My experience at regionals...

[Simpson]

To begin a little background on me, I ski as much as my job/life allow and have for about 4 years. I have made enough progress to be convinced to "support the sport" and enter a local tournament. Just so happens I set my all time PB and scored well enough to qualify for nationals with a regional participation. So naturally I began making preparations to ski in both.

 

Fast forward to regionals, I arrived found registration and met the really nice ladies and got registered. They were very accommodating and provided me with the running order and got me setup with a practice set with an estimated time. Keep in mind this is my 3rd tournament, I asked when should I arrive for my set and the very nice lady said "you probably won't ski till 2pm tomorrow but if I were you I'd probably check in at 1pm" I said okay great.

 

The following day I arrived at 12:50 began towards the starting dock and heard "well our first skier Ian arnold was a scratch so this is...." I ran to the starting dock and began asking anyone who looked of importance, hey I'm here I just herd my name, after 3-4 people a girl holding some medals asked the guy changing handles if there is somthing to be done he with a empathetic look said "that's a chief judge question but I don't think so" so she radios the judge and sure enough he says there's nothing to be done. The girl tells me I can go talk to him if I want. He was at the opposite end of the lake I met him after running down there and he obviously knew why I was there and seemed to have a pre-disposed negative demeanor. I began to plead my case about why I was there at that time and that my division was still skiing and so fourth to a response "it's you responsibility to be here on time, once the event starts there's nothing to be done" I ask so your telling me this is over? "Yes there's nothing we can do". I turned and had a variety of emotions go through me #1 being anger, considered going to the office pleading my case again, making a scene all kinds of things but with how angry I was i decided to just leave fearing I would say things I may regret.

 

I'm not posting this to bash anyone. I recognize my faults in this I realize that at registration that was her opinion on a start time not a schedule, how was she to know that the sets would be really short or that I didn't know a soul there and wouldn't just be hanging out. I understand the chief judges viewpoint on the running order and seeding with me being bottom seed or this being the last event of a 5 day tournament. For all he knows I'm just a cocky self entitled punk. I really do understand that. I feel like things could have been handled differently on both sides I could have stayed and held my composure, the judge could have actuly cared if I skied or not... it certainly didn't help my view on competitive sking driving 4 hours one way spending several hundred dollars to be inadvertently guided to not getting a pass and potentially not being able to go to nationals.

 

Maybe someone can tell me if I'll still be able to ski national's since I had to "participate" in regionals and didn't or will my entry suffice?

 

In summary:

Don't ever expect to go to an event and not just be there all day regardless of the running order or your level of comfort at the venue.

[bigtex2011]

It's a bummer, but it happens all the time. I'm notoriously late so I usually have a buddy keep an eye on the running order for me.. At regionals and nationals a ton of people fall early or don't show up so the events are in a constant state of flux. I'm sorry it happened to you. I hope you keep skiing and this will just be a speed bump on the road.

[Horton]

@Simpson Especially at a big event like regionals you can't show up an hour before your "projected" time. The running order is the running order. The chief judge did his job.

[MISkier]

@Simpson, as I recall, the requirement to participate in Nationals for an event is that you achieve skiing position in that event at Regionals. It’s very unfortunate, but I believe you did not meet that requirement.

 

Please do not be discouraged.

[vtmecheng]

@Horton I think that response is a little on the cold side. @Simpson did what I would have done and likely what any inexperienced person would do, follow what they were told at check in. I'm not saying the judge's decision wasn't justified, rules are rules. This shows that maybe there should be a write-up or caned speech that the check in crew hand out or give to someone saying they are new. I could see an experience like that causing someone to decide to never try a tournament again. This is no different from any sporting event. At my first bike race I was identified as new and was given a lot of information and help from everyone to make sure I knew exactly what was going on and how it all worked. They wanted me to have the best experience possible, that's how a sport gains people.

[The_MS]

Midwest changed running order and a bunch of skiers missed flights going home. A M6 skier had to buy a new one way ticket out of Kansas.

[Deanoski]

yet another reason our sport is in the state it is in

 

love this is silly sport

 

 

let the guy ski I have seen this happen at a local tury and I was thinking to my self let him ski. what will it hurt. especially A FNG.

 

 

Deano

 

 

[MattP]

@Simpson I feel for you man! I was in the M2 Division and there were a handful of no shows/scratches besides you. Things went fast in the division before ours and there was even a run off that added to the M1 events time. In the events earlier in the day a lot of skiers were going down earlier than expected and there were many no shows. Things just got moving faster than expected.

