Tuesday 11 November 2014

Built for Speed - 2014-15 Event Calendar


Here it is the 2014-15 Event Calendar of the Built for Speed Southern Alberta event series

Sunday Jan 4 - Canmore Nordic Ski Club - check www.canmorenordic.com for the event notice

Saturday Jan 24 - Foothills Nordic Ski Club - check www.foothillsnordic.ca for the event notice

Saturday Feb 7 - XC Bragg Creek Ski Club - check www.xcbraggcreek.ca for the event notice


Key features of the B4S events are:

- events for 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 birth years
- events for other categories at the discretion of the host ski club
- ability groupings for each of 2001-04 birth years - ability categories: 1st year of racing, 2-3 years of race experience, 4+ years of race experience
- awards - as decided by host club
- banners awarded to top four participating clubs.  Points are earned based on finish positions.  Aggregate points will be posted on this website

Which clubs can participate in this event series?

B4S is for every club that is interested.


   

Wednesday 29 October 2014

Built for Speed 2014-15 - FAQs




What is the Built for Speed Event Series?

- an event series hosted by clubs in the greater Calgary/Southern Alberta region.

Who is the B4S series for?

- target group is 10-14 year olds.  However host clubs can expand their events to include older and/or younger age groups.

What does a B4S event look like?

- two to three race type events on one day.  Host clubs decide what events they offer. 

What type of events are offered?

- relays, indiv start, mass start, terrain park events, single technique events, downhill events, uphill events, pursuit events

How are age groups organized?

- single year, single sex age groups, ability groupings

What about ability groupings?

- B4S events aim to provide a positive experience in racing.  We want to create some success for as many kids as possible not just the ones who were born on skis.  Therefore, we ask clubs to provide three tiers within each single year/single sex age category:
      - getting started (for kids who are in their first year of racing)
      - been at it awhile (for kids who have been racing for 1-2 years)
      - seasoned skiers (for kids who have raced in 3 or more seasons)

Who decides on which ability grouping a child should compete in?

- parents in consultation with their club coach decide on which group to register their child in

How do you register for a B4S event?

- host clubs can use an online registration site like zone4.ca to set up the registration.  Clubs will charge a small fee to cover costs of prizing, and other things they might need to run an event.  The idea is to keep the registration as low a cost as possible.  $5 - $10 is an ideal total amount per kid.

What about prizing?

- host clubs decide on prizing.  It can be anything the club wants.  ribbons, medals, cookies, bookmarks, etc.  Clubs will earn points based on the finish positions of their kids in each category.  Points will be awarded to the every participating child for their club.  Higher points will be awarded to higher finishers in each category.  Club banners will be awarded at the end of each season and are provided by Cross Country Alberta.  Club banners are reused each season.

Which clubs won B4S club banners in 2013-14?

1st place - Foothills NSC
2nd place - Canmore NSC
3rd place - XC Bragg Creek SC
4th place - Crystal Ridge NSC

How long does a B4S event take from start to finish?

- host clubs should plan on starting their day by 1030 and wrapping up by 330pm.  A day might look like:

1000am - arrive on site
10-1030 - pick up race bibs and do a warm up
1030-1130 - event #1 - this might be an event like an individual start classic race
1130-1230 - lunch time
1230-130 - event #2
145-245 - event #3
245 - 330 - prizing, etc, and wrap up to the day

The goal is to give clubs time to get to the site in the morning without needing to leave too early.  If an event was held in Brooks, they might start their day at 11am instead of 10am to give people a chance to get there that morning.  Or if an event was held in Crowsnest, events might start at noon and wrap up by 4pm so that a trip there and home again to the greater Calgary area could be done in one day.

Why do this type of event?

- Sport Canada's Long Term Athlete Development plan and Cross Country Canada's Athlete Development Matrix both identify the importance of introduction to competition for 10-14 year olds.  The B4S series aims to try to organize children's events with a format that is age appropriate and not just a scaled down version of an adult race (which often is one race on a day).  B4S aims to provide more introductory racing experiences for kids so that by the time they decide if they want to be a ski racer, they've beein given some experience in an event series that is aimed at creating as much success as possible for kids.  For many kids, success has been shown to be an important predictor of whether an athlete continues on as a ski racer in high school.

