USSA and FIS – Wilmot Ski Team

USSA Non-Scored and Scored
FIS
Fees
League Comparison Table

USST NON-SCORED AND SCORED

Age range – U10 to U20
Typical racing experience – Experienced Racers
_{Note: “USST” is often used as a name for “USSA.” The names are interchangeable.}

USSA is a racing league organized by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team. Wilmot participates in Region 2 of the Central Division of USSA. While many USSA races welcome a wide age range of participants, the large majority of competitors are U14 and U16. USSA races tend to be more formal than WIJARA races, following a uniform set of rules that are consistent across the country. The uniformity enables USSA to rank its “scored” participants nationwide. USSA races tend to have a smaller number of participants than a WIJARA race, but most competitors typically have at least a year of prior racing experience. Due to the experienced field, USSA races tend to have a higher level of competition than WIJARA races for the U14 and U16 age groups. For U12 and younger, the WIJARA races are typically as competitive as USSA due to the substantially larger number of WIJARA participants in those age groups. Lastly, it should be noted that many USSA athletes also compete in WIJARA events when the WIJARA and USSA schedules do not conflict.

Most USSA races also allow U18 and U20 athletes to register. However, at those age levels many athletes return to WIJARA (which makes the U18 and U20 ages groups highly competitive in WIJARA) or focus on their high school race team (Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota) or move on to FIS.

There are several great USSA events for younger racers including the end of year Ski Brule race for U14 and under.

For more information talk to the Wilmot coaches or go to the Region 2 website: https://region2cussa.sportngin.com/ and the USSA website https://my.usskiandsnowboard.org/membership/start.

FIS

FIS is organized by the International Ski Federation and is the next level up from USSA. Athletes can begin to participate in FIS events as U18s. FIS races tend to be highly competitive and many of them require an invitation to compete. Few Wilmot athletes have chosen to participate in FIS events in recent years.

FEES

The Wilmot fee for a USSA athlete is now included in the team entry cost (as of 2024/25) and is for coach coverage at the USSA and WIJARA races. There are additional USSA fees associated with racing in USSA races that vary depending on the age of the athlete and the races that they attend. Each athlete must be a member of USST to register to race. Athletes register on a race to race basis. See the USSA website for more information on this.