How are Athletes Grouped?

Athletes train within their age group and are assigned a “lead” age group coach. Most age groups have two assigned coaches who travel to races with the team. You will get to know your lead coach very well through the course of the season. 

What do I need to Race, Train or just be a part of TMART?

Most importantly you will need to register and have an updated USSA license. This is mandatory to be allowed to participate in any TMART Team, DEVO, Training or Comp. This can be obtained here: https://my.usskiandsnowboard.org/myussa

The correct equipment is also required.

How Do Races Work?

First a racer must register. Registration for most ski races is done through adminskiracing.com. The process is easy, but deadlines are important to keep track of. The Coaching Staff keeps all of our parents up to speed on the why, when, and how’s of the registration process. Generally races are on the weekends and expect the day to start early. Our coaching staff conveys where to meet and how the day will proceed prior to the event. Ski racing consists of two timed runs. Before each run our athletes inspect the course with their coach to fully understand the best tactical and technical approaches. The combined times of the two runs determines placement. 

What Region is TMART in for Racing?

Clubs that ski race in Pennsylvania are part of the Pennsylvania Alpine Racing Association or PARA. PARA is a member of the United States Skiing Association or USSA. Within PARA we have four regions, East, Northeast, Central, and Western. TMART is a member of Central, along with Whitetail, Ski Roundtop and Liberty. 

Where does TMART Race and what are we racing for?

For U10-U14 TMART generally races in the Central Region. This means races are located at Tussey, Roundtop, Whitetail and Liberty. Our U12-U14 race in what are called Central PARA Qualifying Races. Qualifying Races consist of two individual “scored” runs, with each racer getting PARA points based on where they place per run, 1st place 100 points, 2nd place 80 points etc. What’s important is understand the each run is scored so if an athlete falls one run, that’s ok, they can still finish the other run and score PARA points. The objective is to accumulate as many PARA points as possible throughout the year. At the end of the year, those with the most PARA points qualify for culminating race, the PARA Derby. U12 and U14 each have their own Derby. The PARA Derby represents the fastest racers from each PARA region. Qualifying races also have a race within the race, as the athletes that complete both runs the fastest are awarded podium race trophies. U10’s are able to race in most U12-U14 race qualifiers, but PARA does not have a U10 Derby, so their individual runs are not “scored”. U10 race against other U10, with the fastest two combined times winning. 

 The U12-14 can race in other races outside of Central, i.e. other regions races, but these would only be for experience as PARA points can only be accumulated for TMART athletes in “Central Qualifiers”. U12-U14 have 5 Central PARA qualifying races per season, including a two race weekend at Tussey. 

The U16 race separate circuits from the U18-U21. The U16’s race in simply what’s called the U16 PARA Race Series and the U18-U21 circuit is call the Pa Cup Series. The Pa Cup rewards the fastest Man/Woman with the Governors Cup, representing the most outstanding racer in PARA. It would be amiss if we didn’t note that TMART has 10 of these prestigious Cups, including the 2022-23 winner, Van Glantz. 

For both the U16, U18-U21 the race structure is different from the younger age groups. These circuits are statewide races each weekend, not regional races like U10-U14. Also individual runs are not “scored” but rather racers are “scored”, meaning a racer must finish both runs to obtain PARA points. The PARA points are scored the same, 1st place 100 points, 2nd place 80 points etc. Racers with the most PARA points at the end of the year make up the PARA State Team and qualify for Post Season events in New England. 

What are USSA “Points”?

In addition to racing for PARA points, U16+ also start to race for USSA points. Essentially USSA points are what determine a racers start position. The lower the USSA points the better a start position a racer will have. First year U16 racers, or a first time racer of any age 15+, will have 999 points. Based on a racers finish, strength of field, and length of course, a racer will accumulate points that are subtracted off their current point total to determine an updated point total. This updated point total will be used to determine the start position for the next race. Racers with the lowest 15 points make up the top 15 start positions, generally termed the “top seed”. These top 15 are randomized to determine their first run start order. Racer 16 onward is slotted for their first run based on points. So the 16th lowest point racer will start 16th the first run, 17th lowest will start 17th and so on. For those racers stuck on 999 points, they go last. If multiple racers are in the field with 999 points (which is most common), they are randomized to make up the “last seed” of the run. 

For advanced racers, the main objective is to make the to 30 after the first run. This is called the second run “Flip”, which makes sense because the 30th placed racer goes 1st while the 1st place racer goes 30th. Racers fall into line 31st and onward based on placement after the first run. Finish both runs respectably and score USSA points, doing so gets a racer a better start at the next race. 

What racing disciplines do we train?

TMART athletes train both Giant Slalom and Slalom. Weekday gate training focuses on slalom skiing while our early morning weekend window allows us to have more room to safely train Giant slalom. Because our U16-U21 athletes may participate in Super GS, we encourage them to participate in the annual PARA Speed Camp at Okemo.

TMART Post Season

U12-U14 have a number of options for Post Season. Top U12 that ski well at their respective Derby will qualify to represent PARA at the prestigious Francis Piche Invitations at Gunstock Resort in Gunstock New Hampshire. The top U14 racers at Derbys will qualify for U14 Regional Championships. This race moves throughout New England from year to year. Those U14 that do not qualify for U14 Regional Championships are invited to attend an “Open” U14 Finals at West Mountain in New York. 

The top U16 racers in PARA qualify for the PARA State Team. The top 4-5 athletes will qualify for the prestigious U16 Eastern Championships. This race moves year to year throughout New England. For the next 6-8 athletes they have the ability to represent PARA at U16 Eastern Finals, a race that also moves from year to year. 

Top PARA U18-U21 athletes qualify for U18 Finals, also an event that moves from year to year. Those top U18-U21 athletes will start to consider racing in the next level up from USSA reginal racing to FIS racing.