A Day In The Life

This page describes the activities for a typical Saturday ski race at Boyne as run by the MACC. This racing is pretty simple, right? Pay $50 early in the season, sign up for gatekeeping each weekend, run your two races, gatekeep someone elses, and pick up an award if you win anything. But wait, there's more! Here's an idea of how we run a Saturday race at Boyne in 2008.

Everything takes place at SuperBowl. Our own parking lot, our own warming hut (called the "Othmar Chalet," and our own race hills: FIS for the advanced racers and Super Bowl for the more casual athletes.

Previous week: Boyne schedules snowmaking and grooming to ensure good cover, a smooth surface, and a hard "race set" to the snow for the weekend.

8:00 a.m. Ginnie and Denise set up the registration sign-up sheets and distribute bibs in the Othmar. Jim and Bill set up work sighnup sheets for those who don't have permanent jobs and didn't sign up ahead of time on the web site.

Mick, Dave, and the equipment crew remove the timers, fencing, etc.from storage and install them at the two timing shacks. Steve tests the timing software and computer hookups in the timing shacks.

Boyne starts the SuperBowl chairlift, long before the rest of the area is officially opened. Dan and the course-setting crew show up, boot up, and remove the gates from storage. The course crew starts setting the courses for the 10:00 races.

9:00 a.m. Boyne sets up ticket purchasing in the Othmar. A slight discount, and a major convenience to get everything in one place.

9:15 a.m. (First Saturday only) New racers collect on the hill near the top of one of the set courses, to prepare for the annual "qualifier" to determine their MACC classes. The qualifier will start about 9:30, when the updated list of new racers is taken to the hill.

Each new racer will run part of a course while being viewed by experienced racing coaches at the bottom. After being placed in a class, each racer knows the schedule for the weekend. Next, the new racers must sign up for a work assignment. (Yes, we run our own races. It's the only way can make sure the job is done right...)

9:40 a.m. (or sooner). Racers are guaranteed at least 20 minutes to inspect a course. That means if you race at 10:00, it's time to start looking. At the same time, workers prepare clipboards with the start sheets for all 5 Saturday races. Chiefs of course inspect the courses for safety (broken poles, exposed bases, etc.), and timers check the equipment and initialize the computer settings for the next races.

9:50 a.m. Course officials and workers set up for the race. Starters and timers check communications. Chiefs of course give instructions to gatekeepers, and pencils to write DQ's on the green work cards. Announcers broadcast over the PA system any updates.

10:00 a.m. (10:30 the first Saturday). The first races start. If problems occur (equipment, missing officials, etc.) the race is moved back to the next quarter-hour (e.g., 10:15). (Last year most races ran on time, and all but a few ran within 15 minutes of the scheduled starting time.)

11:15 a.m. (approximately) SuperBowl. Race ends. Chief of course collects work cards and checks names on work cards against the sign-up sheets. The timer and recorder look at computer results and check bib numbers, DQs and protested runs. The timer prints provisional results and posts them in the warming hut. The course crew tears down the courses for the 10:00 races and begins setting up for the 12:00 races.

11:40 a.m. Course inspection has started for the 12:00 races. The process of running the 10:00 race is repeated for the 12:00 races.

1:40 p.m. Course inspection starts for the 2:00 races. The process of running the 10:00 race is repeated again.

3:30 p.m. At the completion of the 2:00 races the course and equipment crews take down and stow all equipment except the computers. If any protests were lodged during the day, a Jury meeting is held with all chiefs of course (the jury), along with protesting racers, gate judges, and officials who were involved in the disputed run.

3:30 p.m. Steve inspects the results posted for the day (especially handicaps and strikes). 250 proof-readers have been very helpful in finding problems and discrepencies in the posted results. Results are reprinted when errors are found. A second set of results is printed for use at the awards ceremony. Computers and printers are stowed for the night.

4:00 p.m. Conference Center. John and Mike haul out awards and donated gifts (sweatshirts, hats, goggles, etc.) and prepares for the awards ceremony.

4:30 p.m. Snow Flake bar. Awards ceremony.