At its annual meeting April 12-15 in New Orleans, the Men's and Women's Skiing Committee organized a task force to examine the way championship berths are allocated.

Currently, half of the championship berths are allocated and half are earned. The task force, to be led by University of Vermont Assistant Director of Athletics Joe Fischer, is charged with determining what allocation process would be in the best interests of NCAA skiing.

The group will examine the guidelines and parameters used in determining berths, with an eye toward reporting its findings at the committee's next meeting in April 2006. Regional aspects, as well as the appropriate emphasis of the team aspect (NCAA skiing as a four-event competition) will be considered by the task force.

In other action, the committee approved, pending host site logistics, a night-time slalom race at the 2006 championships in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The committee noted that the course must be properly lit and the student-athletes must be allowed adequate training time on the course under the same conditions that the race will be contested.

Committee members believed the night race would be more spectator-friendly and would add to the excitement and atmosphere of the event.

The committee also voted to make some changes at the championship locations, including to require wax testing areas for all future Nordic venues and to more clearly define the training schedule at Nordic venues, similar to the way the Alpine training schedule is defined by slalom or giant slalom.

The committee also recommended that the 2007 championships be hosted by the University of New Hampshire. The Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet will vote on the matter in June. Next year's championships, scheduled for March 8-11, will be hosted by the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Jeff Pier, head coach at St. Lawrence University, was elected to serve as the next committee chair. Pier replaces Kevin Sweeney of the University of Utah, whose term ends in September.

Playing-rules decisions

In playing-rules issues, sprint-competition rules will be added to the skiing rules book for the first time in 2006, if approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel. The sprint competition, which is commonly contested in the East, is a team cross-country event with relays of two or three student-athletes from each team. Each skier alternately skis between three to six legs each.

"This is an exciting event, and the student-athletes love it," said Terry Aldrich, secretary-rules editor for the skiing committee and coach at Middlebury College. "It has been around the sport for many years, and I think it is important that we get the rules in the book and lend some direction to the event."

The sprint competition will not be contested at the NCAA championships, nor will it be considered in qualification for the championships.

"We have not run the sprint competition consistently in the West," said Sweeney. "Perhaps inclusion in the rules book will grow the event's popularity."

The sprint-competition rules and all changes voted on by the committee at the April annual meeting will be reviewed by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP) May 23. All rules approved by PROP will be included in the 2006 rules book to be printed in October. If PROP flags a rules change, it will be reviewed by the governance structure and will not be a rule for the upcoming season.

One change to be considered by PROP would be to require frame-by-frame video capability at all meets. A monitor also will be required for reviewing video.

"We don't believe this is a significant cost issue," Sweeney said. "The committee believes that this technology is in use already, but it is important to ensuring fair competition."

The committee also voted that cross country competitors may scrape their skis to remove snow and ice and add wax if necessary. The rule will specify that competitors may only use tools and materials that are available in retail stores and the tools must be used outside of the track to avoid interference with other competitors. This is the accepted practice for international rules and World Cup Competition.

Also, both feet of the skier will determine the finish in an Alpine event -- not the tips of the skis.

"We had an issue at the championship this year, and the current language complicated a finish where the student-athlete fell before the line," Aldrich said. "Taking tips out of the equation should alleviate confusion."

In the event of a tie in Alpine, the student-athlete with the higher competitor number will be listed and ranked first. This rule used to be just the opposite to be consistent with cross country protocol. The tie situation has implications for the placement on the list and the order for the second-run start.

The disqualification rule also will be altered to make it clear that a student-athlete will be disqualified if he or she gains an advantage in receiving assistance in recovering lost equipment. The previous rule did not mention that an advantage must be gained.