This winter Australia is set to host FIS Junior events for the first time. The Open Junior races at the Australian Junior Championship at Falls Creek on August 31 and September 1 will be FIS events, with results in these races also used for Australian Junior Team selection as previously done. These races will be hosted by the Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club on behalf of SSA XC.
FIS Junior events provide FIS points in the same way as normal FIS races, however only skiers under the age of 20 are eligible to compete. For the 2019 Australian winter, skiers born in 2000 are the oldest that can compete. The other FIS races in Australia this winter are the Australian Open Championship events at Falls Creek on July 27/28 and at Perisher on August 17/18.
All age class results will still be used to determine the Australian Junior Champions, regardless of whether the skiers are FIS registered or not. The Australian Junior Championship has age classes for U20, U18, U16, U14 and U12, with the Open Junior category covering the standard events for the U20 and U18 classes.
What does this mean for junior racers considering which Race Licence to purchase for these season? For most, no change at all. Here is a summary of the different registration categories:
It is possible to upgrade registration to Cross Country National for athletes who unexpectedly qualify for the Australian Junior Team. However, FIS points cannot be awarded retrospectively, and skiers must have Cross Country International registration prior to the event in order to score points.
2019 SSA Membership is now due and available via the SSA website.