School Ski Championships

Welcome to the 26th annual School Ski Championships hosted by the La Ronge Ski Club and Norther Sport, Culture & Recreation! As in other years, the School Ski Champs will include a reasonably short distance race, team relays and cash sprints. It’s pretty well always a good time!

Date & Time

Friday, March 6, 2024.

Bib Pickup by 10:00 a.m. Main race starts 11:00 a.m. sharp!! Bibs are to be picked up by school coaches/chaperones at the Don Allen Trails. Coaches/chaperones will be responsible for distributing bibs to the skiers in their groups as set out in a list to be provided by the race organizers.

Where

Don Allen Trails, 20Km north of La Ronge, at the Nemeiben Lake Road junction.

Registration & Deadlines

Registration deadline is Wednesday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m. Please note that ALL registrations must be made on the www.zone4.ca website.

Registration for the Junior and Open Relay: must occur using the Zone4 registration link when the coach/chaperone register.

Please be careful to register in the correct gender and age categories.

Zone4 registration requires a credit card payment at the time of registration OR you can bring a cheque made payable to La Ronge Nordic Ski Club upon bib pick up.

Late registrations may be accepted at the discretion of the Race Organizing Committee. Any late registrations accepted will pay an additional late fee of $10 per race.

Fees (per race)

Entry fee is $5.00 per skier. Cost for team relays is $10.00 per team. Zone4 registration requires a credit card payment at the time of registration OR you can bring a cheque made payable to La Ronge Nordic Ski Club upon bib pick up.

Who Can Race?/Skill Required

The School Ski Championships event focuses on school ski groups. However, the Championship is a Sask Cup event, and it is open to entries from ALL skiers regardless of age.

The event will accept entries from individuals who are not part of a school ski group, and those individuals will be able to earn Sask Cup points if they are registered with an affiliated
CCS ski club.

The Don Allen Trails have challenging terrain, therefore skiers should have the ability to climb the up hills and snowplow and slow down on the down hills if required.

Waiver

All competitors must sign a waiver as part of the online Zone4 registration. Competitors under 19 years of age must have this waiver signed by a parent or guardian.

Competitions

The main event is a free technique distance race with mass starts. Racers are to be at the race venue on Friday by 10:00 a.m. to be ready for the race start at 11:00 a.m. Race office opens at 9:30 a.m. at the Don Allen Trails and will remain open until the day’s official results are posted.

Relay Events:

In the Junior Relay, schools are invited to field a team of 4 skiers who will each ski a 300-metre loop (Wapoose Way short version). A Junior Relay Team must consist of 2 girls and 2 boys from the same school in the U12 category or younger. Schools will be allowed to enter more than one team.

In the Open Relay, schools are invited to field a team of 4 skiers who will each ski a 460-metre loop (Wapoose Way). An Open Team must consist of 2 girls and 2 boys from the same school.Skiers can be from U18 and under. Schools will be allowed to enter more than one team.

**NEW** Obstacle Course:

The obstacle course will be set up in the stadium area for skiers in the U12 and under categories. Skiers will be able to attempt the obstacle course as many times as they want during the 30 min time frame, while the relay events are happening.

Cash Sprints:

There will be fun, short distance cash sprints held in the stadium just prior to the awards ceremony for racers under the age of 18. $10.00 for 1st and $5.00 for 2nd.

Draw:

Seeding for start order for all skiers will be determined by random draw.

Schedule of Events

Click here to join the WhatsApp Group Chat for School Ski Champs/SaskCup#8.

Thursday:
Team Captain’s Meeting: 8:00pm - Meeting will occur via Zoom. Follow this link:
https://uregina-ca.zoom.us/j/3811022912

Friday:
Race Office Opens: 9:30am
Course Closes: 10:45am
Race Start: 11:00am
Relay Race Start and Obstacle Course: 12:30pm
Sprint For Cash: 1:00pm
Awards: 1:30pm

Event Categories & Distances

Individual Event Categories/Distances:

Relay Event Categories/Distances:

Start Lists

Will be posted on the Zone4 Event Page on Thursday, March 7 by 9PM and will be shared via email to all of the coaches/chaperones.

Course Maps & Profiles

Cancellation

In the event that weather or trail conditions require cancellation of the race(s), the Race Committee will notify Cross Country Saskatchewan by 12PM on Tuesday, March 5 if the race(s) must be cancelled.

Races must be cancelled, delayed, or postponed if the temperature on the coldest part of the course is below – 20oC. U12 – U8 categories must be cancelled, delayed, or postponed if the temperature on the coldest part of the course is below -15oC.

The Race Committee also reserves the right to modify the race format, distances and start times before or on race day due to weather or trail conditions.

Waxing Facilities & Policy

An indoor wax room with electrical plug-ins suitable for irons will be available to coaches and athletes. However, race organizers reserve the right to control the number of persons in the wax room at any one time. Please use the side door to enter the waxing facility.

Cross Country Saskatchewan follows Nordiq Canada fluoro policy. For the 2023-24 season there will be a full fluoro ban applied for all Nordiq Canada sanctioned events. Details can be found HERE.

Food

Free hot dogs, cookies and drinks will be served at the end of the race.

Rules

Cross Country Saskatchewan Sask Cup Series Rules (2023-24 version); and FIS ICR - CCR (Canadian Competition Rules) November Precisions 2021. Para Nordic categories will also be governed by Para Nordic International Competition Rules (ICR), October 2023. Sanctioning: Nordiq Canada Tier 2 and Cross Country Saskatchewan.

Unofficial Results and Protests

Unofficial results will be posted at the race office. The time of posting will be marked on the unofficial results. Any protests must be made to the Competition Secretary within 15 minutes of the unofficial results being posted, after which the results will be declared official.

Awards

Medals: for 1st, 2nd and 3rd will be awarded to racers in U20 and under competitive categories at the race stadium at the close of the races. All participants in the non-competitive categories will receive a medal for completing their event when they return their bib.

Banners: Gold banners will be awarded to the top schools in both a “large school” and a “small school” category based on participation points (1 point per finisher). Banners will also be awarded to schools winning the Junior Relay and Open Relay.

Official Race Notice

The official race notice PDF here.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact Gabe Andrews at gabe.andrews@usask.ca.

Accommodations

La Ronge has five hotels/motels where skiers may book a room:

La Ronge Hotel & Suites: Located on La Ronge Avenue (a busy hotel). Phone (306) 425-2190 to confirm rates and book.

Harbour Inn: Also located on La Ronge Avenue on the lake side 3 blocks east from the La Ronge Hotel & Suites (and next to the Legion Hall). Quiet location. Phone (306) 425-3262 to book.

Waterbase Inn: Located on La Ronge Avenue across from Robertson Trading. Phone (306) 425-5550 to book.

Riverside Motel: Motel located on the west side of Highway 2 just as you cross the bridge on the way into town. Phone (306) 425-2150 for room rates and availability.

Drifters Motel: Motel located off Highway 2 just as you turn into La Ronge on Brown Street. Phone (306) 425-2224 to book.

Eagle Point Resort: Resort is 2 kilometers north of La Ronge on Highway 102 and then 1.5 kilometers east on an access road. Resort has 2-bedroom cabins available for winter use. Phone (306) 425-2273 to book.