 

The Chief Judge did his job correctly and followed the rules. He is a well respected judge and is always fair. The rest of us talked after the fact and would have wanted you to get your pull on the lake (not for placement) because you missed your initial ride. We were the last event of the entire tournament... Would not have hurt to pull you down the lake.

 

I hate to see someone come all that way and not ski. Don't let this experience put a sour taste in your mouth. Learn from it and move on. Trust me I have been there and have made some rash decisions in the past that I regretted, learned from and moved on.

 

Unfortunately you need to obtain skiing position at Regionals to Qualify for Nationals... I can't tell you how many stories I hear like this at Regionals and Nationals. Just show up early... I will say at the majority of Class C tournaments they more than likely would have worked you into the running order, but there are only 3 events a year that are Championships States, Regionals & Nationals. That is where seeding matters. The rest are for rankings.

[disland]

@simpson Request a waiver to get into Nationals. Send an email to your EVP. The "obtain a skiing position" rule is not there for this purpose. @JeffSurdej , Can you help this guy out?

[elr]

We really need to implement No Earlier Then times for the big tournaments.

[Andre]

I say let the guy ski!

[eleeski]

Sad to hear, sorry. Learning experience. You do now have an interesting story.

 

I got there a long time before I skied. Dock started to kill the time. It was fun and useful. Regionals is an experience that is more than just the time on the water.

 

Next year!

 

Eric

 

 

[Than_Bogan]

@elr YES! Perhaps at first blush it seems like any downtime on the lake would be horribly inefficient and it scares people off of "No Earlier Than" start times. But I think that fear is entirely misplaced. When setting "No Earlier Than" times, you use a wildly optimistic projection. It will nearly always be the case that the event actually starts after the time you stated. In this case, literally nothing changes.

 

If you do end up holding up the event, it can only be because you are running ahead of your wildly optimistic schedule!! So relax -- everything is going great AND nobody will miss their turn! Ahhhhhh....

[klindy]

Tough story to hear about and hugely unfortunate. It would be great to find a way to allow him to ski at the Nationals however, you also have to wonder how "fair" that is for the other competitors who DID arrive on time after a 4 hour drive and get in the water and ski. So allowing someone to ski who didn't ski regionals (or have a legitimate Regionals excuse) seems fundamentally unfair to all those who did ski at their appropriate place on the running order.

 

As a many time CJ, I target about 6 minutes a skier (10 an hour) for slalom (assuming everyone shows up). That's a good number to use to administer the schedule and anticipate when the day will end, etc. However, as a skier I would be conservative and use 5 minutes a skier (12 an hour). counting up the skiers will get you close (NO GUARANTEES!). Take another hour on top of that.

 

Looking at the running order there are about 45 or so slalom skiers before you (plus 3 trick skiers and a course change). So lets ignore the trick skiers and say about 4-1/2 hours of skiing. Anticipate an on time start that suggests on the water time about 12:30-1:00 - ASSUMING EVERYONE IS THERE! Using 5 minutes a skier that suggests a bit less than 4 hours. So being available at noon (again considering an 8am start) seems pragmatic. Again, I personally would take another hour off that and be there no later than 11am. During that time I'd watch how the pull skiers off the dock, watch the boat patterns, get to know someone new, say hi to old friends, etc. Note that this basically works for tricks and jump too with some slight adjustments.

 

I suggest the above as an example of how I do the math. As has been pointed out above you are ultimately responsible for however you want to handle it and as you gain experience you'll come up with your own bench marks.

 

Don't be discouraged!! I hope your next experience is far better!

[dvskier]

This is a sad story but regionals and nationals are run expediently. It will likely never happen to you again.

[Horton]

Part of what's unusual about this story is that @Simpson had not skied very many tournaments before regionals. By the time most people get to regionals they are aware of how things go and understand they have to be there early. Unfortunately knowing when to be there is an experience thing that he just didn't have.

[disland]

@klindy Not letting him ski at Nationals because it would be unfair to the other competitors in my opinion is overly aggressive enforcement of the rules. We need to be more pragmatic and not treat every situation like its the open division at the world championships. I am sure if you polled all the skiers in his division there would be no complaints, except of course the ones who also go nuts over all our rules

[klindy]

@disland and ALL of those polled would expect the very same treatment next year.

