I'm a first time racer. What will the course look like? Club races are usually held on a short GS-style (Giant Slalom) course on a green or easy blue slope. Two identical courses will actually be set up in dual (side by side) format, and each course will consist of about 12 - 16 gates (poles with colored banners). You must turn around each of the gates as you ski back and forth, across and down the slope. One course will have red or yellow gates and the other will have blue or green, but you'll only ski one or the other depending on whether your race number is odd or even.

I'm afraid that I'll go too fast, lose control and crash! Don't worry -- these courses are set up so that it's actually hard to go fast. If you can get down a slope where there are people standing around, and you can avoid crashing into any of them, then you're ready to race. You can snowplow or sideslip the whole way if you want to. If you're still concerned, go with a friend and take a practice run or two if there is a race course open to the public. If you want more practice time, along with expert advice, you can take a race clinic that might be given prior to the club races.

What if the person on the other course is a lot faster than I am? That's not fair! You'll only be racing against the clock -- not the other person. In fact, don't pay any attention to the other person. If they lose control and interfere with you in any way, you'll get to race again.

How will I know when it's my turn to go? Your club will race as a group and will be assigned a time slot or race "window". Your race director will let you know in advance what your start time is. Ski down to the start house at the top of the course prior to the assigned time, and look for other members of your club. You'll be given a sticker with your race number on it called a "bib". Wrap the sticker around one of your poles, below the grip (look at what everyone else is doing). Don't trade bibs with anyone else, even if they have your favorite number. (Your entire club will be disqualified if anyone races with a number other than the one assigned to them.) The next step is to form up in two lines, in bib number order, with odd numbers in one line and even numbers in the other. Race officials and club representatives will be directing all of this, so it won't be as chaotic as it sounds -- in fact, there will usually be plenty of fun and lively conversation going on all around and you'll really feel like part of a team.

What happens at the start? While you're waiting in line, watch the racers ahead of you and observe how they line up in the starting area. When it's your turn, line up behind the timing wand (it starts the timing clock for your course when you push it open), and point your skis in the general direction of the first gate. (You'll know which way to turn by watching the other racers.) Plant your poles a short distance downhill on the other side of the wand. Get comfortable and wait for the starter to say "Racers ready…Go", then just push off downhill with your poles whenever you're ready. Don't ski directly at the first gate, but aim for a point several ski lengths higher up the hill before you start your turn. Repeat for the rest of the gates and before you know it you'll be crossing the finish line.

What am I supposed to do when I get to the bottom? At most races, your time and handicap (score) will be announced over a loudspeaker shortly after you finish. Your time and handicap will also be posted on a board at the bottom of the course later on. Try to remember your handicap, but don't worry too much about your time. As soon as possible, move away from the finish area and wait with other club members for the rest of our racers to finish. This is also where a group photo might be taken, so stick around for a while if this is the case.

How do I find out if I earned a medal? The resort will usually post the results by bib number on a board somewhere at the bottom of the course. Your race director or other club representative will also be given a complete list of results for all our racers shortly after you are finished. They will try to let you know ASAP if you've won a medal. If you haven't heard, don't be afraid to ask. Your handicap score, along with your age and gender will determine whether or not you've won a medal.

What is this handicap stuff all about? Someone said I might get a higher handicap than him, but he's older than I am -- that doesn't make sense! The NASTAR handicap system gives recreational racers a way to gauge their progress throughout the season and can be used to compare their abilities with other skiers regardless of where and when they race. Prior to the start of the season, a National Standard (time to which everyone is judged) is set by the fastest ski racer in the United States as determined by members of the U.S. Ski Team who participate each year in the National Pacesetting Trials. The fastest racer at this event will receive a "0" handicap -- the handicap from which everyone is judged. Former U.S. Ski Team members, including AJ Kitt and Doug Lewis, also participate in the Trials allowing them to receive handicaps as well. As traveling pacesetters, they then compete against certified pacesetters from each resort at various Regional Pacesetting Trials across the country. Each pacesetter at the Trials receives a handicap so they can set the "0" handicap or “par” time for races at their resort.<br> Before the start of a race, a certified pacesetter from the resort will make a timed run down each of the yellow and green courses. The pacesetter’s handicap and the times from these two runs will determine the par time for each course. (The two courses will usually have slightly different par times.) The par times are (theoretically) considered to be the times that would have been posted by the fastest ski racer in the United States. Then each time you race you earn a handicap score. Your handicap represents the difference between your race time and the par time, and is expressed as a percentage. It's easier than it sounds -- if you receive a 15 handicap, you are (theoretically) 15% slower than the fastest ski racer in the United States. So the handicap that you receive after a run is determine solely by your time and the pacesetter’s time – the calculation has nothing to do with age, gender or phases of the moon! Here’s an example: Suppose the resort’s pacesetter, Bradford “the Bomb” Bragberger, has a handicap of 5, and that Brad ran the green course today in 21.0 seconds. Then the par time for the green course will be Brad's time divided by his handicap or 20.0 seconds (21.0 / 1.05 = 20.0). Now suppose that one of our racers, Marvin “the Mogul” Mahemski, roars down the green course in 28.0 seconds. Then Marvin’s handicap for that run will be 40. Why? Well, because Marv’s time divided by the par time for the green course (28.0 / 20.0 = 1.40) tells us that he was 40% slower than the par time.

Big deal -- how will that tell me if I'm getting a medal? And how do I find out if I scored any points for the club? Well, there's one more piece to the puzzle. The TSC uses a handicap table similar to the NASTAR handicap table that will answer both questions. (Check the TSC or SCSC web sites for a copy of the table.) Let's use the table to find out if Marvin "the Mogul" earned a medal and how many points he earned for the club with that great 28.0 run. As of 12/31/2005, Marv is 37 years old, so we find the row in the table for male, 35 to 39 (see below). Marv's handicap of 40 is less than 46, which is the maximum handicap that someone of his age group and gender can have and still earn a bronze medal, but it's greater than 30, the maximum for a silver. Therefore Marv "the Mogul" will get a bronze medal, and we also see at the top of the chart that he has earned 36 points for the club -- way to go, Marvin!

Hmm -- okay, so how much faster did he need to go in order to get a silver? That's easy! He would need a handicap of 30 or less to get a silver, so if we multiply 1.30 times the par time for the green course we get 26.0 seconds (1.30 X 20.0 = 26.0). This means that Marv was just two seconds away from the silver (28.0 – 26.0 = 2.0). Next time, Marv!