Who is organizing the B4S series?

Events are self organized by participating clubs.  This website is hosted by Roy Strum, 2014-16 Alberta Ski Team Director with Cross Country Alberta. 

B4S is a collective effort aimed at meeting the diverse needs of clubs in our region. Some clubs are very large with professional coaching staff at world class facilities, while others are small clubs where people do their own grooming and are working hard at building something from scratch in a small rural communities. B4S aims to be a friendly event where complete novices can feel like they belong alongside kids in race suits. This model comes from sports like track and field where greater Calgary area clubs get together weekly in kids only events that help to introduce kids to competing before moving onto provincial level events organized by Athletics Alberta.
As a collective, events are driven by participating clubs and in the end clubs can do whatever they want. The CCA AST Director's goal in helping to lead the B4S series is to create a space where the needs of all clubs are weighed equally. Having more clubs from our region participate is good for everyone.

How do I find out about when B4S events are being organized?

Check this website.  B4S event host clubs will share their dates and links to their event will be published here, as well as on the Cross Country Alberta website.

Which clubs are targetted as participants in the B4S event series?

Brooks CCSC
Calgary SC
Calgary NTG
Canmore NSC
Crowsnest Pass CCSC
Crystal Ridge NSC
Foothills NSC
Parkland CCSC
XC Bragg Creek SC

Can other clubs participate?

yes!

Questions?
you can leave questions on this blog.  or contact me via the CCA website xcountryab.net

Friday 18 April 2014

Built for Speed 2013-14 Club Aggregate Final Points List




Greetings Southern Alberta Clubs

It has been a successful inaugural season of the Built 4 Speed Event Series in southern Alberta.  With 6 clubs participating in the series, this has to be considered a huge success. 

Built 4 Speed (B4S) was born out of a desire to expand participation in competitive skiing in southern Alberta.  After several years of thinking about what we could do to expand participation, a group of coaches from the region got together to dream up something new - something that would increase participation by local clubs.  Cross Country Alberta, was quick to jump on board to endorse this as a provincially endorsed regional event.  

The big idea with B4S was to create differentiated events - where some events targeted novice racers, and other events were open events.  The idea was to allow kids just getting started to have a chance to compete with similar ability kids because every club has kids who are just getting started - and lets face it, they could use some encouragement if what we are really interested in expanding participation in our region in competitive sking.

So often in ski racing the event becomes about the kids who ski the fastest.  B4S aims to do something a little bigger by making the event series about a 'team' event where every kid who participates earns points for their club according to their finish order - much like what happens at Nationals.  The club with the most points at the end of the season is recognized as the B4S Event Series Champions.  B4S also recognizes the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place clubs in the club aggregate award.

Clubs earning B4S event series banners will get to keep the banner until the final event of the series next year - in this way, the banners will travel around to various clubs.  Each of the 4 highest point earning clubs will also receive a mini-banner to keep forever.

B4S was a huge success in achieving its aim of increasing participation of southern Alberta ski clubs in a regional development event.  For the past number of years, participation in regional interclub events was primarily a two club affair in southern Alberta.  During the 2013-14 season, 6 ski clubs participated and earned points for their clubs. 

Here are the points

1st place - Foothills Nordic Ski Club - 2310
2nd place - Canmore Nordic Ski Club - 2200
3rd place - XC Bragg Creek Ski Club - 1568
4th place - Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club - 222
5th place - Calgary Nordic Training Group - 143
6th place - Alberta Biathlon Club - 52

Congratulations to all of the participating clubs.

There were many things that made this event series achieve its intended outcomes

- having two development events aimed at kids in their first two years of racing
- having two open events open to everyone
- having dedicated events where the B4S series was the sole focus - this happened in Okotoks, Calgary, and Bragg Creek
- having revenues generated from an event stay with the host club

see you all next winter!

