Points Explanation

The “RACE Points” Mystery

When Junior Racers enter the U14 level, they become eligible to “score” US Ski and Snowboard points. To be eligible, they must have joined the US Ski and Snowboard as a scored “Competitor.”

Each new U14 will start the season with 999.99 points in each discipline (SL, GS, SG, DH, and AC). As they finish races, their points will be reduced.

The competitors ‘points’ will be used to determine their race start position. The lower the points, the earlier the start (except for the 15 competitors with the lowest points). Competitors with 999 points will have their start position determined by a ‘random draw’ and will start after all the other competitors. The first 15 starts will go to the ‘top 15’ competitors (with the lowest points), who will also have their start position determined by a ‘random draw’. The aim of this system is to give the best competitors a chance to run the race course early, before it gets too beaten up.

Every time a competitor finishes a race, their finish time is compared to the finish time of the winner, and multiplied by a factor (published by US Ski and Snowboard- different for each event) to determine their ‘race points.’ The race winner automatically gets ZERO “race points.”

This system would allow a competitor to lower their points considerably by finishing well in a race with a mediocre field, while the same competitor racing against Marco Sullivan or Julia Mancuso would end up with very high points. To make the system fair, a ‘race penalty’ is added to each competitor’s ‘race points’. This ‘race penalty’ is a complex calculation based on the starting and finishing points of the best competitors in the race. When racing against Marco Sullivan, the ‘penalty’ would be very low. The ‘penalty’ will be high when racing against mediocre competitors. The aim is to make the total of the ‘race points’ and ‘penalty points’ become the same, no matter whom the competitor is racing against. Details of the calculation methods for both ‘race’ points and ‘penalty’ points is explained in chapter three of the ‘US Ski and Snowboard Competition Guide – Alpine’.

The US Ski and Snowboard publishes a point list several times a year. Each competitor’s ‘points’ are calculated by taking the average of their two best results (for each discipline). This means a competitor will have different points for SL, GS, SG, and DH.

A competitor’s race start position is determined by the points listed in the LAST US Ski and Snowboard published list (NOT by the average of the latest best results). After each race, the points for all finishers are sent to the US Ski and Snowboard. The US Ski and Snowboard has a ‘Closing’ date a few days before each new list is published. They will take the points for all the races that all athletes have finished up to the “Closing” date and use the best two results in each discipline to calculate an athlete’s points for the new list. The new list will be published on the ‘Valid’ date. The ‘Closing’ and ‘Valid’ dates for each list can be found near the front of the ‘US Ski and Snowboard Competition Guide — Alpine.’ Link to Points Lists

At the end of each race season, the US Ski and Snowboard adjusts the points of every racer in the US. This is because it is possible for the best in the US to get negative points, and the best in the US is supposed to have zero points. The adjustment is different for each discipline. Don’t be surprised if the hard-won points reductions for this season are adjusted upward for next season.

A new U14 racer can get their points for a specific discipline (SL for example) off the 999 base, by competing in, and FINISHING at least one race before the ‘Second Points List’ closes – usually just after the New Year. This will get them a fair start position in all races of that discipline after the ‘Second Points List’ is valid. If only one race is finished, the list will contain the points earned in that race, plus an adjustment because only one race was finished.

The first season for a new U14 will be spent trying to COMPLETE two races in each discipline so that they will get fair starts in their later races. The points generally reduce rapidly at the start of a U14’s racing career, but it becomes harder and harder to reduce points as the competitor’s career progresses.

New U18 racers start this process again with FIS (International Ski Federation) points starting at 999. Several FIS lists are published each year, with the points of every racer in the world.

For FIS races taking place within the United States, races are “dual scored”. This means competitors in FIS races earn both FIS and USSA points. Each is calculated separately based on their own points list. The calculation of race points is the same, however, the FIS penalty and US Ski and Snowboard penalty will almost always be different.

Full details of the points system can be found in the USSA Competition Guide – Alpine.

Competitor Points

1. log in to the U.S Ski & Snowboard website.
2. click on the My U.S. Ski & Snowboard button and log in again until you come up with your athletes dashboard.
3. Click on your atheltes U.S. Ski & Snowboard number and it will take you to the page that includes their points and history for all events.

  U.S. Ski & Snowboard FIS
Individual Athlete Points  Must Log In  FIS Competitor Biographies
Competitor Point Lists  Must Log In  FIS Points List

Summary of Points Rules

Ski racers are:

  1. scored by total points for each seeded competition in which they finish without disqualification,
  2. ranked nationally and internationally(FIS events) according to their earned total points,
  3. seeded in subsequent competitions according to their total points earned in previous events.

Thus, in ski racing, things are done ‘by the numbers’.  Points are used in ski racing because of the unique character of the sport:  there is no precisely defined standard field, track or course for competition.  Thus U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS points are designed to allow for variability of field strength and size to rank competitors worldwide using a common scale.  Lower points indicate better results.

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard points list ranks athletes with a valid U.S. Ski & Snowboard competitor membership who compete in any U.S. Ski & Snowboard event that is scored in the system. These events include most races for ages 13 (U14) and up.  FIS competitors must have valid memberships with FIS (aka an “international competitor license”) and are scored in events for races ages 16 (U18) and up.  FIS races are by invitation only with selection normally made using U.S. Ski & Snowboard points.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard points are calculated on a seasonal basis.  Each ski season, athletes points begin with the first points list of the year (the “Fall Points”).  For U.S. Ski & Snowboard, an athlete’s points cannot rise above their Fall Points for the duration of the season.  The points will lower in the event that one or more results is below the Fall Points.  At the end of the season, the points are “frozen” and then used as the basis for the next year’s points list, though they are adjusted by a small amount to “zero” them with the FIS list at the beginning of each season.

FIS points, on the other hand, are done on a rolling 12-month basis.  The best two results over the previous 18 months are used as the current FIS points.  This means during a season, a racer’s FIS points can go either up or down depending upon their results during the previous 12 months in each discipline.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS points are not continually updated; they are recalculated for each new list. There are many special circumstances regarding points calculations.  This section is merely an overview.  For more detailed information on calculating points, see Chapter 3 of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Competition Guide.

 

 


 

A simple explanation of the points system is available.

NOTE: Some sections may take several minutes to download.