[aupatking]

A schedule should be a schedule

This guy’s first regionals he shows up before the registration official tells him to and he’s already missed his event. He’s out his registration money, gas, hotel, ETO from work,a weekend with his kids and his shot at going to his first nationals.

[Horton]

If you want to be mad at anyone it should be the woman at registration who made an unofficial guesstimate.

[dvskier]

My first regionals at Lymanland the lady told me to be there before the event started. Crystal clear, I arrived early, waited 4-5 hours then skied. It was my 4th tournament ever. I had spoken with several skiers in my club about start times, what to expect, etc. I had also checked my handle to ensure it was in spec.

 

When entering any type of compensation knowledge of the rules has to be paramount.

 

Sorry you got off to a rough start but you should podium next year. Don’t give up after all the work you’ve put in.

[Simpson]

@Horton I do understand the judges decision. I was most certainly not trying to attack him as he was very professional just slightly cold and again I have been in his shoes in another sport and understand why he responded the way he did. You are correct I didn't have the experience. I do appreciate the sympathy but that Is not the reason for my post. I wanted the question answered about being able to ski in Nationals or not and it has. (@disland thanks I may do so) If anything I would hope a dialogue could be started for a solution and change to the rulebook to prevent this for other skiers. I'm to hard headed for this to stop me but I can honestly say not competing anymore did cross my mind on the ride home and if you knew me that's not me. I do believe there are simple solutions to this problem such as @elr and @Than_Bogan suggested or @vtmecheng with identifying newer skiers at any event so they will be guided in the right direction and made aware of how things go. I would just hope my mistake can help in one way or another.

[bishop8950]

As said above, Experienced skiers know you have to be there early to make sure you don’t miss your ride. Several things impact the schedule perhaps none more than the weather. For example, If you have really strong winds things will speed up a lot. How can the host site predict this accurately?

 

The shame in this case and others is when someone affiliated with the event provides an estimated time and the skier doesn’t understand that this can change, and is then taken at full value. Party line should be “we don’t know when you will ski, here is the running order, monitor it one way or another to know when you are up”. Perhaps Online scoring, a buddy on site, yourself on site, etc.

 

Same stuff happens on award presentation and people miss that too. For awards, I would think the host site can say either “awards immediately filling the conclusion of the event” or “at some posted time”. If it’s a staffing issue, perhaps the boat judge can give the awards immediately following the event. Why not, they just worked the whole event. If the boat judge can’t, maybe the tower judges. Let scoring confirm placement hand hand out the hardware.

[John Brooks]

@Simpson , good points and sorry for that experience. I think as you mentioned, some sort of registration flag for Regionals and Nationals, indicating it is your first and/or having some Ambassadors to help walk you through if you have questions/new/give you some tips/ect to these great events.

[Chef23]

What happens stinks but it is very hard to predict the schedule. I always plan to spend most of the day on site.

 

Regarding Nationals reach out to your RVP and I would expect you will get a waiver for Nationals. I can't see a reason not to give you one.

[PatM]

A lot of hard work and little thanks go into running a regional. The more you get involved in tournaments the more you will understand why this happened and why they said no. There is little room for error due to tight times and multiple events/divisions and they do their best to keep everything on schedule. Unfortunately if they bend for you they have to bend for the next skier and it is a slippery slope from there.

Don't take it personal because although the judge may have looked cold I'm sure he/she was feeling bad for you. Your misfortune can not derail the other skiers and that is the way they have to look at it.

[Killer]

happened to me, almost word for word. new to competition, was told X start time, showed up early, etc..

 

after I left the site the day before the event, they changed the running order, nothing was posted anywhere... My division went from a mid afternoon event to first off the dock!

 

I had someone call me when I was preparing to leave for the site (1hr away) saying, "hey you're up next!". I was planning on being there for 4-5 hours before skiing, but I was now 2nd off the dock!

 

the difference between my situation and yours is I showed up, talked to the chief judge and he snuck me in to the rotation later in the day and I got a score for the books but I couldn't ski for medals as I was out of the division. no harm no foul. I ALWAYS make sure to be there at 8am or whenever the event starts now, otherwise I dont go.

 

I don't like that they didn't let you ski later in the day, no reason for that. We do this for fun, and there's a shortage of competitors, not an abundance. Hopefully all can learn from the situation and move on.

[6balls]

Feel bad for you. I mostly skied 3 round slalom tournies...I planned to be there all day. Show up at beginning, help dock-start and meet people, jump up in a tower and even if not rated for same hang out with the tower judge and learn to make scoring calls.