Roy Strum
B4S enthusiast

Thursday 27 February 2014

Built for Speed Club Aggregate Points list up to Feb 15, 2014




Built 4 Speed is the new regional event series for cross country ski clubs in southern Alberta.  All interested clubs may participate and earn points.  There are 11 ski clubs in southern Alberta with development programs:  Canmore Nordic Ski Club, Calgary Ski Club, Calgary Nordic Training Group, Bow Waters Jackrabbits, Rocky Mtn Jackrabbits, XC Bragg Creek Ski Club, Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club, Brooks Cross Country Ski Club, Medicine Hat Cross Country Ski Club, Crowsnest Pass Cross Country Ski Association, Red Deer Nordic.

With one B4S event remaining on the calendar, Foothills Nordic Ski Club leads the Club Aggregate Points total.  XC Bragg Creek currently sits in 2nd place. Canmore Nordic is currently in the 3rd place position.  4th place is currently Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club from Okotoks.  The last B4S event will take on Sunday March 9, 2014, hosted by Canmore Nordic Ski Club at the Canmore Nordic Centre.  Registration is found at https://zone4.ca/reg.asp?id=6432&lan=1&cartlevel=1  The event will include a skate mass start race plus a downhill race.

Club Aggregate Points including Built 4 Speed #1, #2, #3


Club
B4S1 Calgary
B4S2 Okotoks
B4S3 Bragg Creek
total
Foothills Nordic Ski Club
1824
0
0
1824
XC Bragg Creek Ski Club
256
478
692
1426
Canmore Nordic Ski Club
584
508
0
1092
Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club
0
172
50
222
Calgary Nordic Training Group
136
0
0
136
Alberta Biathlon Club
0
50
0
50

B4S3 - hosted by XCBC - results and club aggregate points update



Built for Speed 3 - hosted by XCBC - West Bragg Creek Ski Trails - Feb 14, 2014

3.2 Kilometer Time Trial - Hostel Loop - West Bragg Trails

2000 boys
Jack Cochran - XCBC - 19:02 - 30 points

2000 girls
Keely Anderson - XCBC - 19:37 - 30 points

1999 boys
Jonah Morris - XCBC - 16:51
Dylan Curle - XCBC - 19:09

1999 girls
Lily May Bell - XCBC - 17:09
Danielle Murray - XCBC - 22:14

2001 boys
Ryan Curle - XCBC - 19:36 - 30 points

2001 girls
Miliana Giesbrecht - XCBC - 16:33 - 30 points

2.8km Time Trial - Telephone-Hostel loop

2002 boys
Darwin Orsler - XCBC - 14:55 - 30 points
Finn Anderson - XCBC - 15:36 - 28 points

2003 boys
Harrison Giebrecht - XCBC - 15:52 - 30points
Cayden Van Camp - XCBC - 22:10 - 28 points

2003 girls
Issy Orsler - XCBC - 16:00 - 30 points
Charlotte Trainor - XCBC - 20:41 - 28 points
Blaire Verkerk - Crystal Ridge NSC - 24:02 - 26 points
Sydney Maier - XCBC - 24:02 - 24 points

200m skate sprint

2000 boys
Jack Cochran - XCBC - 1;17 - 30 points

2000 girls
Keely Anderson - XCBC - 1:14 - 30 points

1999 boys
Jonah Morris - XCBC - 1:04
Dylan Curle - XCBC - 1:18

1999 girls
Lily May Bell - XCBC - 1:04
Danielle Murray - XCBC - 1:33

2001 boys
Ryan Curle - XCBC - 1:15 - 30 points

2001 girls
Linnaea Cartar - XCBC - 1:12 - 30 points
Miliana Giesbrecht - XCBC - 1:16 - 28 points

2002 boys
Darwin Orsler - XCBC - 1:03 - 30 points
Finn Anderson - XCBC - 1:10 - 28 points

2003 boys
Harrison Giesbrecht - XCBC - 1:27 - 30 points
Darian Welsh - XCBC - 1:33 - 28 points
Cayden Van Camp - XCBC - 1:32 - 26 points

