What is the Built for Speed Event Series?
- an event series hosted by clubs in the greater Calgary/Southern Alberta region.
Who is the B4S series for?
- target group is 10-14 year olds. However host clubs can expand their events to include older and/or younger age groups.
What does a B4S event look like?
- two to three race type events on one day. Host clubs decide what events they offer.
What type of events are offered?
- relays, indiv start, mass start, terrain park events, single technique events, downhill events, uphill events, pursuit events
How are age groups organized?
- single year, single sex age groups, ability groupings
What about ability groupings?
- B4S events aim to provide a positive experience in racing. We want to create some success for as many kids as possible not just the ones who were born on skis. Therefore, we ask clubs to provide three tiers within each single year/single sex age category:
- getting started (for kids who are in their first year of racing)
- been at it awhile (for kids who have been racing for 1-2 years)
- seasoned skiers (for kids who have raced in 3 or more seasons)
Who decides on which ability grouping a child should compete in?
- parents in consultation with their club coach decide on which group to register their child in
How do you register for a B4S event?
- host clubs can use an online registration site like zone4.ca to set up the registration. Clubs will charge a small fee to cover costs of prizing, and other things they might need to run an event. The idea is to keep the registration as low a cost as possible. $5 - $10 is an ideal total amount per kid.
What about prizing?
- host clubs decide on prizing. It can be anything the club wants. ribbons, medals, cookies, bookmarks, etc. Clubs will earn points based on the finish positions of their kids in each category. Points will be awarded to the every participating child for their club. Higher points will be awarded to higher finishers in each category. Club banners will be awarded at the end of each season and are provided by Cross Country Alberta. Club banners are reused each season.
Which clubs won B4S club banners in 2013-14?
1st place - Foothills NSC
2nd place - Canmore NSC
3rd place - XC Bragg Creek SC
4th place - Crystal Ridge NSC
How long does a B4S event take from start to finish?
- host clubs should plan on starting their day by 1030 and wrapping up by 330pm. A day might look like:
1000am - arrive on site
10-1030 - pick up race bibs and do a warm up
1030-1130 - event #1 - this might be an event like an individual start classic race
1130-1230 - lunch time
1230-130 - event #2
145-245 - event #3
245 - 330 - prizing, etc, and wrap up to the day
The goal is to give clubs time to get to the site in the morning without needing to leave too early. If an event was held in Brooks, they might start their day at 11am instead of 10am to give people a chance to get there that morning. Or if an event was held in Crowsnest, events might start at noon and wrap up by 4pm so that a trip there and home again to the greater Calgary area could be done in one day.
Why do this type of event?
- Sport Canada's Long Term Athlete Development plan and Cross Country Canada's Athlete Development Matrix both identify the importance of introduction to competition for 10-14 year olds. The B4S series aims to try to organize children's events with a format that is age appropriate and not just a scaled down version of an adult race (which often is one race on a day). B4S aims to provide more introductory racing experiences for kids so that by the time they decide if they want to be a ski racer, they've beein given some experience in an event series that is aimed at creating as much success as possible for kids. For many kids, success has been shown to be an important predictor of whether an athlete continues on as a ski racer in high school.
Who is organizing the B4S series?
Events are self organized by participating clubs. This website is hosted by Roy Strum, 2014-16 Alberta Ski Team Director with Cross Country Alberta.
B4S is a collective effort aimed at meeting the diverse needs of clubs in our region. Some clubs are very large with professional coaching staff at world class facilities, while others are small clubs where people do their own grooming and are working hard at building something from scratch in a small rural communities. B4S aims to be a friendly event where complete novices can feel like they belong alongside kids in race suits. This model comes from sports like track and field where greater Calgary area clubs get together weekly in kids only events that help to introduce kids to competing before moving onto provincial level events organized by Athletics Alberta.
As a collective, events are driven by participating clubs and in the end clubs can do whatever they want. The CCA AST Director's goal in helping to lead the B4S series is to create a space where the needs of all clubs are weighed equally. Having more clubs from our region participate is good for everyone.
How do I find out about when B4S events are being organized?
Check this website. B4S event host clubs will share their dates and links to their event will be published here, as well as on the Cross Country Alberta website.
Which clubs are targetted as participants in the B4S event series?
Brooks CCSC
Calgary SC
Calgary NTG
Canmore NSC
Crowsnest Pass CCSC
Crystal Ridge NSC
Foothills NSC
Parkland CCSC
XC Bragg Creek SC
Can other clubs participate?
yes!
Questions?
you can leave questions on this blog. or contact me via the CCA website xcountryab.net
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