WIJARA
What is WIJARA?
What to expect
Race weekend logistics
Race day expectations
Coaching
Volunteering to gate judge
Lodging
Fees
Race Schedule
League Comparison Table
WHAT IS WIJARA?
Age range – U8 to U20
Typical racing experience – Beginning racer to highly experienced
WIJARA is the most popular league for the majority of Wilmot team members. Participating in WIJARA races is often what “hooks” the athletes into ski racing. The league welcomes racers of all abilities from beginning racers to highly experienced racers. Despite welcoming many athletes with no prior racing experience, WIJARA also attracts many experienced racers and is highly competitive at the top end of each age bracket. Given the broad range of athlete racing experience, the races are a low pressure environment for the athlete’s to test their abilities against others in the region and is one of the best ways for new racers to gain experience. While Wilmot enters the races as a team, emphasis is placed on having fun and each athlete doing the best they can. The only pressure put on the athlete is the pressure they put on themselves. As a result, Wilmot team members are highly supportive of each other at the races, regardless of whether the athlete places, first, last or anywhere in between. WIJARA races are also one of the best ways for athletes and parents to build friendships on the ski team.
There are four WIJARA races each season. The races are held over a weekend (Saturday and Sunday) at resorts near Madison, WI and Galena, IL / Davenport, IA area.
As compared to USST, while WIJARA runs structured competitive races, it tends to be more relaxed and many would say more social. The WIJARA races are also closer in proximity to Chicago than most USST races and the cost to participate in WIJARA is less expensive than USST. Lastly, WIJARA membership has less strict equipment rules than USST.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT A WIJARA RACE
The are four WIJARA races each season, two in the Madison, WI area and two in the Galena, IL / Davenport, IA area, typically Chestnut Mtn, Sundown, Devils Head (previously at Cascade prior to 2023), and Tyrol, in that order. Athletes register for WIJARA at the beginning of the year and are assigned a bib number. Every registered athlete is placed in the start order for each race regardless of whether the athlete plans to attend the race. As a result, an athlete can choose to attend or not attend each race at the last minute.
Each WIJARA race follows a set format, weather and conditions permitting. On Saturday, there will be a two-run GS race (meaning the times of the two runs are added together to determine the results) and a one-run GS race (meaning the timing for the one run stands on its own for determining the result). On Sunday, there will be two one-run slalom races. Sunday races are typically completed by 3PM, allowing families to be home in time for dinner on Sunday nights.
WIJARA races have a large number of participants with up to 500 participants at some races. Some individual age classes have over 60 participants. As a result, the races can appear to be mass chaos to the untrained eye and seem a little daunting for new families. However, with the tips provided below and guidance from coaches and experienced families, new participants will get the hang of the cadence of the races very quickly.
During the week prior to the race, an information sheet will be published on the WIJARA website. This will explain how to obtain discounted lift tickets for the race, volunteering information and everything else. Wilmot coaches will inform parents when this sheet is published.
RACE WEEKEND LOGISTICS
Friday
Prior to leaving for the event, print out a couple copies of the start order. Keep the start order in your pocket. It is the best way to make sense of the chaos you will feel the first time you go to a race. The start order is randomized prior to each race weekend and distributed by the coaches via email. As a result, the athletes do not start in bib # order. Having a copy of the start order on hand helps you keep track of what age group is running and when your child needs to be at the top for their turn to race. Lastly, it allows you to know when your child is likely going to come down the hill so you do not miss their spectacular run, wipeout or anything in between.
Saturday and Sunday
Plan on arriving at the resort no later than 7:15AM. Arriving by 7:15 will allow your child to find a spot in the lodge to get ready near their Wilmot teammates, allow you to purchase lift tickets, and get your child out on the hill prior to 8AM inspection time. In the past, Wilmot coaches liked to be the first team on the hill for inspection and expect each of the athletes to be at the top of their respective hill by 7:50AM. As of 2023, inspection is pre-scheduled for each team, so athletes should be ready to inspect between 7:50 to 8:20 depending on the schedule. Once you arrive at the resort, try to locate the other Wilmot families, this will allow your child to follow to more experienced athletes to the race course and make sure they connect with the coaches. Look for the red jackets!
RACE DAY EXPECTATIONS
Inspection
Prior to the 1st race of the day and each time the course is reset (typically before the 1st and 3rd run on Saturday and before each run on Sunday) the athletes will inspect the course with their coaches. During the inspection the coaches will slowly “slip” through the courses with the athletes and point out the best line to take as well as how to handle tricky and/or confusing sections of the course. It is very important for each athlete to inspect the course prior to the race as it is their only opportunity to see the course set up close prior to their race.
Lining up for the Race
Immediately following inspection the race volunteers will begin lining up athletes according to the start order. There will be two separate courses, one of the younger athletes and one for the older athletes. Other than Sundown, the younger and older courses will be set up on different runs. For Sundown, the courses are set up side by side on the same run. For most races, U12 and younger will be on the younger course and U14 and older will be on the older course. Make sure you review the start order prior to the race to confirm which course your child will be racing on.
Race Order
For both courses, all the female athletes will run 1st and then the male athletes. On the younger course, the athletes will run in inverse order of their age group with the oldest age group running 1st and the youngest age group running last. On the older course, the youngest age group will run 1st and the oldest age group will run last. This means that U14 females and U12 females should be prepared to go to the top of their race course immediately following inspection.
