2007 Sierra Ski-O Week
2007 Sierra Ski-Orienteering Championships
The Sierra Ski-Orienteering Championships is a multi event ski-orienteering (ski-O) championships in which competitors' scores for each event are accumulated to determine the top skier of each competitive class. There are no residency requirements, so anybody using cross country skis or snowshoes can compete. Beginners are definitely welcome at all events.
Overview of the Championships
The following championship highlights are explained in detail in the sections that follow:
- Sierra Ski-O Championships has one or more events. In 2007, we have seven events. If you complete a course at one event, you are in the championships!
- Competitive classes accomodate all skiing abilities.
Race against the best in your gender-age group or race on an easier course. - Each event has 5 courses designed to meet every ski-orienteering ability and the USOF guidelines.
- Awards are presented for competitive excellence and participation.
- Fully competitive classes get medals for the top three finishers.
- Less competitive classes get ribbons for the top three finishers.
- Anyone who attends all of our events gets the participation award.
- Scoring for the championships is accumulative and totally based on your performance, not just your placement.
- Point-to-point events give 100 points to the winner of each class and a percentage of 100 points to all other finishers based on their times.
- Score-O events events give 100 points to the winner of each class and a percentage of 100 points to all other finishers based on the number of controls they find. Tie scores are broken by comparing times.
- Volunteer credits are available for course setters and directors.
- Absence credits are available for people who cannot attend all of the events.
Qualifing Events
In 2007, the qualifying events for the Sierra Ski-O Championships are
- January 27 Bear Valley (Day 1)
- January 28 Bear Valley (Day 2)
- January 30 Royal Gorge (Day 3)
- January 31 Royal Gorge (Day 4)
- February 1 Auburn Ski Club Training Center (Day 5)
- February 3 Tahoe Donner Cross Country (Day 6)
- February 4 Tahoe Cross Country (Day 7)
If you finish a course at one of these events, you are automatically qualified for placement and medals (or ribbons) for the class you competed in. To increase your chances of placing well, you should compete in as many events as possible.
Competitive Classes
At each BAOC ski-O event, you can compete on any course, but your competitive class is determined by the course you ski or snowshoe, your gender, and your age. When there is a multi-event championship, your scores are accumulated for each class. Typically, your best chances of winning a medal occur if you race in one class, but people can switch classes.
For the Sierra Ski-O Championships, each fully competitive class determines the top ski-orienteer for a gender-age group. You can expect to be fully challenged physically and mentally for the expectations of that class. Gender-age groups that have greater physical ability do the longer and tougher courses. You can always opt to compete in a tougher class, that is, one that does a longer course than that offered for your class. Females can opt to compete in a male class, but males cannot compete in a female class. The fully competitive classes are as follows:
Class Course Description ----- ------ ------------------------------------ F-16 Orange Females up to 16 years of age. M-16 Green Males up to 16 years of age. F-20 Green Females up to 20 years of age (typically 17-20). M-20 Red Males up to 20 years of age (typically 17-20). F-21+ Red Females of any age (typically 21-39). M-21+ Blue Males of any age (typically 21-39). Amazon Blue Females of any age (typically 21-39) competing on the longest course. M40+ Red Males 40 years and older (typically 40-54). F40+ Green Females 40 years and older (typically 40-54). M55+ Green Males 55 years and older. F55+ Orange Females 55 years and older.
If you are not up to the full challenges of a fully competitive class, you can ski an easier course by competing in one of the following less competitive classes:
Class-Course Description ------------ ------------ M-Red Males aged 21-39 on the red course. M-Green Males aged 21-54 on the green course. F-Green Females 21-39 on the green course. M-Orange Any males on the the orange course. F-Orange Females 21-54 on the orange course. M-White Any males on the white course (typically new skiers) F-White Any females on the white course (typically new skiers)
Less competitive classes are recommended for new and novice skiers or people who prefer to not ski the toughest trails used to challenge the top skiers for their gender-age group. Lots of people ski in these less competitive classes and have a wonderful time. Ski the course that best challenges your skills.
