runs you may complete, expressed as a percentage above the par time established each day by an area's Nastar pacesetter. You will earn only one handicap per day, unless you're racing on different courses at the same resort (Crested Butte, for example, has two different courses set up) or at different resorts, such as neighboring Snowmass and Aspen Highlands.
Final Handicap and Medal Points: Your best (lowest) handicap will be dropped, and the awards will be based on the average of your best two remaining handicaps earned during the season. This is termed your Final Handicap. Handicap "discounts", as established by Nastar, will be allowed for participants competing on snowboards or on telemark skis (10 point adjustment) and for physically challenged skiers (anywhere from 5 points for a skier with an arm impairment to 100 points for a totally blind skier). As a final step in determining age-group and snowboard awards, your Final Handicap will be compared to that needed for a gold medal in your Nastar age and gender category (see the 2007-2008 Nastar Handicap Charts). Medal Points are calculated by subtracting, from each racer's Final Handicap, the handicap they need to earn a gold. The competitor closest to gold (or "deepest into" gold, i.e., with the lowest Medal Points) will prevail in each age category and in the snowboard category.
Award Categories: We will recognize both men and women in the following categories:
- Fastest Racer: Awarded to the racers with the lowest
Final Handicap. One award to the fastest male and one to the fastest female.
- Fastest Riders: First through third place awards to
racers competing on snowboards. Until we have enough riders to provide a substantial level of age-group
competition, all male riders will compete as a group, and all female riders will compete as a group.
Rankings will be based on the handicapped Medal Points described above.
- Age Groups: First through third place awards in each of
the following age groups: 20 & under; 21-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70+. Your age on December
31, 2007 will determine which category you're in for purposes of awards (this is the same as Nastar itself).
- Most Improved: Awarded to the racer with the best
percentage improvement in their handicap. Determined by dividing the difference between a racer's
Initial Handicap and Final Handicap, by their Initial Handicap. For skiers who've raced Nastar before, the
initial handicap used in determining improvement is their Final Handicap (or equivalent) from their most recent
previous-season Nastar experience. (Note: We may look not only at a racer's results from last winter, but also
at previous-year results. An accomplished racer who's back on-track after an off-year shouldn't necessarily
prevail over a truly improving racer.) For those without previous Nastar experience, the initial handicap
used in determining improvement will be the average of the first two handicaps earned during the present
season (after dropping the season-lowest handicap). Note that new racers will need to race at least four
times to calculate an improvement.
- Most Races: We'll recognize the skiers with the most Nastar
races to their credit. We'll have separate awards to recognize both an Eastern and Western racer, in
recognition that it's a lot tougher for our DC-area skiers to find a Nastar course than for those living
out West.
- Spirit of Racing: Unrelated to a skier's performance on the
racecourse, this award recognizes individuals who have contributed in some special manner to the racing
program. Any given year it may be awarded to one, several, or no racers.
- Participation: We traditionally recognize those who've
raced enough times to qualify for awards, but who have not won any of the other award categories.
Nastar Registration:
You can always wait and register for Nastar the first time you race, but there's a simple registration process at the Nastar website. You'll be given a registration number consisting of the first three letters of your last name plus a sequential number. You can then use your number to simplify the registration process each time you race (you won't have to fill out as much information on the form). Be sure to use the Ski Club Team feature to register as a member of the Pentagon Ski Club team. There's no need to register again if you registered and raced anytime in the past several years.Actually, according to the Nastar website:
"If you have raced NASTAR since 1997 there's no need to register again - we
know who you are! However, you should quickly verify that you're in our database
by searching for your last name in the field indicated at the top of the page."
You should also log into your record prior to the start of each season to verify that the personal information on file is complete and accurate. Together with a password you select, your registration number will also let you:
- Modify your personal information (change your name, address, e-mail, teams, etc.)
- Upload a photo that will become part of your personal results page
- Merge multiple records that belong to you
- Remove results that don't belong to you