Championship Team Selection: Technical Reference
- Introduction
- Overview of team selection and timeline
- Eligibility
- Earning MA Nordic Points
- MA Ranking List (MRL)
- Team selection
Introduction
This document serves as the primary reference on how eligibility, MA Nordic Points, the MA Ranking List (MRL), and team selection operate. It is intended to be more detailed and comprehensive than the guide on how to qualify and guide for coaches .
Overview of team selection and timeline
Championship team selection proceeds in four stages.
- Eligibility: Registering and participating in the MA Nordic Cup (or registering and securing a waiver to miss it)
- Scoring: Earning MA Nordic Points at eligible races, including at the MA Nordic Cup.
- Ranking: Placing on the MA Ranking List (MRL).
- Selection: Team naming from the MRL, plus limited discretionary selection.
The above stages play out according to the following timeline.
- First Eastern Cup weekend or high school race (whichever comes first) (mid-late December): The first points-eligible races that contribute to the MA Ranking List (MRL).
- MA Nordic Cup (late January): The primary competition weekend shaping eligibility and team selection. The MA Ranking list is posted and regularly updated following the MA Nordic Cup.
- Final Eastern Cup weekend (mid-late February): The last points-eligible races that contribute to the MRL.
- Monday following the final Eastern Cup weekend: Deadline for discretionary petitions submitted by coaches.
- Tuesday following the final Eastern Cup weekend: MA Ranking List is frozen and championship teams are selected and announced.
Eligibility
MA Nordic Cup registration
To be eligible for the U16 or EHS Championship teams, skiers must register for and compete in the MA Nordic Cup unless a waiver is approved in advance. Even skiers with an approved waiver must register for the MA Nordic Cup.
Waivers
Waivers preserve eligibility when participation in the MA Nordic Cup is not possible. Waiver requests must be submitted by the skier’s coach prior to the Cup.
Grounds for approval
Waivers may be granted for:
- Illness or injury on the day of the event
- Significant pre-existing commitments that prevent participation
(other extracurricular activities generally do not qualify) - Junior Nationals qualification expectations, if:
- The athlete would qualify for the New England Junior National team as a U18/U20 based on the NENSA Junior Ranking List (JRL) within the week prior to the Cup, or
- The athlete is among the top three remaining Massachusetts skiers on the U18/U20 JRL after excluding those already qualified
The Mass Nordic Board reviews waiver requests and communicates decisions to the athlete and coach.
Effect of waivers
Waivers excuse participation in the MA Nordic Cup only. They do not change the racing requirements for inclusion on the MA Ranking List (MRL). To appear on the MRL, skiers must complete at least one scored classic race and one scored skate race.
Skiers who do not meet the one-classic, one-skate racing requirement do not appear on the MRL and may only be considered for team selection through discretionary selection.
Earning MA Nordic Points
Due to weather constraints, the 2026 MA Nordic Cup does not include a skate race. At least one scored skate result is still required for inclusion on the MA Ranking List. Skiers should consult the list of points-eligible skate races below.
Points-eligible races
MA Nordic Points may be earned at:
- MA Nordic Cup
- Other statewide races sanctioned by Mass Nordic; in 2026 that includes the “Low Key Classic Race”, Mathias Race, and Race for Snow.
- Public and private varsity high school league races
- State Championships (MIAA and NEPSAC)
- Eastern Cups
All high school and U16 skiers registered for the MA Nordic Cup earn points for finishing any points-eligible race in the current season.
Publication and review
Points are calculated centrally by Mass Nordic using submitted race results. The MRL is published after the MA Nordic Cup and updated at least weekly through the conclusion of the Eastern Cup season.
Athletes and coaches should review the published MRL for accuracy and report errors promptly. Verified errors will be corrected when possible prior to final team selection.
MA Nordic Point formula
The MA Nordic Points system is modeled on the general structure of the FIS and USSA points systems, though its component definitions and calculations are specific to Mass Nordic.
Lower points indicate better performance.
Three components determine a skier’s points in a scored race:
- Points baseline, which represents a race-level reference value derived from past results of the top five scored finishers. It is calculated using a defined statistical procedure designed to produce stable and comparable values across events, with stronger fields yielding lower baselines. The top finisher in a scored race earns MA Nordic Points equal to that race’s points baseline.
- Compression factor, which adjusts for race formats that tend to spread out or compress the field. This value is higher for formats that promote greater compression.
- Relative time back, which is a monotonic function of the ratio of the skier’s time to the top scored finisher’s time. This value increases the further back a skier finishes from the top scored finisher.
A skier’s points for a race equal the race’s points baseline plus the product of the compression factor and the skier’s relative time back.
MA Ranking List (MRL)
Points are tracked separately for classic and skate races. Each technique produces a points average, and the two technique averages are added to form a skier’s overall MRL score.
Inclusion on the MA Ranking List requires completion of at least one scored classic race and one scored skate race.
Calculation of technique averages
If a skier has MA Nordic Cup points in a technique, their technique average is based on four values. The MA Nordic Cup points are always counted once. The best points from up to three other eligible races are counted once each, but only when they are better than the Cup result. If fewer than three such improvements exist, the remaining slots are filled using the Cup points. The technique average is the average of the four resulting values.
For skiers who have MA Nordic Cup points in a technique, additional races in that technique can only improve the technique average when they produce better points than the Cup result. Weaker results are not counted once stronger results are available. As a result, the decision to race beyond the MA Nordic Cup cannot in itself worsen a skier’s technique average or overall MA Ranking List position.
2026 note on skate calculations:
Because the 2026 MA Nordic Cup includes only a classic race, no skiers earn MA Nordic Cup points in skate technique. As a result, the “no MA Nordic Cup points in a technique” calculation described below applies to all skiers for skate technique in the 2025–26 season.
If a skier does not have MA Nordic Cup points in a given technique, their technique average is based on up to three values. The skier’s three best results from their eligible races in that technique are counted. If fewer than three such races are completed, only the available results are counted. The technique average is the average of the counted values.
Team selection
Four championship teams are named each season: U16 Boys, U16 Girls, EHS Boys, and EHS Girls. Each team has 24 total spots.
- 20 objective spots are filled in order of placement on the MRL
- 4 discretionary spots are filled by the Mass Nordic Board
If a skier declines an objective spot, that spot is offered to the next eligible skier on the MRL.
Discretionary selection allows the selection committee to account for performances or circumstances not fully reflected in the ranking list. Coaches may submit petitions on behalf of athletes, though petitions are not required for an athlete to be considered.