The Amazon class is unique to BAOC ski-O events. This class lets women compete with other women on the longest and toughest course (USOF doesn't provide a unique class for this). This class is used only for the Sierra Ski-O Championships, not for USOF or IOF championships. For events that are both Sierra Ski-O Championship events and US or international events, members of the Amazon class compete in the F-21+ class for US or IOF championships ranking and also compete in the Amazon class (on the red course for just those events) for Sierra Ski-O Championships ranking. Females competing in the F-21+ class compete in their class at all Sierra Championship events, but if any of those events are US or IOF championship events they also compete against women in the Amazon class for the US or IOF championship ranking.
Anyone can compete in one or more classes, but they can use only one result per event for the championships (for the first competitive course they do (with or without completing the course) at that event, unless they were accompanying a child on the white course). Additional courses skied at the same event are not included in championship calculations.
Courses
The Sierra Ski-O Championships events typically offer the standard four USOF ski-O courses plus one. USOF recommends using white, orange, red, and blue, but BAOC adds a green course (short advanced course), so nearly all the competitive classes can compete on advanced courses. Each course is designed so that an elite winner of the fastest class on the course can finish the course in a time specified by the USOF guidelines for ski-O courses. As a general guideline, the courses have the following general specifications:
Course Short course Long course (1) Maximum climb (2) ------ ------------ --------------- ----------------- White 2- 3 km 3- 5 km 60-100m Orange 3- 5 km 5- 7 km 100-140m Green 5- 7 km 7-10 km 140-200m Red 7- 9 km 10-15 km 200-300m Blue 9-12 km 15-20 km 300-400m
- For two-day events with long courses on both days, the long courses are often reduced in length by 15-20 percent.
- Maximum climb is targeted for but not limited to 2 percent of the distance.
Point-to-point courses use the following design criteria:
Course Description ------ ----------- White Beginner and very easy intermediate trails. Each leg offers a single route choice (or easy route choice) that typically includes an easy trail choice at a trail junction. Controls are typically placed on a trail out of sight from trail junctions. Orange Intermediate and beginner trails with moderate route choices. A moderate route choice requires one major decision for an optimal route from two or more reasonable routes. Competitors need to master intermediate skiing skills (typically, handling moderate hills) to be competitive on the optimal routes and with control punching. Green Expert, intermediate, and beginner trails with complex route selections. A complex route choice offers two or more routes, some of which have significant sub-route choices to be made as well. Competitors need to master expert skiing skills (typically, handling steep hills) for competitive times on optimal routes and control punching. The expert trails used for this course are often easier than the expert trails used for the red and blue courses (no guarrantees on this). Red Same as green course, but about 40-50 percent longer. This course can be a shortened blue course, a lengthened green course, or something deliciously different. Expert trails used for this course are often tougher than the expert trails used on the green course. Blue Same as green course, but about twice as long. A 100-point elite skier should finish this course in 70-90 minutes. This course can be a lengthened green or red course or something fiendishly different. Expect anything and be ready to handle it. This course is not meant to be easy.
Score-O events typically use the same control setup for each of the four main competitive courses but use different time limitations for each of those courses. Typically, these courses allow for the following times (this is only a guideline--other times can be used):
- Orange 60 minutes
- Green 80 minutes
- Red 100 minutes
- Blue 120 minutes
The white course is typically a point-to-point course at score-O events. This prevents beginners from accidentally going after controls on expert trails when there are score-O courses.
Awards
The Sierra Ski-O Championships offer two types of awards for competition and participation. There are no residency or club membership requirements for these awards.
- For competition, medals are presented for the top three finishers of each fully competitive class and ribbons are presented for the top three finishers of each less competitive class.
- For participation, everyone who attends all of the championship events as a competitor or volunteer is presented a commerative award for their total participation. In the past, this award has been a 4x6 magnetic award that could be posted on a refrigerator or other metalic surface.
Scoring
The Sierra Ski-O championships are scored as follows:
- Your competitive scores count for placement and medals or ribbons as soon as you complete your first course for a qualifying event.
- Your total score is an accumulation of your competition scores plus credits for volunteering in a capacity that prevents competition for entire events or absences from events.
- Competition scores are calculated as a percentage of the winner's time (point-to-point events) or controls and time (score-O events) for each class at each event.
- For point-to-point events, the winner of each class automatically receives 100 points and everyone else in the same class receives a decimal percentage based on their time compared to the winner's time.
