The USSA National Ranking List is used to rank all eligible USSA athletes in scored races based on the FIS point calculation (see Race Points and Calculating Penalties). Racers may obtain points by entering any races designated as USSA National Calendar Events or scored races. Competitors must be current competitor members of USSA at the time of the competition to be eligible for points and a competitor’s USSA number must appear on the official results in order to be scored. The updated NRL will be posted at www.ussa.org. Minimum and maximum penalties, which may affect the points in each race, are applied based on quality and importance of the competition. Categories of races to be scored, and their corresponding minimum penalties are as follows:
Event Category Minimum/Maximum Penalty
World Cup, Olympic and World Championships - 0.00
Continental Cup, NCAA Champs, American Birkebeiner *, SuperTour - 15.00
U.S. Championships - 15.00 (minimum), 50.00 men and 95.00 women (maximum)
U23 World Championships - 25.00 (maximum)
World Junior Championships - 35.00 (maximum)
Junior Olympics - No min/max
Regional Scored Events, NCAA Regional Events - 60.00 men and 85.00 women
* Note: Only the top-30 finishers at the American Birkebeiner will be scored.
Method
The USSA National Ranking List is based on a racer’s four best results during the previous 12 months, which are used to determine his or her final score. Those athletes with fewer than four scored events will be penalized 22% (with a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 26 points) of their overall score. Ranking for both sprint and distance disciplines will also be calculated, using a racer’s best three results in that discipline. While the USSA NRL is based on the FIS point calculation, it is a separate list from the FIS list.
For race points and penalty calculations, please see Chapter 2 of the USSA Nordic Competition Guide, which can be found here.
