 Poster: A snowHead
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To the Chairman of TeamBSS
Since 2014, Great Britain has applied the adult rule "DNF in the first run = no start in the second" to U16 children's GS and SL races.
Since it's introduction, no evidence has been provided to demonstrate that this rule change has had an unequivocally positive effect on the performance of first year FIS athletes.
We strongly believe that the application of this rule is simply depriving U16 athletes of valuable race experience.
As the primary stakeholders (athletes, parents, guardians), we, the undersigned, call on the Chairman of TeamBSS to support our request that this rule be changed by the start of the 2018 season, or even better, for the Delancey British Children's Championships Tignes 3rd-7th April.
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/gbr-u16-alpine-ski-race-rule-change#
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Here are some ideas for a new format based on experience of the French U14/U16 system:
- No seeding, all local, regional and most national (quali's for Scara are seeded) races run on a random bib draw and the fields are large, typically over a 100 boys and 80 girls, with a straight flip for the second run. This means everyone has to learn to ski big ruts and holes, a paramount skill in FIS! GBR seeding of U14 and U16's deprives them of a valuable chunk of this "real world" experience.
- Points are awarded WC style (100/80/60 etc down to #30) for each run and also for classification overall. You then carry forward your 2 best scores from each race as your "championship" points. If you ski out in the first run you have reason to charge in the second, that's good, sitting out the second run in GBR races achieves absolutely nothing. It simply compounds an already desperate feeling of failure.
- If some (or all?) of the Brit races (Anglo Scottish/ Ambition series/ Welsh/ English etc) were linked to together as series you could then shoot for a British "crystal globe"! AND it would also encourage more athletes to do the whole series........
- British races are too insular and often the field small. By their very nature they are held in "someone else's back yard" in the Alps. All race organiser should invite the local clubs (and importantly local expat racers!) to take part this would boost the fields and give the top 10 Brits some real targets to shoot for and ensure they don't become complacent!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Seems sensible enough BUT only if childs safety isn't put at risk - and its a big but, ill go onto explain.
Im British Eventing (horses!), there are 3 phases of competition - dressage, show jumping and cross country (being the highest risk) - Usually at lower levels / kids, dressage is don't first, then show jumping / cross country depending on timings.
The rule book states if you are eliminated from dressage, then you can't continue to compete. And heres the BUT. The TA/TD (Senior officials at the event) have to power to allow that person to continue to compete (scores not recorded) so they can gain experience. Each person is looked at on individual merit. EG if there were eliminated because of an error, no problem, however if they were eliminated because the rider is rubbish or the horse has become dangerous then they won't allow them to continue. Horse and rider safety put first, but where possible (most cases) people can continue to compete to gain experience.
You would like to think the FIS could use some common sense too wouldn't you......
So yes on the whole I agree
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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my experience of and FR and GBR children race safety has been very positive with GBR a notch higher than FR
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Here in Canada, U14 has some seeding based on national points. Seeding determines your bib number. They have 4 single run races over a weekend. First run is bib order 1-90, next 90-1, next 45-90,1-44, next is 44-1, 90-45. This is a good system. Typically 80-100 racers in girls and 90-100 in boys
U16 bib number is points and race order is by bib number. In a two run race those who DNF or DSQ first run get a second run at the end of the finishers and they get a time. This gives them race experience whilst still learning the hard lesson that they can't get finish or overall time for the two run race. This does not put safety at risk. Typically courses are reset for the second run. Again for better race experience.
Race skiing is an expensive sport; there seems little point to the BG attitude, it must dissuade competitors (or maybe their parents) rather than encourage participation. Racers should do what is age appropriate; not something that they may have to do in the future. It like me taking my 12 year old to see 18 movies, because one day she'll be there. Doesn't make sense or widen participation.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Over here in Colorado in U16s, they also run the DNFs/DQs at the end of the 2nd run - for the experience.
However, the jury can decide not to run them if there are delays and schedule gets tight.
For U14s they do single run races, as above in Canada.
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Each run of a GBR U16 race is seeded separately, seems strange not to allow DNFs from the first run to start the second.
@U16 rule change, You need seeding for U16s, how else would you prevent them from entering FIS races after they were 16 ?
The last BARSC races in Tignes invited the local kids to enter too, there was a thread here complaining about it.
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