IMD, USSA, FIS License Information
· Wed Dec 5, 11:10 AM by Timothy M. Weston
Every year, as race season approaches, the coaches field a lot of questions regarding licenses. This is a tricky subject, especially for athletes and families that are new to the program. It would be easiest to say don’t ask questions, buy all of the licenses, and FUHGEDDABOUTIT! To keep costs down, we only recommend certain licenses for certain athletes. The intent of this document is to describe the 3 types of licenses, what purpose each license serves, and which license(s) you need for the coming winter.
Licenses generally serve two purposes:
1. Certain races only allow entry to athletes that hold certain licenses. For example, to race at Senior Nationals, an athlete must have a valid USSA license. To race in World Cup, an athlete must have a valid FIS license.
2. Licenses get the athlete on a ‘points list’ or a ‘ranking list’ — e.g., an Intermountain license will get Jane Doe onto the Intermountain ranking list, which is necessary for her to score points at the Intermountain Junior National Qualifiers (“JNQ’s”) and to qualify for Junior National Championships.
The 3 types of licenses: FIS, USSA and IMD
FIS: International Ski Federation license.
This license is necessary for an athlete that intends to race internationally, or desires a world-ranking. For example, if a BSF athlete qualifies for World Junior Championships or the J1 Scandinavia Cup trip they would need an FIS license to compete abroad.
USSA: United States Ski Association license.
USSA is the governing body of our sport. Available at the USSA website under “Cross Country, USSA Membership Form.”
This license is necessary to compete in national-level races, or if an athlete wants to obtain a national-ranking. Certain races around the country are sanctioned by the USSA as “National Ranking List” races, which means they are use a pre-determined scoring system and will effect the USSA Ranking list. The USSA Ranking List is one part of the selection criteria to make an Olympic Team or World Championship team.
All SuperTour races, Senior Nationals, Junior Nationals, and Intermountain JNQ’s (J1 and up) are “National Ranking List” races — but that does not necessarily mean an athlete needs a USSA license to compete in those races.
For example, at our Intermountain JNQ’s, the J1 and OJ races are “National Ranking List” races, but an athlete does not need a USSA license to enter the Intermountain JNQ’s. That said, if an athlete enters these races without a valid USSA license, they will not earn the “USSA points” that other racers may earn.
*In order to race at Junior Nationals, an athlete must have a valid USSA license. We recommend this license for any athlete that is confident he/she will qualify for (and attend) Junior Nationals.
*In order to race at Senior Nationals, an athlete must have a valid USSA license. Any athlete we invite to Senior Nationals needs a USSA license.
IMD: Intermountain Division license.
Available at the Intermountain website under “Competitor Info.”
This license is necessary to earn points at the JNQ’s, which is how an athlete qualifies for Junior Nationals. We recommend this license for any athlete that will attend any of the Intermountain JOQ’s this season. This license is necessary for anyone that hopes to qualify for Junior Nationals.
Race Summary:
Intermountain Junior National Qualifiers:
• open to any athlete (*must meet BSF criteria, as set forth in the BSF handbook)
• athletes need an IMD license
• J2, J1 and OJ races are scored for IMD points
• J1 and OJ races are scored for USSA points
Junior Nationals:
• athlete must qualify for Junior Nationals (by scoring IMD points at JNQ’s)
• athletes need a USSA license
• J2, J1, and OJ races are scored for USSA points
Senior Nationals:
• open to any athlete (*must meet BSF criteria)
• athletes need a USSA license
• all races are scored for USSA, FIS, and SuperTour points
SuperTour:
• open to any athlete (*must meet BSF criteria)
• races are scored for USSA, FIS, and SuperTour points
SPAM Cup, Lindley World Cup, other citizen’s races:
• open to any athlete
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