• More information is now available on the Speed Camp immediately before the Big Sky speed races in February.
• There have been changes to the race format for the Showdown at Bridger.  A new announcement has been posted.
• Missoula has added a release form that needs to be signed by the athlete or their parent if the athlete is under 18.  
• Once again, the division is putting together a YSL Program with player bios and opportunities for advertisers to showcase their business.  This program is for the YSL Championships to be held at Whitefish Mountain Resort March 23rd-25th.  Click here for information on how to submit bios or send in your ad.  NOTE: Deadline for submissions is February 20th!
• The Gold Points list has been updated.
• USSA Sport Education is offering parents a free "webinar" in two weeks on February 7, at 7:00pm Pacific time.  The goal of the webinar is to give parents a greater understanding of the long-term development of a ski racer and how they as parents can support their children along a path aimed at success in the long run.  It is a multi-sport presentation, so programs with multiple sports can encourage non-alpine participation as well.  The webinar does have limited access, and pre-registration is required to get access to the live presentation where parents may ask questions.  A recorded version of the presentation will be posted shortly after and available to everyone.  For registration and more information, go to:   http://ussa.org/news/free-parent-webinars-getting-most-your-skier-or-snowboarder.  Since the February 7 presentation is for Western parents only, Jon Nolting, the Sport Education Director, would be happy to customize content to include any particular parent issues that are hot issues right now, let him know.  Contact info:

Jon Nolting
Sport Education Director
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
1 Victory Ln - PO Box 100
Park City, UT 84060
T: 435.647.2078
F: 435.940.2818

• There has been a change in date and venue for the Winter ACC meeting.  It will now take place at Big Sky in the Mammoth Room at 5:30 pm. Friday, February 10th.   Coaches may attend.  ACC members, if you can not attend, please let Jeremy know who will be voting in your place.  Board members are not required to attend, but of course are welcome!  Agenda to follow.  We will go over the Western Region Planning meeting happening this Wednesday.  Roger will be our representative.  There is no General Winter meeting planned for the division.
• Big Sky is conducting a survey on the impact of ski racing on host resorts.  Any parents of racers who competed in the recent YSL races at Big Sky are asked to fill out this brief survey.  
• Congrats to Mallory Kelley (SRS) who won the 2011 Laura Flood Memorial Cup.  It is a combined SL/GS Award.
• Information on the Utah Tech series has been posted.  Payment and registration is due January 24.  Note that Park City has a release which must be signed by the parent of any athlete under 18.  The release is given to Roger, not Sherri.  College athletes must PREPAY for Snowbird.  College athletes, please make a note of Roger's phone number (406-600-3885) so he can represent you at the Team Captains' meeting.  
• A J4-only Speed Series at Big Sky has been added to the calendar, Feb. 10 - 12
• This season's ND Handbook is now ready.
• A reminder of the Travel Policy, found here.  Lodging and transportation arrangements are made with a certain number of athletes in mind.  Please acquaint yourself with the Travel Policy for Northern Division when it comes to payments and refunds.  
• There has been a change in the location of the YSL SG's in February.  The event has been moved to Bridger Bowl.  Please make a note on your calendars.  
• Intents for February WR FIS and (Out of Region) Divisional FIS and USSA races were due to Jeremy and Sherri by January 1st.  Intents for Nor Ams, FISU's, Out of Region and Canadian FIS FOR THE entire season (if you want) will now be taken care of ON LINE.  Coaches will have to register first.  Intents for Western Region FIS races, divisional FIS in other divisions, and out of division USSA races still need to come to Jeremy and Sherri the "old fashioned way". 
• Due to the reorganization of the USSA site, I have downloaded and posted the Master Packet of USSA forms to save others the trouble of finding these forms.  That zip file is here.
• The Technical Delegate assignments for our races have been posted.  
• The latest FIS rules and the 11-12 update have been issued.  
• USSA requires continuing education for its certified coaches.  For the 2011/12 season, coaches must have completed a full continuing education credit going back to July 1, 2009.  Continuing education opportunities may provide full or partial credit. Coaches are responsible to report their approved continuing education activities to USSA Sport Education.  Some opportunities include (this is a partial list):
• Taking a USSA on-snow clinic (full credit)
• Participating in a USSA Sport Education web presentation (live or recorded) (partial credit)
• Attendance at a National Coaches Academy (full credit)
• Participating on-staff with a NDS or U.S. Ski Team training or competition project (full or partial)
• Attending a USSA coaching conference (see below), or any coaching conference pre-approved by USSA Sport Education (full or partial)
• Attending a USSA Sports Science conference, or any sports science conference pre-approved by USSA Sport Education (full or partial)
• Purchase one of the USSA Elite Performance Series CD's (Sports Psychology, Sport Nutrition, or Strength & Power) and complete the corresponding online exam (full credit)in
• Completing a sports management course pre-approved by USSA Sport Education (full credit)
• Taking a college course in Sport Science, Sport Medicine, Biomechanics, or Sport Coaching (full credit)
• Attending a FIS TD update (full credit)