 

Hit some 3 rounders. Good fun. You are there for the day but get your money worth skiing, especially with a practice round the night before.

 

Some places you can hit a pair of 3 rounders in the same weekend...a Saturday and a Sunday and make it a 6 round weekend.

 

Not to discourage regionals and nats, but no comparison on skiing value for your $$ and a more relaxed atmosphere. At such class C's, I've missed my running order and been slotted in behind and I've seen the same for others...as long as I was pulled during the round of my division.

[Horton]

Everybody in the South Central region knows a judge with the nickname "Scratch". I got to the starting dock at Nationals one year and the skier before me was already skiing. Scratch was the dock starter and sent me home. Scratch and I became friends a couple years later and I hold him in high regard to this day.

[Keith_Menard]

reading this...it sounds like when there is a flight delay, you come in when they tell you, but the plane is gone. Sucks for all involved :(

[Simpson]

@Horton I'm curious what your response to "scratches" decision was at that moment?

[Horton]

I was angry but in reality it was my fault.

[art90notch]

I see both sides of this and still find myself conflicted about not letting someone ski. An official of the event told him when to be somewhere and not knowing any better he showed up when an official told him. Then the chief judge (doing his job, I get it) tells him he’s out. Maybe it was worth a conversation and a chance for a skier to have a GREAT experience to learn from instead of an experience where he feels further from the sport than ever. @Simpson is one of my best friends and I am very biased here, but I do have to wonder if these types of experiences for new skiers is partially why we continue to have the same old conversations about saving the sport. Need more GREAT experiences with our great sport!

[Tom351]

I also can see both sides, but it is worth considering that this type of thing can "snowball" if many people are not spending the entire day on site:

Things running more quickly than expected makes skiers more likely to be a no-show/scratch....and every scratch makes the schedule run even faster (increasing the likelihood of more scratches).

[klindy]

The recommendation by @John Brooks is right on point. If registration would have known it was your first Regionals (or first tournament!) they could have hooked you up with an "ambassador" to show you around, meet a few people, discuss how it goes, etc. Phone numbers could have been exchanged and a call or text saying - things are moving fast here, get to the site! - would have been ideal. Even in the most rushed situation you typically only need a skier or two to at least get a ride.

 

As far as changing things for the future - here's a link to the officials rules change request - http://www.usawaterski.org/pages/divisions/3event/RulesCommittee/AWSARulesAmendmentRequestForm.pdf

 

All requests get considered by the committee, not all pass out of committee. Passage by the BOD is required to get into the rule book. I will suggest that changes to this specific rule would be met with both enthusiasm and resistance. It's been a topic for years on various levels.

 

For reference the rules that apply are the first part of 4.02 and 4.03B2

 

4.03B2 incidentally is the same rule that might allow for a regionals excuse - " The EVP may excuse a skier for reasons other than those listed above, and with less than 48 hours notice, under extraordinary circumstances." Write an email explaining the situation. PM me for the address if you need/want it.

 

[ForrestGump]

@simpson sorry to hear about this. And I can empathize. It's happened to a lot of people. Including me, but not in waterskiiing. Instead it happened to me at a BMX national. Bought a $300 flight case for my bike. Flew to Vegas. Spent a lot of money to be there. And then for some reason thought I was moto 174 and I was moto 124. Showed up in plenty of time for my first of 2 moto 174s, though! lol Then crashed in the 2nd chance moto(I actually made it for moto 124 this time) and I was out with nothing to show but bruises, a broken helmet, and an empty wallet.

[Horton]

@BoneHead I suspect you still made the best of your trip to Vegas.

[ForrestGump]

I did. I also lost $1200 in South Point to try and make up for all the money I lost being an idiot.

[Kelvin]

@klindy Where is the rule regarding when a skier scratches from an event. I have seen at least 1 situation similar to Horton's where the dock starter/ACJ scratched a skier that showed up before the skier after him on the running order skied. In the other case, the skier was granted a ski ride upon protest. Maybe @horton should have protested.