2003 girls
Issy Orsler - XCBC - 1:26 - 30 points
Charlotte Trainor - XCBC - 1:42 - 28 points
Sydney Maier - XCBC - 1:56 - 26 points
Blaire Verkerk - CRNSC - 2:03 - 24 points



Club Aggregate Points earned in B4S3 - hosted by XCBC

XC Bragg Creek Ski Club - 692 points
Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club - 50 points

Updated Point List - including B4S#2 - hosted by Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club

 
 
B4S2 points
 
Canmore Nordic Ski Club - 508
XC Bragg Creek Ski Club - 478
Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club - 172
Alberta Biathlon Club - 50
 
 
Total aggregate points after two B4S events
 
Foothills Nordic Ski Club - 1824
Canmore Nordic Ski Club - 1092
XC Bragg Creek Ski Club - 734
Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club - 172
Calgary Nordic Training Group - 136
Alberta Biathlon Club - 50
 


Tuesday 4 February 2014

B4S3 - hosted by XC Bragg Creek Ski Club - Feb 14, 2014


Join XC Bragg Creek Ski Club on Friday, Feb 14, 2014 for a fun day of ski racing in the third event of the four event Built for Speed (B4S) event series.  The event will take place at West Bragg Creek ski trails.

This is the second 'development' event aimed at kids in their first or second year of racing, or who are just getting started with country skiing.  The first B4S development event held Feb 1 in Canmore, hosted by Crystal Ridge and was a huge success.  almost 80 kids participated all of whom were novice skiers and racers.

Registration for B4S3 is on zone 4 at https://zone4.ca/reg.asp?id=6458&lan=1&cartlevel=1 

Event information is found at http://xcbraggcreek.ca/ 

Trail maps for west bragg ski trails are found at http://braggcreektrails.org/projects/west-bragg-all-season-trail-plan/maps.html 

Saturday 1 February 2014

B4S2 - Results - hosted by Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club - Feb 1, 2014 Canmore Nordic Centre



1.5km Classic- Meadow-Bruin-Banff

2000 Boys
1.  Kota Postma             Canmore Nordic Ski Club       4:52.7

2000 Girls
1. Lily May Bell            XC Bragg Creek Ski Club      6:16.5
2. Keely Anderson         XC Bragg Creek Ski Club      6:45.2

2001 Boys
1.  Jack Menzies            Canmore Nordic Ski Club      4:49.1
2.  Elliot Jantz                Canmore Nordic Ski Club      5:21.2
3.  Lance Holland          Canmore Nordic Ski Club      5:35.5
4.  Wil Pollard                Canmore Nordic ski Club      6:03.6
5.  Ryan Curle                XC Bragg Creek Ski Club      7:04.4

2001 Girls
1.  Linnaea Cartar          XC Bragg Creek Ski Club     6:14.1
2.  Ava Holman             Canmore Nordic Ski Club     6:23.3

2002 Boys
1. Darwin Orsler            XC Bragg Creek Ski Club      6:12.2
2. Finn Anderson           XC Bragg Creek Ski Club      6:39.1

2002 Girls
1. Marike Henderson      Canmore Nordic Ski Club     6:35.1
2. Georgia Hutchinson    Canmore Nordic Ski Club     709.3
3. Mackenzie Neufeld     Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club   7:53.6
4. Grace Vervoort           Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club    11:37.2

2003 Boys
1.  Mitchell Martin          XC Bragg Creek Ski Club     6:55.6

2003 Girls
1. Issy Orsler                   XC Bragg Creek Ski Club    7:56.2
2. Charlotte Trainor        XC Bragg Creek Ski Club     8:55.6
3. Teagan McKenzie      Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club   8;57.6
4. Lauren Roberts           Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club   9:07.0
5. Blaire Verkerk            Alberta Biathlon Club                9:49.6
6. Anna Phillipi              Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club  10:15.8