Clinics or events hosted by the following organizations specifically for the purpose of coaches education generally count as continuing education: USSA regions/divisions/states, PSIA and the USOC.  In a few cases the organizer will send attendees' names directly to USSA for credit, but it is the responsibility of the coach to confirm or report their activity to USSA Sport Education.  You can check your activity in the USSA database by signing in to myUSSA.  Events not counting toward continuing education credits include First Aid/CPR re-certifications or updates and USSA officials training and continuing education.  Coaching continuing education is in addition to the requirements to keep these current.  Intra-club training generally does not count toward continuing education.  For approval of Continuing Education credit, please fill out the USSA Continuing Education Request Form and email it to education@ussa.org, fax to 435.940.2790, or mail to USSA, Attn: Sport Education, PO Box 100, Park City, UT 84060.

• New certification guidelines for Alpine Officials have been posted.  All Officials who have tested and are certified need to go through an update every other year just to stay current.  
• The Comp Guide for the upcoming season has finally been posted.  Apparently, there will still be some updates to it coming out later this month, so check back on that occasionally.  
• USSA now has online events scheduling for sanctioned events.  Coaches or club presidents will need to register and have your Club ID # ready.  Note there is a late fee after November 15th!  Please note that events fees increased this year.
• For athletes to be considered for the "directors' quota", here is the form.  Fill that out and send it to Jeremy if you have someone you feel should be considered for that.  This would also include outside divisional FIS events within our region.  (ie, PNSA Divisional FIS).
• We are hoping to be able to offer coaches' clinics in the division.  To do that, we need at least 6 registered per clinic.  Scheduled so far are:
• Course setting at Bridger, Jan. 28th ($100)
• Level 200 at Bridger, Jan. 29th - 31st ($320)

For information on other offerings, click here.

• Just a reminder that the USSA membership deadline was October 15.  After that date, late fees apply.  The USSA's new user account system launched on May 1.  The new system provides a number of enhancements outlined below:
• Members may now use their email address as a username.
• Multiple members may be managed under one account by using the Profile Management tool.  Users should click the button labeled "Link Member I D's to My Account" to attach each member in the family to the account.   Once this step is complete they'll have the option to renew each member not registered for the season.

Online registration is greatly appreciated!   Live online chat support is now available from 8-5 Mon-Fri MST through Online Registration and Manage My Account.  Both tools are available through http://login.ussa.org.   A dedicated link to Member Benefits is also available through Manage My Account and Online registration.  Early registration is especially important for coaches and officials that are required to complete background screening this season.  Screening is currently required every three seasons.  Member Service can check if re-screening is required.  Please note, approximate screening times are several weeks for those who have resided in the U.S. for at least seven years.  Foreign screenings can take several months on average. 

