Rules

Rules

NORTH SHORE SKI LEAGUE 

RULES & REGULATIONS

A.   Race Rules

1. The North Shore Ski League operates under its own rules that are listed below.

2. Bibs must be worn during course inspection. 

3. Inspection will be closed at 3:40 pm. Start time is 3:45 pm sharp. 

4. Bibs must be clearly visible from front & back of racer when racing.

5. A skier racing with the wrong bib number or no bib/number will be disqualified.

6. Any racer skiing the course (all or part of) prior to their run will be disqualified.

7. Snow plowing will be allowed during course inspections. However, snow plowing may be restricted based on conditions. 

8. For safety reasons there is no skiing on “Hugh’s Run” prior to or during the race. 

9. Racers and Coaches may be required to snow plow the course if conditions dictate.

10. All racers are required to wear a hard shell helmet in order to race. 

11. Start Procedure: The racer must have both poles planted in the snow before starting.

12. Any racer missing their start will run at the end of the race. 

13. In SL, if a racer loses a ski more than one gate from the finish line that racer will be disqualified and may not finish the course. Skiing the course on one ski may result in a one race suspension. 

14. A racer whose path of racing has been interfered with must leave the course within the zone of interference (distance not to exceed 2 gates past the point of interference). The racer must then proceed to the Finish Referee and request a re-run. It is then the responsibility of the Finish Referee to notify the Timer of the provisional re-run.

    • If a racer continues on the course past the zone of interference, the re-run will not be counted.

    • Any racer crossing the finish who receives a time will not be granted a provisional re-run unless the interference occurred 2 gates or fewer from the finish line.

    • The jury will decide whether the interference was sufficient to accept the re-run.

15. Any racer may be asked to take a re-run due to a possible timing malfunction which includes the start wand. The jury may investigate to see if racer error was the cause.

16. Good sportsmanship should be practiced by all racers and coaches representing the NSSL at any race event. Breaches of sportsmanship (inappropriate language/behavior) which includes “show boating” (ex.skiing backward & 360’s) while racing, will result in disqualification from the race. The jury has the right to vote for a one race suspension if they believe the racer’s behavior warrants it (ex. throwing poles & intentionally smashing gates to destroy the course). While suspended a racer may not attend a NSSL sanctioned race.             

17. In order to race the skier must be wearing appropriate racing attire. Any racer wearing shorts or a short sleeve shirt will not be allowed to race.

18. For safety reasons, post running the race course is not allowed until the finish fencing is put away.

19. In a Slalom race, hiking back up the hill to continue after a fall is no longer allowed.

20. In GS, once a racer comes to any kind of stop, they are disqualified and must ski out of the course. 

B.   Protests

1. Problems with race course or its condition:  Upon arrival every coach should inspect the course. If a coach challenges the safety of the course it must be done before 3:20 pm by requesting a jury meeting.

2. All other protests will be handled by the Chief of Race (League President) in accordance with USSA rules. Deadline for filing a protest is within 5 minutes of the conclusion of the varsity race.

3. The jury for race day will be made up of three coaches, the Finish Line Referee and one coach from the team immediately above and below the Finish Line Coach’s team number. If a racer(s) from a jury member’s team is involved in the dispute, that member must disqualify themselves from the jury. All jury decisions are final.

C. Tie Breakers

In case of a tie in points with any racer qualifying for States, the following tie breaking system will be used:

1. The racer who has the most total points for the season (no dropped points).

2. The racer who has the faster time in the last regular race of the season.   

3. Interscholastic Race: The tie breaker will be determined by which racer has the faster GS run.  

4. League Champion: If two teams have the same record.   The team with the higher combined points against each other, will be the league champion.  If both teams have the same combined points, then the league will have co-champions.                  

D.  Race Day Responsibilities

1. Finish Line Referee has the responsibility of recording all DSQ’s and notifying the Scorer of all DSQ’s immediately at the conclusion of the varsity race.  He must also be visible and on course helping to gate keep the last 3-4 gates.  His team will also take down the course and roll up the fencing.

