MT. INSTITUTE SKI LEAGUE BYLAWS

Established in 1982, revised Nov. 1999,  Dec. 2002, Oct. 2005. 

 

The following bylaws constitute the governing procedures for the Mount Institute Ski League, an organization of independent and public schools from Massachusetts and Connecticut competing in interscholastic alpine ski racing.  (This league was originally constituted as the Mount Institute Race Series; the name of the league was changed by vote at the November, 1999 league meeting.)

 

SCHEDULE

 

1.     The Mt. Institute Ski League shall generally consist of 5 divisions: Boys Varsity, Boys Junior Varsity, Boys Junior, Girls Varsity, and Girls Junior Varsity.

2.     In the event of inclement weather, the league president(s) shall confer with Berkshire East, league coaches and school Athletic Directors, and make a timely decision regarding race cancellation.  Postponed meets may be re-scheduled on an available date as determined by Berkshire East and the league president(s).

3.     The regular season schedule generally consists of six or seven races:  3 or 4 slalom and 3 or 4 giant slalom races for varsity, four GS and three SL for junior and junior varsity.  In the event of a race cancellation, the remaining schedule may be adjusted by a vote of the coaches.

4.     The races are scheduled to start at 3:15 p.m.

 

LEAGUE OFFICIALS

 

1.     The league shall be lead by two co-presidents.  They should divide duties.  These duties include:

·         Provide an accurate accounting of the league finances.  All funds left over, after expenses, remain the property of the league.

·         Determine the annual dues for each participating team and independent entry.

·         Negotiate with host venues appropriate fees.

·         Assign duties, to participating schools in the league, required for each race.  This includes starters, gatekeepers, and other race officials.

·         Assign bib numbers for each school to use for each of their teams.

·         Purchase trophies for individual and team honors.

·         May appoint a league statistician to:

o        Process both team and individual race results for a given race.

o        Maintain current and final team and individual standings

o        Report results and standings to the coaches and/or athletic directors and local newspapers.

o        Provide timing sheets and running orders for each race.

 

RACE OFFICIALS

 

1.     Prior to the first race, the league president(s) shall appoint team coaches to fill the following positions on a weekly rotational basis:

·         Varsity Course:  3 or 4 Course Officials (jury members),  Assistant Starter, and Starter.

·         Junior Varsity & Junior Course:  2 Course Officials (jury members),  Assistant Starter, and Starter.

2.     It is the responsibility of the Course Officials to:

a) be current with all MISL and U.S.S.A. rules as they apply to ski racing and these league bylaws.

b) report immediately any and all protests and/or infractions of the the above rules to the league president(s) (or write down disqualifications while gatekeeping during the race).

c) be in visible sight of the course while the race is in progress, offer verbal assistance to racers who are unclear how/whether to proceed, replace gates and conduct other minor course repair as needed

d) report to the timing shack immediately after the completion of the last racer's run, and remain there until all disqualifications have been determined and any and all protests have been resolved.

3.     The League President(s), in consultation with jury members, shall decide on any race procedures while the meet is in progress (such as cancellation of a second run when time or conditions warrant, for example).

4.     Head Gatekeeper’s responsibilities:

a)  assemble a meeting of the gatekeepers, give them instructions on fulfilling their duties, and assign them to their designated gates.

b)  collect the gatekeeper cards at the conclusion of each run, and ensure that gatekeepers have properly filled out their cards, including drawing a diagram for each fault.

c)  present the cards to member(s) of the race jury, providing details on any faults that need additional explanation.

d)  in situations where the jury may need to hear a gatekeeper’s explanation directly, the head gatekeeper should bring that gatekeeper to the timing shack to present his explanation to the jury.

5.     Gatekeepers:

a) Each school in the league will provide at least one competent gatekeeper at each race to tend gates and record any faults (disqualifications).

b) It is the responsibility of the gatekeepers to report to the head gatekeeper thirty (30) minutes prior to the scheduled start of the race. The gatekeepers must remain at their assigned gates for the duration of both runs unless replaced by another gatekeeper from their school, or told to move by the Head Gatekeeper.

 

RACE PROCEDURES

 

1.     Team lineups must be submitted to the league statistician by eight o'clock (8:00) p.m. the day before the race. Substitutions (of unseeded racers only) can be made up to 15 minutes prior to the start of the race.

2.     Bib numbers for each team will be assigned by the statistician prior to the first race. Bib order for each team will be established and cannot change during the season.

a) Changes may be made within a team as to who wears what bib number.

b)  Each school will be responsible for providing a complete set of clearly printed bibs for each of their teams.

3.     Course inspection will take place in accordance with USSA rules.

4.     Any skiing of the course prior to or during the race (except for the racer's official run), "shadowing" of the course, or infraction of inspection rules may lead to racer disqualification.

5.     Racers shall start in their designated position. Racers not meeting their designated start may be disqualified.    A provisional run may (or may not) be awarded by a jury member in accordance with U.S.S.A. protest rules.  All provisional runs will occur at the end of the run for that gender.  The USSA standard guideline of “force majeure” shall apply in determining whether a missed start constitutes disqualification.

6.     Re-runs and all other race procedures will generally be run by USSA rules. In situations where MISL, USSA, and/or FIS rules conflict, the relevant MISL rule pertains.  If no MISL rule exists to cover a situation, the relevant USSA rule applies.  If there is no relevant USSA rule, then the FIS rule applies.