Just for Fun
1.  Eric Fabbri               Canmore Nordic Ski Club      4:43.8


1km Classic

2004-05 Boys
1.  Dane Menzies           Canmore Nordic Ski Club    3:04.8
2. Kieran Brown            XC Bragg Creek Ski Club    3:16.5
3. Kip Manktelow           Canmore Nordic Ski Club   3:25.2
4. Peter Hutchinson        Canmore Nordic Ski Club   3:29.2
5. Tor Menzies               Canmore Nordic Ski Club   3:35.6
6. Arden Langford          Canmore Nordic Ski Club   3:40.6
7. Bjorn Baergen            Canmore Nordic Ski Club    3:56.6
8. Bryton Kapitza           Canmore Nordic Ski Club    4:17.5
9. Hugh McGregor          Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club  4:22.3
10. Christopher McQueen   XC Bragg Creek Ski Club     4:41.1
11.  Theo Fradette            Canmore Nordic Ski Club   4:42.1

2004-05 Girls
1. Sophia Wilson             Canmore Nordic Ski Club  3:08
2. Heidi Bryant                Canmore Nordic Ski Club  3:17
3. Tabitha Williams         Canmore Nordic Ski Club 3;56
4. Anya Klafki                 Foothills Nordic Ski Club  4;06
5. Patricia Cameron         Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club  5:15
6. Sawyer Walker-Fischer   XC Bragg Creek Ski Club  5:54
7. Megan Phillipi             Crystal Ridge Nordic SkiClub  6:37
8. Evelyn Merriam           Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club  7:18

2006-07 Boys
1. Logan Bryant              Canmore Nordic Ski Club  4:13
2. Gavin Winn                 Foothills Nordic Ski Club  4:40
3. Loagen MacQueen      XC Bragg Creek Ski Club  4:48
4. John William Young   Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club  5:11
5. Caleb Armitage           Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club  6:22
6. Kai Armitage               Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club  6:42
7. Peter Cameron             Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club  9:54

2006-07 Girls
1. Lucia Baergen              Canmore Nordic Ski Club    4:34
2. Nadia Klafki                 Foothills Nordic Ski Club    4:38
3. Sara MacFadyen           Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club   5:22
4. Allison McGregor         Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club  6:05

Downill Race - 1km - Wolverine Downhill

2000 Boys
1.  Kota Postma                Canmore Nordic Ski Club    1:17.8

2000 Girls
1. Lily May Bell                XC Bragg Creek Ski Club   1:35.9
2. Keely Anderson             XC Bragg Creek Ski Club   1:41.3

2001 Boys
1. Jack Menzies                Canmore Nordic Ski Club     1:18.8
2. Elliott Jantz                   Canmore Nordic Ski Club     1:26.0
3. Wil Pollard                   Canmore Nordic Ski Club     1:29.2
4. Lance Holland              Canmore Nordic Ski Club     1:31.1
5. Ryan Curle                   XC Bragg Creek Ski Club      2:08.2

2001 Girls
1. Ava Holman                 Canmore Nordic Ski Club     1:31.8
2. Linnaea Cartar              XC Bragg Creek Ski Club     1:39.5

2002 Boys
1. Finn Anderson              XC Bragg Creek Ski Club     1:35.5
2. Darwin Orsler               XC Bragg Creek Ski Club     1:38.4

2002 Girls
1. Marike Henderson         Canmore Nordic Ski Club     1:39.1
2. Grace Vervoort              Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club  1:59.9
3. Georgia Hutchinson       Canmore Nordic Ski Club         2:00.2
4. Julia Merriam                 Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club  2:28.1
5. Mackenzie Neufeld       Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club   2:31.3

2003 Boys
1. Mitchell Martin              XC Bragg Creek Ski Club     1:37.0

2003 Girls
1. Issy Orsler                      XC Bragg Creek Ski Club      2:32.1
2.Blaire Verkerk                 Alberta Biathlon Club            2:32.4
3. Charlotte Trainor            XC Bragg Creek Ski Club     2:38.2

Just for Fun
1. Eric Fabbri                    Canmore Nordic Ski Club      1:21.9


Wednesday 29 January 2014

B4S#2 - CNC - information for coaches

Hi folks

 Crystal Ridge has been busy organizing volunteers and baking cookies and will be providing the bulk of the logistical and volunteer efforts for the day.  Thank you to head coach Richard Vervoort and Assistant Ana McFayden for your efforts. 


you will notice a more detailed itinerary and a few changes to the day.  I want to remind everyone that the primary intent of B4S development events is to provide a positive race experience for children in the first or second year of racing or to children who are novice skiers.  As discussed at our coaches meeting in September, host clubs can decide on categories of children that they would like to include in the event they host - and that all B4S events should have as their focus the midget and minimidget age groups.