[klindy]

@Kelvin more nuanced but 10.02 allows the CJ to grant a skier an additional 3 minutes upon request for a binding issue, etc. I’ve seen it granted for gloves/vest someone runs back to the car for; broken fins, binding problems etc. A fair amount of discretion but still solely up to the CJ to grant it after being asked. I suspect most skiers who understand the situation and know the skier is “right around the corner” would ask for the clock to start. Exceptions/adaptations for this are largely dependent on the site. Years ago all trick skiers were shuttled across the crossing slalom/jump course and that boat was the starting dock. If you were mid pack in that bunch and not on the “startling dock” to get into the boat, you were scratched (lots of scratches and protests that year- not sure how it worked out. Things like that tend to cascade quickly.

 

The other instance which is vaguely similar is someone finishing in the top 5 (any event or overall) and scoring zero (missed opening gate, 3 jump falls etc). If you are a current level 5 (a score above zero in the last 12 months) you meet the performance requirements to enter the Nationals. You still must take the water and attain skiing position.

 

I am not readily aware of any other provisions or rules which apply.

[mfjaegersr]

I'm struggling to find the word to best describe my overall reaction to the responses to this post...'appalled' is a bit stiff, yet on the right track...

 

File this one away as a perfect answer for the next thread bemoaning 'why our sport doesn't grow?' Seems like most of the focus - apologies, condolences, guidance and all - are on the one tree (@simpson missed his Regional ride)...with seemingly little mind paid to the forest (new guy has a shite! experience in his 3rd/4th tournament, could decide 'f this' and foregoes them altogether). Many examples of 'you're not the first, won't be the last...'

 

Respectful apologies @klindy for this call out....yet your response 'Sorry New Guy....here's the rule change request form' - DIY! - and better luck next year...' is simply....really... (at a loss for the right word again...) 'disappointing?' As an officer of AWSA...? I'm just scratching my head, thinking you could forward this input to someone on staff, perhaps have someone reach out to the New Guy, much less take ownership of developing some kind of Ambassador program as suggested above by many. But...'here's a link to the form' thanks for playing...? Boo...

 

Michael Jaeger

 

[Booze]

Ian, I was the dock starter and yes I was empathetic (thanks for saying it)...because I've been there done that and I hate to see an unintended scratch. I'll bear my misfortunes to the world now...

Case 1) Back in the old days you had to literally "check in" before your event started or get scratched. I was a newbie to the big tournament scene but spent the whole week onsite working Nationals in Destin (1993 or 94?) but never "checked in". After my event had started I learned somehow I was scratched. I was SOL....period...nobody could help or pull strings to get me back in. (BUT, me being a nonconformist I showed back up on the dock when it was my turn, strapped it on acting like I belonged there and skied.)

 

Then as Karma would have it...

 

Case 2) the next year Nats was at Okeheelee. I thought I had it all figured out. Had the new girlfriend with me, calculated the run times and when I should park, be on the dock, etc, etc. What I didn't count on (or know!) was the event being split into two on two lakes. Needless to say that nullified my calculations, I missed my turn and was scratched, and my ego...well, took a body shot to the ribs. Now that was a hard lesson! I could not blame anyone but myself. I should have checked out the onsite schedule/running order in detail.

 

So I'll say, ultimately the rules need to and have to be followed to keep the integrity of the tournament and competition on the level. Every skier has to go through the effort physically and mentally to be ready when its their turn...that's part of it. Chalk it up to experience and the next Regionals will be sweeter.

 

 

 

@Simpson

[Luv2Ski]

I've only skied 3 regionals myself now, but I thought you weren't allowed to change the running order for regionals or nationals?? Is this not correct? Someone earlier in this thread mentioned that the entire running order changed with no notice and he missed his turn??? I find that hard to believe (based on my limited experience). I always try to be way, way, way early of any projected time so that I don't miss anything! I know a few people who missed their turn at the SCR regionals because things were moving faster than they expected. So very unfortunate. I think this sport is a little tough, but the rules are the rules (I guess). What I find the most discouraging is watching skiers who are top in their division miss their gates, or not completing their opening pass and then they are done. It's devastating. Especially for boys 1 and girls one who are just getting started in the sport!!! Those young kids don't have the emotional maturity to process that situation and not be devastated. As a parent, it's very hard to watch. I think a slight bit more leniency might make this sport more attractive to a lot of people, especially for the large cost involved to participate.

[BraceMaker]

Here is a fix.

 

Your time is your time. However if someone isn't there or things are moving along swimmingly (due to people swimming in from the gates on their opener.)

 

Then move up people from later in the queue. There should be a set last time per event. Is m3 ends promptly at 230. If you were not at the dock when it was your turn you get pulled at the end but not if it goes past 230.

