USSA Junior Olympic Program Eligibility

By Published On: February 21st, 2008Comments Off on USSA Junior Olympic Program Eligibility


USSA JUNIOR OLYMPIC PROGRAM

USSA, in cooperation with the regions and sites, has organized the Junior Olympic or junior national program into a highly competitive junior championship event in all of our USSA snow sports.
    The Alpine Junior Olympic Program will include six events providing a championship incentive for junior athletes from 11-19 years of age. These events are organized on a regional basis for the younger racers and on a national basis for the older juniors.

Eligibility
Event                             USSA                     FIS
Jr. 2 Olympics            Competitor         Registered
Jr. 3 Olympics            Competitor          NA
Jr. 4 Festivals              Youth                NA

Quotas
    Each USSA region fills its entry quota according to its own rules, subject to national guidelines. Please consult the regional chapter and handbooks for more information.
Junior 1 Olympics (17-19)
    Junior 1 athletes (17-19) will be recognized as the top performing juniors at the U.S. National Alpine Championships. The top 3 juniors (15-19) in each discipline and combined will be crowned as the National Junior Champions at the Nationals.
Junior 2 Olympics (15-16)
    The J2 National Championships was approved as a new event in the Alpine pipeline, beginning season 2004. Athletes will be selected to the J2 National Championships by membership on the USST or by their home Regions. This event will help focus development efforts on the top 15 and 16 years olds in an effort to ensure sustained performance at the World Junior Championships.
    The J2 Championships includes a regions cup. This regions cup will be calculated like the FIS World Junior Championship nations cup where the top 10 finishers in each event are awarded place points. The region with the highest total place points at the end of the Championship will be awarded the regions cup.
    The accredited coaching and staff delegation from each region will not exceed 15 individuals.

Quotas
1.    USST Automatic
2.    World Junior Championship Team Automatic
3.    20 Men and 15 Women per Region
4.    20 Men and 15 Women reserved for Development. Development considerations should include first year J2 athletes as appropriate.

Junior 3 Olympics (ages 13-14)
The USSA Junior Olympics program for racers age 13 and 14 culminates in three regional USSA Championships. The top finishers at each of these events will have the opportunity to compete at the International Children's event at Whistler, Canada.
    Each USSA region fills its entry quota according to its own rules. The various procedures used by each region are elaborated in the respective regional chapters and handbooks. Please consult these areas for further details.

Junior 4 Festivals (ages 11-12)
At this level the focus is on skill development and the opportunity to ski with their peer group rivals from other states and divisions. The respective regions manage quotas for the J4 Festivals. More information is available in the Regional Chapter of this guide.

Procedures
Athletes are eligible to compete only in the JO event of their USSA Region. Athletes are not entitled to compete in more than one JO event.

Contacts
The USSA regional directors manage and oversee the USSA Junior Olympic program. Contact your respective regional director for more information.

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About the Author: Pete Rugh