October 27, 2012 – The principal objective of a DOUBLE CROSS competition is to bring together elementary school age children to experience the fun and excitement of applying their cross-country skiing skills to challenging terrain in an environment of adventure and intra-group competition. Each participant in a Cross Country Canada-sponsored Double Cross event will receive a free incentive award

HOSTING REQUIREMENTS
Cross Country Canada (CCC) will sponsor Double Cross events hosted by it’s member clubs based on the merits of the respective proposals it receives.

What is a “Double Cross” Competition?
Since the introduction of skating, higher technology equipment and new race formats such as sprinting, pursuits and mass starts, cross-country skiing has picked up speed and grown in excitement.  At the leading edge of this trend is “Xtreme X-Country”, which at a basic level involves learning ski through jumps and bumps and other features in a “terrain park”, or ski playground.  Xtreme X-Country emphasizes basic athlete skills such as balance, agility, strength, and the ability to adapt basic sport skills to an unusual setting. To keep in step with this new dimension of cross-country skiing, CCC has developed the “Double Cross” program which uses a ski playground/terrain park for a competition course.

Who is Eligible to Host CCC-Sponsored Double Cross Competition?
CCC member clubs.

How to Apply?
To be eligible to host a CCC-sponsored Double Cross competition, a club must submit a short proposal that includes an outline of the activities planned. The date and location of the event, the registration fee (if any), the name of the club, and a contact for the Double Cross Organizing Committee (name, phone number, email and postal address) should be included.

To apply, email your proposal to the CCC Office at mail to: charris@cccski.com, or Cross Country Canada, Bill Warren Training Centre, Suite 100, 1995 Olympic Way, Canmore, AB, T1W 2T6.

Applications will be considered as submitted until supplies of materials run out.

Selection Criteria

Host clubs will be chosen based on:

• appropriate facilities,
• how well the proposal addresses the objectives of the program,
• the club’s ability to guarantee a well-organized event, and
• a minimum of 20 participants.

Who Can Participate?
CCC-sponsored Double Cross competitions are open to participation by club members as well as individuals who are not affiliated with a club. Host organizers are strongly encouraged to promote this event in local elementary schools and to other sport groups in their community. The intention is to encourage increased participation by those who are not members of clubs as well as those that are!

Skiers born in 1999 and later are eligible. Skiers may only enter in one age category for the duration of the event. When a skier initially registers, they can enter in a higher age category, but not a lower one.

Participation Award
CCC will provide Double Cross event organizers with participation awards that have a promotional benefit in the community, to hand out to each child who is eligible and who participates fully in this event. This year the club will get to choose from a number of participant awards for this event e.g.Technical T’shirt.  Host clubs must notify CCC of the expected number of participants, and the breakdown in sizing, a minimum of 21 days in advance to allow sufficient time for shipping.  CCC will pay for shipping the particpants free incentive awards to the host club, but the club will be responsible for shipping charges when returning unused items back to the National Office.

Note that participation in this activity is a requirement of “Target 14” in the new CCC Track Attack program for children 10 to 12 years of age.

Registration Fees
Event organizers are encouraged to keep their entry fees as low as possible (or nil) to encourage participation. The incentive award must not be used as a benefit in determining the registration fee.

Technical Information
The age categories should be the standard cross-country categories listed below. However, joining two age groups together, providing a category for every year of birth, or providing categories for or both male and female are all appropriate options depending on the number of participants.

Organizers need to decide in advance whether the race will be skating technique only, classic technique only, or if skiers can use either technique.  Other decisions might include the use of poles – or not, mixed age categories, boy/girl teams, etc.  Numbered race bibs will be essential.

The competition course requires an elevated start, and should be designed so that skiers can build up speed during the early stages of the race.  The objective is to have a fast, roller-coaster course that demands fast turns, jumps and shifts in technique.  The best venue to do this may be your club ski playground or terrain park. For ideas on how to set up a ski playground, refer to pages 57-66 (2008 version) of the NCCP Introduction to Competition Coaching Reference Material, or alternatively Page 400, Section 8 in the NCCP 2011 version of Community Coaching Reference Material.   You can ask your Division for a copy of the Ski Fun video.  Note however, that the course must be suitable for the age and skill level of the participants, and safety is always the first consideration.

MUSIC is an important component of this activity.

Option #1: set up three stations and four groups/teams of skiers. Each station should have a different course with different challenges.  The teams then rotate from station to station, using the break in between to get hot chocolate, etc. Each participant contributes to points for their team by completing the assigned course at each station.  The team as a group earns points by their combined times at each station. The number of points they earn as a group depends on their ranking in comparison to the other teams. This option requires timing and a team aggregate winner.

Option #2: set up as many as four “barrel racing” loops, depending on the number of participants.  Each loop has two skiers competing against each other, going in opposite directions around the course. The top skier from each round moves on to the next round. The bottom skier moves into a consolation round. No timing required.

Option #3: set up one competition course that is wide enough for two to four skiers to compete at the same time.  These skiers start at the same time and compete head-to-head. The top skier, or top two skiers from each wave move onto the next round.  The bottom skier or bottom two skiers move into a consolation round. For a fast action event, the second wave of starters can begin before the first wave is finished, depending on the judgement of the starter.  Note that the start line needs to be adjusted to take into account the advantage of being on the inside if the course turns to one side or the other soon after the start.  No timing is required.

Option #4: if the competition course in option #3 is one continuous loop (except for the elevated start for the initial skier, a Team Sprint format could be used in order to encourage team work among the skiers.

Age/Distance Categories

Race Support
Clubs will need manual stop-watches, numbered bibs for every race participant, course markers, and an adequate number of race volunteers/ officials to ensure the safety of the skiers.

Host Club Obligations
1)       To promote your Double Cross event outside of the club membership, for example in the local community, neighbouring clubs, and neighbouring communities.

2)       To organize the activity according to the technical requirements outlined above.  This would include the provision of  awards of some kind. You can be creative – the awards can be cookie medals, made of popcorn, etc.

3)       To order from CCC an appropriate number of incentive awards at least 21 days prior to the event.

4)       To return to CCC the event registration sheet and incentive awards that were not used (names on the registration sheet must match the number of items used) within ten days of the event. At this time, payment will be due for the items that are not accounted for.

5)       To recognize sponsorship from CCC/Sport Canada – use the logos and names as appropriate (ie: on notices, press releases…).

Although it is not a requirement of hosting this event, CCC would appreciate some digital photos and a very brief summary of the activities in order to encourage others to host similar events.

Following through with these obligations is an important step in the process of acquiring future Sport Participation Development Grants from Sport Canada.  Your assistance in this regard will help build a better future for cross-country skiing.