For example, if you took twice the time as the winner of your class, you get 50 points (winner's time divided by your time). The points, not the placings, for each event are accumulated for the championships. - For score-O events, scores are based on the number of controls found and tie scores are broken by factoring in a person's time on the course as follows:
- For each minute or fraction of a minute that a competitor is overdue the alloted time, subtract one control from the number of controls that competitor found.
- Determine the percentage of controls found compared to the most found by someone in the same class.
For example, if one person found all 20 controls and another person found 19 controls, one person gets 100 points and the other person gets 95 points (19 controls found divided by 20 controls found by winner equals 95 percent). - If two or more competitors found the same number of controls, the tied competitor with the least amount of time on the course gets the full number of points for the controls found and the other tied competitors get partial credit for the last control based on their time compared to the person with the least amount of time.
For example, if two people found 19 of 20 controls (95 points), but one person found themin 59 minutes and the other person found them in 60 minutes, the person who found them in 59 minutes gets 95 points and the person who found them in 60 minutes gets 94.9166665 points (90 points for 19-1 controls + 5 points (for the last control) times 59/60=94.9166665).
- For point-to-point events, the winner of each class automatically receives 100 points and everyone else in the same class receives a decimal percentage based on their time compared to the winner's time.
- To omit the confusion over which score-O courses are used for each championship class, we identify the score-O courses as white, orange, green, red, and blue (typically these courses use the same controls but have different time limits).
- To encourage people to volunteer as course setters and directors (or any other job that the BAOC Ski-O Committee agrees prevents them from racing), we are awarding each of those volunteers their top scores (ordered from highest to lowest) for each time they volunteeer. The number of volunteer credits cannot exceed the number of events they compete in and the total number of competition scores and credits cannot exceed the number of events in the championships. Volunteer credits must be applied to the class from which the competition score was taken. For example, if the championship has 7 events, you volunteered for three events, and you scored 100 and 89 in one class and 95 and 78 in another class, you get three credits to apply to your two classes of competition (one class could get credits of 100 and 89 and the other could get a credit of 95). If you do not specify which competitive classes and scores to use, the event management will attempt to apply the scores that give you the best placement (in their view).
- To allow for absences (not everyone can attend all of the ski-O events, so that could severly limit the competition), we are awarding up to three absentee credits which are 90 percent of the competitor's average competition scores (this includes the allowance given for volunteering). This is great if you went to all but one event and got scores of 100 at each but not as great (but still quite good) if you scored lower or missed additional events. 90 percent is used because nobody who is absent should score as highly as if they were in attendance, yet it is important to factor in an average performance to keep top competitors as competitive as possible. It is also important to encourage everyone, even those who won all previous events, to attend the last event.
- The number of allowed volunteer and absence credits is calculated to be roughly one for every three events, as shown in the following table.
Number of events Number of allowed credits 1 0 2 0 3 1 4 1 5 2 6 2 7 3 8 3 9 3
- A sporting withdrawal can count as an absence if the competitor prefers to do that, but the sporting withdrawal must be to help an injured person on the course or to perform another emergency function that prevents you from completing your course or being competitive. Sporting withdrawals are rare and subject to the event director's approval. Don't use this lightly--your petition for this status can be rejected by the event director.
- If you compete in one class for an event and then compete in another class for another event, you can apply your absence and volunteer credits to either class but the credits are based only on scores in the class they are applied to.
For example, if for a seven event championship you received competitive scores of 100 and 90 in one class and 95 and 85 in another class, you could apply two absence credits to one class and one to the other. For an absence credit applied to the first class, you average 100 and 90 then multiply the sum by 0.9 for an absence credit of 85.5.
- All people who show up and compete in good faith at an event (no cheating or purposely disruptive behavior), even if they do not finish, receive at least a score of 25. If you DNF, OVT, MSP, or make a huge mistake that keeps you on the course four times as long as the winner, you get credit for at least trying.
- Tie scores are differentiated in the final standings by comparing the following until a difference is found:
- Competitive scores at the last commonly competed/volunteered event for all tied competitors.
- Competitive scores at the second to last commonly competed/volunteered event (and so on) for all tied competitors.
- Competitive/volunteer scores from highest to lowest until differences are found.
To prevent people from manipulating the volunteer system after scoring has begun for the competition, volunteer scores are used for breaking ties only when the volunteer position was committed before the first competitive event.