In addition to events for children born 2000-2003, Crystal Ridge has decided to include events for 2004-2007 birth years.  In addition to these two categories, in response to expressed interest, the event will include an unofficial category for 'experienced racers' (kids who are not novice skiers or kids who have raced for more than 2 years at several events per year).  This will allow experienced racers to participate.  Please note, children in the unofficial category will not accrue points to the club aggregate points in this event.  We hope this satisfies the expressed need to include all kids but still keep the focus on novice or less experienced racers as the primary focus of this event.

Registration numbers are currently at 56 kids.  It is encouraging to see that the vast majority of the kids who have registered are kids whose names you do not see at Alberta Cup Races.  This has to be considered a major success of this development event and supportive of the expressed intent of B4S development events as being events focused on developing athletes who do not have as much race experience.  The B4S event series was created with one of the major emphasis to be expanding participation of clubs from all over southern Alberta.  Bravo Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club for creating an event which has accomplished this mission! Bravo!

Please also note, that the event registration does not include trail passes.  All participants and adult skiers must have either a day pass or a season pass to ski at the Canmore Nordic Centre.  Please ensure your families know to bring extra money to pay for trail passes which cost betw $5 and $10 per person depending on age.

Please also note, that we will have a brief coaches meeting at 11am in the upstairs meeting room in the new part of the daylodge to review details.

Please also come with appropriate expectations of what this event should look and feel like.  It will not look like the Olympics or feel like a world cup or even and Alberta Cup race.  Think 'Old School'.  It will be a safe event.  A first aider will be onsite. 

Bravo Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club for the hard work you have done in pulling this event together.  We look forward to a very fun day  on Sat Feb 1 at the Canmore Nordic Centre.

If you have any questions, please let me know



Roy Strum
B4S Cheerleader
Lead Coach - T2T program, Canmore Nordic Ski Club
Race organizer mentor - B4S#2

Friday 17 January 2014

Club Aggregate Update - club points after B4S #1 - Jan 11, 2014


Built 4 Speed is the new event series for children born 2000-2003 in Southern Alberta.  A major focus of the series is on earning points towards the club aggregate banners.  Four banners will be presented at our season ending event in March 2014 in Canmore for the top four clubs in the event series.   The intent here is to give clubs a focus on team effort and participation.

Here are the Team standings after B4S#1

Foothills Nordic Ski Club - 1824
Canmore Nordic Ski Club - 584
XC Bragg Creek Ski Club - 256
Calgary Nordic Training Group - 136

Congratulations to all the participating teams!

Join us for our next B4S event on Feb 1 in Canmore hosted by Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club. 

Thursday 16 January 2014

Built for Speed Event #2 - hosted by Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club - Sat Feb 1, 2014 - updated Jan 29.14





Event Notice - B4S#2 - updated Jan 24.14

Hosted by Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club



The Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club is pleased to be hosting Built for Speed Event #2 at the Canmore Nordic Centre on Sat Feb 1 from 1130-3pm.  The event will include two different races – an individual time trial for kids born 2000-2003 and a mass start race for kids born 2004-2007 plus a downhill race.  in addition, we are collaborating wtih Cross Country Canada to offer a third event - Ski Cross - at the Terrain ParkThis is the first regional event hosted by Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski club, which is an enthusiastic new ski club from Okotoks, AB that offers ski programs at the Crystal Ridge Golf Course in Okotoks.

Technique - this is a classic technique event - no skating permitted.

Event Location:  Canmore Nordic Centre,  west end of Meadow area

Race Office – located in the upstairs meeting room in the Canmore Nordic Centre.  Race Office will be open at 1115am.