 

Also if you were not there at your time but someone else wasn't either you get pulled then easy as f.

[klindy]

@mfjaegersr I fully understand your reaction. Despite the seeming lack or empathy what I posted is in fact exactly how you, me or anyone else modifies a rule.

 

And I suggested some kind of ambassador is a great idea. It has been discussed at the board level. The challenge is getting connected. I was a tower judge the previous event. I would have been MORE than happy to spend whatever effort personally to improve the experience.

 

At the risk of unintentionally patting myself on the back, I don't think I know you at all. That's understandable so apologies if it sounds like I'm blowing smoke. There are a TON of excellent people in this sport who would be more than happy to fill that role. I'd like to think my history and example puts me pretty high on the list of "first to volunteer". In fact at the same Regionals I can easily recall explaining, preventing an unfortunate mistake or otherwise "improving" someone's experience. As unfortunately conceited as that sounds, few onsite would argue that I'm one of the "first responders" of sorts and freely give my time for anyone. Sorry @mfjaegersr but "you didn't try hard enough" is frankly pretty far out of line with reality.

 

In fact, what you clearly don't know is I was contacted by @Simpson per my offer, I have reached out to those who *might* be able to help. And provided @Simpson contact info to discuss.

 

I WILL take personal responsibility to strongly encourage some kind of Ambassador program in the Southern Region moving forward. It's been recommended and encouraged before. We need to double down.

 

The "chapter and verse" of the rule book above is purely meant as an education process. As I stated above there is a process that's pretty easy and accessible. It's not perfect, but it works. Far too many people are first to complain and never do anything about it (not even remotely suggesting it's the case here just a general comment). And if Ian (@Simpson) was vague or uninformed about the running orders at a seeded tournament I went out on a limb and assumed he (Or anyone else with a passion about this subject) may not know how to change things or even that they can!

 

My regret is I discovered this today and not yesterday while I was there too. Everyone can following the rules and still have a great experience.

 

@mfjaegersr, if you want to reach out to me personally and discuss this further I'm more than happy to forward my contact info.

 

edit - if I come off as even more of an a$$hole, I apologize.

[disland]

@klindy we dont always agree but I am glad you are here.

[disland]

One idea, the waterski results web site is really cool. We need to promote it more. Its awesome because you can see in real time how fast things are moving and hustle your ass out to the lake if the event is moving faster than you thought.

[JohnN]

From reading this thread, the take away from the current status quo I'm seeing is, for the 2 or 3 events that are competitions (not chasing rankings), trust no official, there may not be any "source of truth" that you can go to in advance, and get there early and figure it out for yourself. Kind of crazy for something at this level. I think this can be fixed, and not just for newcomers!

 

Implementing an optimistic no-earlier-than schedule, along with a, in the tournament announcement, place (and lead time) identified for posting any and all schedule and lake changes (like the USAWaterski event information site, which could be consistent across the country?) could make planning a whole lot easier for the loc, volunteers and competitors, and reduce the issues that arise.

 

FWIW, I do believe that if you're skiing for placement you have to ski in your assigned running order as running out of order may grant you an advantage.

 

[mfjaegersr]

@klindy I appreciate your response and the 'new' information shared (info that likely would have changed my original reaction). I apologized in advance for the call-out itself largely because I don't know you; how about another one? I apologize for not more clearly delineating the boundary of said call-out. Specifically, it was your *response* that felt...disappointing...and I believed that was a reasonable take given the context of your message and the link to the form.

 

My intent was certainly NOT to call-out or question your character or all that you DO...Do for the sport and AWSA Members.

 

I'm glad to read you're able to help @Simpson and kudos for taking the lead championing the Ambassador program in South.

[BG1]

The rules can sometimes be very punitive to a rookie or someone that gets held up for reasons out of their control (wreck on the interstate, etc.…). A possible solution popped into my mind. Allow all scratches to ski 2 passes at the end of the round for an official score of 0. This would allow the skier to at least get to ski after putting in all the time and money to do so, prevent the skier from losing their eligibility to ski nationals, and would not be “unfair” to the other skiers in the division. This would take a minimal l amount of time. If the skier falls on pass one the boat will be back for the next skier in 1 minute. If the skier runs the first pass the boat will back to the starting dock for the next skier in about 2 minutes. PS: I still think a skier should be able to ski Nationals if they skip/miss Regionals provided they just pay the Regionals registration fee. Some just can’t take that much time off and others just can’t afford both Regionals and Nationals.