7.     Racers with a DNS, DNF, or DSQ in the first run may ski a second run if in the Junior or Junior Varsity division, but may not ski a second run if in the Varsity division.

8.     Penalties for rules infractions follow USSA standards, and generally consist of disqualification of the racer.

9.     Protests of disqualifications or other race jury decisions must be presented to the race jury immediately following the race.  The protest procedure generally follows that prescribed by USSA, although there is no protest fee.  A jury of officials will deal with any and all protests. The jury will consist of the assigned course officials and the league president(s).  A jury member who represents (as the coach) an athlete submitting a protest must recuse him/herself from the vote of the jury.  A majority vote decides the outcome of the protest, with the league president(s) casting any necessary tiebreaking vote.

10.   The league president(s) reserves the right to change the division of any racer who is misplaced according to their ability and represents either 1) an unfair advantage or 2) a danger to the safety of the skier and/or others.

 

COACHES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

 

1.     Coaches should know and inform their racers of all league rules and all USSA rules pertinent to racing in the MISL. Special attention should be applied to: racer's responsibility, re-run procedure, racer interference, course inspection procedure, gate keeping, equipment, grounds for disqualification, and protest procedures.

2.     Coaches should keep safety as their primary concern and demonstrate responsible judgment in the placement of their skiers in a division that is in accordance with the skier's skill level, athletic ability, and maturity.

3.     Coaches are representatives of the Mt. Institute Ski League and are responsible for reporting any and all observed infractions to the league president(s).

4.     Coaches are reminded that they are responsible for their athletes’ conduct during the race.

5.     Coaches should be respectful of the working responsibilities of race officials and other coaches.

6.     Coaches should take care of necessary protests and questions, and keep racers from interfering with the work of the timers or other race workers or officials.

 

RACER'S RESPONSIBILITIES

 

1.     Helmets appropriate to ski racing must be worn by every ski racer on the race course in both GS and SL competitions.

2.     All competitors’ skis must have a working ski retention device.

3.     Racers must wear their bibs so that they are clearly visible during their race run.

4.     Unsportsmanlike conduct (for example:  foul or abusive language, throwing of equipment, malicious destruction of race course), may result in disqualification from the race and an additional one (1) race suspension.

5.     Racers must adhere to all regulations of Berkshire East Ski Area, including "skiing under control" and only on open trails. Failure to adhere to these rules will be considered unsportsmanlike conduct.

6.     Use of tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs while at the host venue will result in disqualification from the race and an additional race suspension.

7.     Stealing will result in expulsion from the league.

8.     Coaches are to encourage racers to assist with course maintenance, in particular by slipping the course, whenever possible.

 

RACE SCORING PROCEDURES

 

A.  Scoring of Each Race

1.     Each team will be allowed seven (7) racers per meet. Teams must have at least three (3) members to qualify for team points. Otherwise racers will be considered "independents" (see rule two below).

2.     Independents apply to the league president(s) for admission. Schools are allowed no more than two independents per division (three racers constitute a team). Independents will be assigned bib numbers and start positions at the end of each seed.

3.     Each division will be scored as a separate race.

4.     Scoring for the Varsity divisions will be based on combined times. Scoring for the Junior and Junior Varsity divisions is done by comparing a racer's better time out of two runs.

5.     Racers who are categorized as DNF (Did Not Finish), DSQ (Disqualified), or DNS (Did  Not Start) do not score team or individual points.

6.     Team points will be awarded according to the following formula.  First place receives, as points, the number equaling the total possible number of competitors. This number will be determined prior to the first race and will remain constant during the course of the year. The number will be calculated according to the following formula: 

(total # of divisional teams  x 7) + total # of divisional independents

Second place receives one less point, and so on down to the last finisher.  Racers who DNS, DNF, or DSQ (for both runs in Junior or J.V. divisions) will receive no points.

7.     Team totals will be determined by adding up all of the points scored by the top five (5) members.

8.     The winner is the team with the most points for that race. Subsequent places are awarded to teams in decreasing order.

 

B.  Season-long Scoring & Team Standings

1.     Season team points are awarded to teams on the basis of meet finish. The first place team is awarded a number that is equal to the total number of teams in that division. Second place is awarded one less point. Teams that do not compete are not awarded points.

2.     At the end of the regular season, divisional champions will be awarded to the teams with the highest season team point total, according to the following:

For both team and individual scoring:

a.  If all 7 races are held, the best 6 results count.

b.  If 6 races are held, the best 5 results count.

c.  If 5 or fewer races are held, then all results count.

If there is a tie then the tie-breaker will be based on total race points earned by each team for all races that counted (counting the team’s top five finishers only).

3.     Individual standings will be determined by adding the racer’s points from each race as per the above rule. The racer with the highest total score will be awarded League Champion for their division. Each successive place will go to those who have the next highest point total.  In the event of a tie in any of the top three places, the total time for each race that counts for the racer will be computed.  The racer with the lower total time shall be awarded the higher placing.

4.     These awards will be announced in an awards ceremony held after the completion of the regular season.

 

 

The USSA Competition Guide (a complete list of all USSA rules) is available at the USSA website at:

www.ussa.org