Who can register for this ‘development’ event?

B4S ‘Development’ Events are intended to be introduction to racing events that are aimed at children who have very little racing experience. For example, if your child is competing in the Alberta Winter Games, this event may not be appropriate.   Development events are aimed at novice to beginner racers.  Every ski club has kids who are in their first or second year of skiing/racing.  It is these kids that B4S Development events are aimed at. Please check with your coach to see if it is appropriate for your child to attend.  Registration is at coach’s discretion.  In response to expressed interest, organizers will offer an 'unofficial' category for kids who are experienced racers (more than two years of racing).

Registration

on line registrations will be accepted - $5/athlete.  https://zone4.ca/reg.asp?id=6342&lan=1&cartlevel=1

Trail Passes
all participants and parents who are skiing must purchase a day pass at the nordic centre daylodge.  this is in addition to the $5 registration for the event.  Please plan on bringing an additional $5-$10 for trail passes per person.  Canmore Nordic Centre Prov Park staff will hand out $174 fines for people using the trails without either a day pass or a season pass.  Day passes are not included in the registration cost.

Registration deadline:  Thursday Jan 30, 1150pm.


Lunch - please plan to bring a bag lunch and eat it between 11 and 1145 in our room in the Daylodge of the Canmore Nordic Centre

Categories and Events 

Single year, single sex categories
bib pick up at 1130 in upstairs room in new part of Canmore Nordic Centre daylodge.

Category
Event #1 1230pm
Event #2  130pm
Event #3 230pm
2000-2003
1.5km
Downhill race
ski cross event at terrain park
2004-2007
1km
Downhill race

Here is a more detailed itinerary for the the day

11am - coaches meeting upstairs in the new part of the daylodge
1130 - meet in upstairs meeting room of new part of daylodge to get bibs and some instructions on the B4S events - ski out to mine scar for the first two races

1230 - classic 1.5km time trial for 2000-2003 birthyears; mass start 1km time trial for 2004-2007 birth years - bring a bag lunch to eat munch on after you race.

130 - downhill race - top of wolverine trail down to meadowview for 2000-2003 birth years; top of barf hill to time trial start finish area for 2004-2007 birth years - begin skiing back to terrain park after race - bring a granola bar and water belt to munch/drink on your way back to terrain park.

230 - terrain park race - at terrain park.
315 -330 - awards and wrap up

timing results will be for official 2000-2003 categories only. 2004-2007 categories results will be by finish order only. results will be posted on zone 4 for 2000-2003 categories. 2004-2007 finish results will be posted on crystal ridge nordic ski club website - http://okotoksxc.wordpress.com/

This is a low key event and will not look or feel at all like a world cup race. The event is intended as its primary mandate to create a positive race experience for kids who have 2 years or less racing experience or who are novice skiers. In response to expressed interest, there will be an unofficial category for kids with lots of racing experience - this is at the discretion of the host club to decide on events at their 'development' event. This unofficial category will not accrue points towards club banners, but it will create an opportunity for all interested kids to participate. If you plan to register in the unofficial category, let the race officials know when you pick up your bib.



Awards

·               Finish positions will accrue points towards B4S club aggregate banners for official 2000-2003 categories.
·               Participation awards will be presented by the host club – e.g. cookies

Other information
-       we will have access to the upstairs meeting room in the Nordic centre day lodge.

Organizing Committee

Richard Vervoort – Head Coach – Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club
Ana McFayden, Warren Verkerk – Volunteer Coordinators
Roy Strum - Lead Coach - T2T program - Canmore Nordic Ski Club

Crystal Ridge Nordic Ski Club website

Course Details

There are several events on at the Canmore Nordic Centre on Sat Feb1.  Skiers participating in the B4S development event will be sharing trails with the general public. 

The interval start and mass start events will take place at the west end of the mine scar and use the Banff-Bruin- Meadowview trails.  The downhill race will take place on trails in the same general area.

Emergency Procedures

A First Aider will be present with a first aid kit.  Emergency response if a skier is injured will be to contact the Canmore Nordic Centre for emergency help.

