FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Minnesota High School Season Underway

Well, I hope everyone has had a successful first day of Nordic Ski Season 08-09. It was great to see all the new faces and the enthusiasm from the returning athletes. Thanks to Paula, I'm now starting to transition into my new position and slowly starting to get a handle on what is required to make this a successful season for all coaches.

To say the least, some aspects of this job appear to be quite challenging. In the next few weeks, I will be sending out a survey to gather opinions on the direction of the State Meet and the different format options that were discussed at our Fall Meeting. I will do my best to inform and educate our members on the options that are available to us. I know this topic has been in discussion for several years and I think we need to bring it to a timely conclusion. Clearly, my interest, as I'm sure all of your is, is what can we do to make the State Meet more enjoyable and meaningful for our competing athletes.

We do have one change to announce for the State Meet this coming season, this coming from Bob O'Hara. The Minnesota State High School League has approved switching the Classic and Freestyle events. Classic will be first and will use the Silver Trail. The Freestyle course is yet to be determined. John Filander recently had back surgery and when he is back on his feet, Bob is going to meet with John and his staff to determine course options. Bob hopes to have this finished before the Christmas break for those teams who choose to travel to Giants Ridge to check out the course.

To reflect this change, it is my understanding the Mesabi Invitational will run the same format as the State Meet. I will let you know soon as I know what the Freestyle Course alignment will be, with maps posted on our website and an announcement through Skinnyski.

There are many positives to this change. First, several coaches in a survey sent out last year said the current Classic course was not challenging enough for the State Meet. Second, grip waxing should be easier with a morning start. Also, as requested by several coaches, the State Meet format will now make it easier to follow at the Section Qualifiers.

As we go through this season please do not hesitate to drop me an e-mail with a question or concern. I will do my best to answer your question or head you in the right direction.

Best Regards,

Mike Hecker
President MNSNSCA

Other News:

The 2008-09 rules for Minnesota Nordic skiing state that uniforms must conform to the NCAA rules, which basically bans all logos except for the school ogo.  If enforced as written, this would invalidate most of the ski suits in use today, as they have logos from the suit manufacturer on them. 

However, we have received word from a number of sources that this uniform rule will not be enforced this season.  We asked Bob O'Hara, who helps run the State Meet, to clarify the position this season -- here it is:
  "We will not enforce the NCAA rule on uniforms logos this year, but will use the NCAA standard on hats. The MSHSL is going through the process to adopt the FIS uniform standards on manufacturer's logos. The new uniforms rules will be published for the 2009-10 season in the rules modifications addendum to the NCAA rule book the league uses. Larger manufactures logos or other non-team logos are still unacceptable."

Update:  For those interested in the nitty gritty...

NCAA Skiing Handbook (click on the download button)
Read section 10.7.   There is considerable confusion about the new clause, 10.7.6, which seems to contradict 10.7.2.   Section 10.7.2. does allow for a manufacturer logo on uniforms, as long as it meets the size specifications (2.25 sq inches).

FIS Commercial Markings Handbook
Read 'Commercial Markings on Equipment', sections 2.4 and 2.6.   Maximum logo size is 100 sq cm (15.5 sq inches).  Total logos can not exceed 350 sq cm.

Bruce Adelsman