• The Western Region (of which we are a part) has a new website.   Two items worth reading are the new USSA Concussion Policy and the age realignment going into effect 2012-2013.
• This year's forms (Team Agreement/Code of Conduct, Financial Agreement, Medical Release, and Indemnity Release), required for all J3's and older athletes to participate in scored races have been posted.  Coaches need to sign a Team Agreement as well!  They were due to Sherri Hale by Dec. 1, 2011.  The best way to send them is via fax.  406-545-2289.  OR, you can scan the signed forms and email them.  The least favored method is via "snail mail".  
• USSA has published recommendations for Alpine course setting for various racer levels.
• In addition to the USSA Competition Guide, there is a USSA/FIS Clarification and Update letter that covers various topics.  Some of those topics include:  Mandatory Coach Continuing Education clinic attendance, USSA Ski Up Agreement, Forerunners, Minimum Penalties for Scored Events, Race Document Submittal, and more.  Please peruse this letter to make sure you are acquainted with these updates.
• USSA Sports education has an online presentation series which would fulfill Credit hours for coaches.   Some of you may notice that your membership cards will say "expired" this fall, so this needs to be taken care of.  We could also tie it in with certification this December at Big Sky if necessary, but we will need to plan ahead to do so. Directions for registration and other information is here.  All coaches are encouraged to visit the sports education shop to find opportunities for credit hours.  Bob Petit and Sherri would like actual numbers from all of you at the fall meeting regarding clinics, so they can let Sport Education know if we need to schedule a 100, 200, or 300 in our area!
• A matrix showing the Alpine Officials' requirements and promotional ladder has been posted, along with a form to submit candidates for Levels 3 and 4.
• Teams providing "comps" to selected racers will need to send in the Division Head Tax form, located here.

2011 - 2012 USSA Deadlines and Form

It's time to get your racing license for next season!   To compete in a USSA Sanctioned Event, an athlete must be a member of USSA.  This year you can apply for your license ONLINE.   Membership information can also be sent by mail by downloading the application form and mailing it to:

Attn: USSA Member Services
Box 100
Park City, UT 84060

Or via facsimile to:

Attn: USSA Member Services
Fax: 435-647-2052

Please note completed applications will only be processed with proper payment.   USSA accepts Visa, Mastercard, personal and cashiers checks.   The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association prefers Visa.

The deadline to be included on the first alpine FIS points lists is May 31st.  To assure that your membership is processed for inclusion on any list, your membership materials must be received by USSA at least seven days prior to the closing date for that list.  Registrations are not considered received until they are complete.  It is the athlete's responsibility to ensure that his or her USSA and/or FIS membership registration is received.  You can contact USSA member services (435-647-2666) to check the status of your application.  Click here for the USSA registration form.  Remember to include your Northern Division fees.

Please note:  USSA and FIS points are not continually being updated they are recalculated for each new list.   For more information on how points are calculated, see chapter 3 of your USSA Alpine Competition Guide.

FIS License Applications

U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association alpine competitors registering for FIS who have not sent in their FIS registration by August 15, 2011 will have to pay $150.  To complete registration USSA must have a completed USSA Alpine Competitor application or renewal form, a completed FIS declaration and payment for USSA, FIS and any other applicable division or state dues.  This year, you can register online.  Or click here to go and download the Adobe registration application.

The FIS and USSA hardcopy forms require the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free here.

Northern Division Handbook 2011 - 2012

Download this useful guide to racing rules for the Northern Division.  

Payment

Payments for racing fees can be made to the following.   If you are using credit card payment, please note that we only accept American Express, Visa, and MasterCard.

Sherri Hale
Northern Division USSA Manager
P.O. Box 217
Whitefish, MT  59937
(Home) 406-225-2432
(FAX) 406-545-2289
(Cell) (406) 871-7429
nodivmanager@northernussa.org

Sherri Hale
Northern Division USSA Manager
P.O. Box 217
Whitefish, MT  59937
(Home) 406-225-2432
(FAX) 406-545-2289
(Cell) (406) 871-7429
nodivmanager@northernussa.org

 

Northern ACC Chairman Jeremy Ueland (406) 579-7005 acc-chair@northernussa.org	Northern Division President Rick Duncan 2248 West River Rd Deer Lodge, MT 59722 406-846-9631 (H) 406-846-2757, ext. 26(W) 406-560-5021 (C)
Join our mailing list to learn more about upcoming events and racing results from the Northern Division USSA! Contact Sherri Hale to get on the E-mail list.