Saturday 4 January 2014

Club Aggregate Banners - an important focus of the Built for Speed Series in Southern Alberta

Aggregate Points Assignment chart
For the 2013-14 season points will be assigned to clubs based on the finish position in each single year, single gender category according to the following chart:

1st place - 30 points
2nd place 28 points
3rd place - 26 points
4th place - 24 points
5th place - 22 points
6th place - 20 points
7th place - 18 points
8th place - 16 points
9th place - 14 points
10th place - 12 points
11th place - 10 points
12th place - 8 points
13th place - 6 points
14th place - 4 points
15th place - 2 points
16th place and greater - 1 point

After each event, a current points list will be posted on this blog site.

Banners will be awarded to the 4 clubs with highest number of points.
1st place - club with highest number of points
2nd place - club with the second highest number of points
3rd place - club with the third highest number of points
4th place - club with the fourth highest number of points

As an introductory race series, this series aims to focus less on the individual and more on the team.  B4S event host clubs can choose to award individuals in any way that they like.












Built for Speed Event #1 - Calgary - hosted by Foothills Nordic Ski Club

Hi Southern Alberta Cross Country Ski Clubs

The Built for Speed Series gets underway Sat Jan 11 at Confederation Park in Calgary.  Thank you to Foothills Nordic Ski Club for hosting our inaugural B4S event.

registration link - https://zone4.ca/reg.asp?id=6101&lan=1&cartlevel=1

race notice link - http://foothillsnordic.ca/new-race-series-built-for-speed/

The focus of these events are on:

- increased participation in entry level race events by southern Alberta ski clubs - we would like to increase the number of clubs who participate in these type of 'introduction to racing' events.

- club recognition - the focus isn't on individuals in this series, but instead on earning points towards being recognized with a club banner - four banners will be presented to the four clubs with the greatest number of points after four events.  All skiers will earn points for their club regardless of finish position.  We would like to take the focus away from the individual and place it instead on the team.  Host clubs can choose to present individual awards if they want.

differentiated events -  there are two different types of events in the B4S event series:
- open events - open to any skier in the age groups identified
- development events - entry at coaches discreation - focus is on novice racers - kids who haven't raced much.

Jan 11 - Calgary - Open Event
Jan 25 - Okotoks - Development Event
Feb 14 - Bragg Creek - Development Event
Mar 9 - Canmore - Open Event

- age groups - B4S events will include midget (2000 and 2001 in the 2013-14 season) and minimidget (2002 and 2003 in the 2013-14 season) categories at every event.  Host clubs can choose to include more categories than this if that fits for them.

Additional information about the Jan 11 Built for Speed Event in Calgary.


Dave Gammie (Chief of Event for B4S#1 in Calgary) and I chatted today - here is what i took away - most of the information is in the race notice - there were a few clarifications that are included below

three events - all classic technique
mass start  - 2.5 for midgets, 2 for minimidgets, 1.5 for peewees
jumps and bumps race - 900m for all categories - interval starts - three skiers in a start
relay - 6x500m - teams of 3, 4, 5, or 6 skiers

events will run concurrent 
midgets start with mass start and move to jumps and bumps, when midgets have finished their mass start, minimidgets do their mass start and then go to bumps and jumps race, etc.

warming tent - if numbers are sufficient, foothills has offered to rent a tent at their expense to act as a warming tent.  If numbers of registrants are not sufficient, clubs will need to bring their own warming tents.  A decision about renting a warming tent will be made in the middle of the week depending on race registration numbers.  Please promote this event with your clubs - it would be great to have a large numbers and a warming tent.

seating - clubs need to bring their own camping chairs to sit on in warming tents

bathrooms - Foothills will rent an appropriate number of portapotties for use by the event as confederation park golf course bathrooms are not available

water - clubs need to bring their own water to this event

results - will be posted on foothills.ca a few days after the event

timing - individual times will not be taken for this event - finish order will be noted

club aggregate awards - point will be assigned based on finish position in each single year, single gender age category.  club aggregate banners will be awarded on Mar 9 at the final B4S event in Canmore.