The NCAA Men's and Women's Skiing Committee formed a recommendation that injury notification and replacement times be three hours earlier for both Alpine and Nordic events for next year's championships. The committee conducted its annual meeting April 15-18 in Key West, Florida.

Under the recommendation, which will be considered by the Division I Championships/
Competition Cabinet in September, the injury notification/substitution deadline for Alpine events for this year's championships, which will be hosted by the University of Nevada, would be 5 p.m. Pacific time on Monday of championships week. The deadline for Nordic events would be 5 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday of championships week. Also as part of the recommendation, alternates would have one hour after being notified of selection to confirm their intent to participate if called upon.

In other action related to next year's championships, the committee announced the schedule and allocations and determined that all slalom events will be run to completion before the other gender's race starts.

The 2004 championships' Nordic events will be held in Truckee, California, at the Auburn Ski club. The Alpine events will be held at the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort. The giant slalom races will open the championships March 10. The freestyle Nordic events will be held March 11. Slalom events are March 12. The classical Nordic events will conclude the competition March 13.

The recommendations put forth for regional allocations are men's Nordic: East -- 14, West -- 19, Central -- 6; women's Nordic: East -- 10, West -- 21, Central -- 8; men's Alpine: East -- 17, West -- 18; women's Alpine: East -- 15, West -- 20.

The committee also will recommend that Joe Fischer, assistant director of athletics at the University of Vermont, become its new chair, replacing outgoing chair and Bates College coach Becky Woods.

Other highlights

Men's and Women's Skiing Committee
April 15-18/Key West, Florida

Clarified that only men can compete in men's events and only women can compete in women's events.

Added giant slalom suits to the list of hard armor to differentiate them from uniforms. Such suits must still be team-issued and of the same predominant color as the uniform.

In pyramid starts, lanes and rows shall be one to two meters apart. The previous rule said lanes should be two meters apart and rows should be one meter apart. The change allows adjustments to be made to best adjust to various venues.

Clarified that in the rare instance when coaches or other team personnel are disqualified by a race official for use of tobacco, they must immediately depart the competition arena for the duration of the race being contested. Previously, it was not clear if this was required.

Changed the number of competitors allowed for team scores in each race from five men and five women to "up to six men and six women."

Deleted Rule 3-5-e, "For closed gates, the flags shall be adjusted to a width of 30cm (11.8 in.)."