Rocky/Central Alpine Region News Update - October 2020
Happy Fall. I hope this newsletter finds everyone happy and healthy. The Rocky/Central staff along with Regional and Divisional governance have been busy over the summer planning for the upcoming season. I know there are a lot of questions regarding how the season will look and if we will be able to race this year. I can tell you all we have been working hard to put together a competition season for all of you.
Racing will look different this season than it has in past seasons. Many of these changes will be for the positive. Some of the changes are as follows, the number of racers at a particular venue will be limited to 100 athletes and depending on local health orders it could be fewer athletes. In most cases genders will race on separate days and there will be two races in a day for FIS and National point scored races. Younger athletes will have 4 races in a day. This new format is an effort to limit travel and overnight stays. Most races in Rocky Mountain Division will be weekdays due to the limited number of skier numbers the ski areas are restricted to. Central Division athletes will be able to compete mostly on weekends.
FIS racing will start mid-December. U16 and younger racing will start after January 1st. A later start to the season will enable coaches and athletes to build a strong fundamental base before they move forward into race focus. This will pay dividends for our athletes in the years to come. This is a gift of time for our athletes. I look forward to seeing the results of the extra time.
Many of you may have heard, Rocky/Central U14 Junior Championships will not be held for the coming season. This is to minimize travel for athletes and their families. Each of the Divisions are working hard to put together a Divisional U14 Championships in its place. These events will be showcase events for our U14 athletes. Rocky/Central U16 Junior Championships have been confirmed at Steamboat March 1st through 5th.
As we finalize details to the race calendar and plans for how everything will be put together, watch the website, we will post information there as well as sending it out to your coaches. The theme for the year will be flexibility and adaptability as we move forward through the season. We will have to all work together, coaches, officials, parents and athletes, to have a successful season. A big thank you to all our local clubs that have been working diligently with their local ski areas to put together a plan for competing this season.
There will not be any new official’s certification this year. However, for those of you who need continuing education to keep your certification current, there will be a continuing education update clinic given in a webinar format. Check with your local official's chairman or website to find out how to register for these clinics. Rocky Mountain Ski Race Officials, rmsro.org, has their schedule up on their website. CR1 clinics are posted on their website. CR2 and CR3 will have their clinic schedule posted shortly on their websites.
A big shout out to our Rocky/Central athletes that competed in the World Cup opener at Solden. Two of our athletes earned World Cup points - Paula Moltzan finished in 10th!! And River Radamus finished 27th. Bridger Gile also earned a WC start in Solden.
I hope fall conditioning and training has gone well for everyone. I am excited for the upcoming season and everything it entails. I believe our athletes will come out stronger and better through all this. I wish everyone a successful fall training session.
Best wishes,
Darlene Nolting
Rocky/Central Regional Director
Patrick Mich
Central Division Manager
Kristina Revello
Rocky/Central Regional Coach