When the volunteers are ready to start lining up racers, they will shout out bib numbers and assemble the racers in a line behind the starting gate in the order they are scheduled to run. Typically, they keep the line 20 racers deep. The racer is on their own to make sure they are at the top of the hill and ready to line up when their bib number is called. Knowing when they need to be at the top of the hill for their own is an art as much as science. Generally, the racers start approximately 30 seconds apart so a rule of thumb is that it should take approximately 10 minutes to go through 20 racers. Combining the rule of thumb with the start order can be an effective way to estimate how long it will be until it is your skiers turn to run. However, there are nearly always racers who appear on the start order who do not attend races. As a result, the actual number of racers between the current racer in the start gate and your racer is typically about 1/4th to 1/3rd less than the number of racers that appear between the two on the start order. When in doubt, ask a Wilmot coach. Lastly, if your athlete misses their start, just let the coach know and they will find a spot to stick your athlete in the start order (usually at the end of their age group). If they miss their age group, it may be possible to go at the end of their gender for that run. Same advice, find a Wilmot coach!
Race Completion
Races typically take about 1 ½ hours to complete per run for Giant Slalom and 2 hours per run for Slalom. As a result the races are usually finished between 3PM and 4PM on Saturdays (3 GS runs) and 2PM on Sundays (2 SL runs). However, delays may occur due to timing issues or course conditions. After each race awards for handed out for the top 5 finishers by age class and gender.
COACHING
The primary function of the coaches at the races is to help with running the race. Their coaching role largely takes place at practice not on the race hill. The race is intended to be fun and an opportunity for the racer to see what progress they are making. That said, the coaches will take the team through the course for inspection prior to the race. In addition, depending on the number of coaches attending the race, there will typically be a coach at the top of the hill and at the bottom of the hill during the race. If they are available, the coaches will often offer words of advice or encouragement to your racer after their run. However, there are may be times when the coaches are talking with another racer or attending to other coaching or race duties which prevent them from observing your child’s race. While this may be frustrating to your racer who is looking for immediate feedback, remind them that coaching is supposed to occur at practice, not on race day.
VOLUNTEERING TO GATE JUDGE
Ski races require a lot of bodies to run and as a result, rely on volunteers. Each team is expected to provide a gate judge for both the younger and older course on both days. The role of the gate judge is to monitor a section of the course and to write down the bib numbers of any racers that do not go around all the gates in their section. No experience is needed, as you can be taught what to do prior to the race in less than 5 minutes. In addition, there will be numerous coaches and other volunteers nearby if you have any questions.
To fill its gate judge requirement, Wilmot typically divides each day in half; scheduling two gate judges (one for older kids course and one for the younger kids course) for the morning races and two for the afternoon races. As a result, Wilmot needs eight volunteers to gate judge each race weekend. To fulfill this need, each parent is expected to volunteer to gate judge at least one race each season.
Gate Judging Tips
Be proactive and identify the weekend you plan to volunteer to gate judge ahead of time. On the day that you gate judge, you will want to dress with extra layers as it is colder standing on the hill than skiing or watching from the top or bottom. Wear boots with a thick rubber sole and bring something to stand on, a carpet remnant or floor matt etc. as this will create an insulation barrier between your feet and the snow. Also bring an extra pair of thin gloves that you can write with. Lastly, get your gate keeper bib and cards early and stake your claim to your spot. It can be challenging to stand on the steep part of the hill for a few hours, so find a flat spot on the hill (usually these are at the top or towards the finish) and try to stake your claim before someone else does.
The Ski Racing Terms page has useful information on course layout.
LODGING
The team reserves a block of rooms at a hotel for each race except Chestnut where some families stay at the resort and others stay at hotels in Galena. Athletes and their families are not required to stay at the team hotel. However, at most races, with the exception at Chestnut, there is a team activity at the hotel on Saturday evening and many of the athletes also often use the pool. So staying at the team hotel is convenient and allows the athletes to be social with each other. These hotel blocks are usually reserved by early November and the team will send out a notice once the room blocks are reserved. The rooms often book up fast.
Usually the best approach to make sure you get a room is to book a room for all the races as soon as the team announces the team hotels for the races, even if you are not sure which races you plan to attend. Then if you decide not to attend a race, you can cancel the room prior to the reservation date.
For the Chestnut race, it is not uncommon for half of the Wilmot families to book rooms at the Chestnut Mountain Resort as opposed to the team hotel. The resort rooms are quite a bit more expensive than the team hotel but they are obviously very convenient. As the Chestnut Race usually occurs while many Chicago area schools are still on holiday break, these rooms are often sold out months in advance. So if you wish to stay at the Chestnut Mountain Resort, it is recommended you make those reservations the summer or fall prior to the race.
FEES
The Wilmot fee for a WIJARA athlete is $336.00 (as of 2023/24), and is for the coaches’ coverage at the WIJARA races. There is an additional WIJARA race series fee of $50.00 (as of 2023/24) that enters the racer into the WIJARA system. This is necessary for the athlete to get placed in the start order for each WIJARA race. This is a yearly one-time fee done online through the WIJARA website.