2. Start Duty: The coach that has start duty should be at the start by 3:30 pm lining up the racers according to the seed order for that race.

3. Any coach that does not have an assigned duty must be on course helping with gate keeping and/or course maintenance. Also, each coach should bring their drill on race day.

4. Timing device and printer should have a supply of paper so that there is a printed time for all racers. The Statistician should remind the Timer to check for an adequate supply of paper in printer.

E. Race Postponements

1. In the event that only one school in the league cancels school, the race scheduled for that day will be held. If possible, the missing school can make up their race at a later date.

2. In the event that two or more schools cancel, the race will be postponed and rescheduled for a later date in the season.

3. In the event of anticipated bad weather all schools will be notified by noon time of any race cancellation.

F.  Member School Responsibilities

1. The minimum roster size in the NSSL is 6 racers for each boys and girls team. Both the boys and girls teams must field at least 6 skiers in ALL league races.

2. The NSSL seasons are scheduled to be from January through February with some races taking place during MLK week. All teams must be able to arrive at Bradford no later than 3:00 on race days in order to be ready to race at 3:45.

3. The coach must be a paid position appointed by the Superintendent/School Committee/Athletic Director.

4. The school must provide numbered bibs with their school name for their racers.

5. Lift tickets for each individual racer must be purchased each day. Sharing lift tickets will not be tolerated and will result in suspension from the league and possible prosecution from the ski area.

6.  Only schools that are MIAA members can compete in the NSSL.

G. Course Setting Guidelines

1. A course setter schedule will be established prior to the beginning of each season. 

2. Course setting should begin no later than 2:15. 

3. GS course sets will use gate spacing of 16-24 meters on open gates. Delay gates 14-16 meters

4. During the regular season, SL courses will be set at the max USSA gate distance (11m open, 6m closed) and a tape measure will be used to set. All flushes will be 3 gates only.  Slalom delay gates 12-15 meters. All SL courses will contain a maximum of 2 hairpins and 1 flush.

H. Participation Guidelines

1. Any school participating in the N.S.S.L. needs to have a minimum of 5 racers finish in a varsity race to receive a team score. 

2. If a school fails to receive a team score in 3 or more races per season, for 2 consecutive seasons, that school will be dropped from the varsity schedule for at least one year.  However, during that time they may compete as a J.V. team.  To regain varsity status, the school will have to guarantee a minimum of 5 racers in every varsity race for the next season.

3. The maximum number of schools that can compete in the N.S.S.L. is 8.

4. The maximum number of racers a school may enter in the Interscholastic Race is 8 per gender, and the top 6 scores from each event will be counted.

5. Only a varsity team may compete in the Interscholastic Race unless a majority of the League votes to waive the rule.

I. Interscholastic Race

1. All racers must participate in both events (SL & GS)

2. Race 8, score 6.  A team must have at least six (6) skiers finish each race to be considered for the team title.  The team title will be determined by the top 6 times in slalom added to the top 6 time in GS.  The team with the lowest time will be the champion.

3. For both boys and girls the top 10 combined SL and GS times will receive individual awards.

J. Co-ops Requirements

The purpose of a COOP is to sustain a previously existing team and not to increase the overall strength of the team.

1. All co-ops must be approved and voted on by the league.

2. Host team must show that the size of their roster has been 9 or less for the last 2 consecutive years or that their team is not likely to meet the minimum team participation requirement of 6.

3. No more than 3 schools can make up a single COOP team.

4. If a COOP team’s roster exceeds 17 for two consecutive years the league may vote to dissolve the COOP.  The NSSL believes that a COOP team greater than 17 may create a competitive disadvantage for smaller teams in the league. 

5. The deadline for submitting an application is Nov. 1st  The application needs to be submitted to the president of the NSSL.

6. A COOP team’s status is only approved for 2 years.  Thus the host school must reapply to the NSSL every two years.  If a COOP team is dissolved, any member of that team will be grandfathered through their senior year.

Revised: 4/5/24. (LS & JM)