Detailed job descriptions
| Chief of Race | |
| The Chief of Race is a voting member of the Jury and is the responsible authority for the management of the entire event. The Chief of Race is the only member of the Jury who is a member of both the Race Committee and the Organizing Committee. | |
| Chief of Course | |
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The Chief of Course is responsible for the preparation of
the courses in accordance with the decisions of the Race Committee and
the Jury. In as much as the Chief of Course must be familiar with local snow conditions on the terrain concerned, this official is usually either a ski area employee or a member of the local club. |
| Start Referee | |
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The area around the starting gate is the responsibility of the Start
Referee. This area should be prepared and maintained in the same manner
as the racecourse. The actual start gate area is restricted to everyone
except the starting officials, the starting competitor and one trainer.
A notice regarding competitors’ course inspection times must be
posted or announced. The Start Referee must remain at the start during competitors’ course inspection, training and the race until excused by the Jury; must make sure that the Hand Timekeepers (manual timekeepers) are able to perform their duties without distraction and must make sure that the regulations for the start and the organization of the start are observed. In other words, the Start Referee is responsible for assuring that each competitor receives a fair start. The Race Administrator prepares a Start Referee packet that, in addition to the proper forms, a corrected Start List and the above competitors’ course inspection time notice, also includes spare bibs that are blank or that have unassigned numbers. The Start Referee provides competitors who arrive at the start without their assigned bibs with one of the spare bibs and notifies the timing personnel and the Jury of the replacement number. The Start Referee must have the ability to communicate by radio with the Jury at all times. The Jury must be advised regarding replacement bib #’s, insertions, requests for provisional starts, requests for provisional reruns, etc.; to call a “START STOP” when it is necessary to halt the competition; and to notify the Jury when the start officials are ready to restart the competition. The Start Referee ensures that the Assistant Starter has control of competitors called to the start and that the Starter maintains the appropriate start intervals. The Start Referee also ensures that the Starter is using the correct start command for each discipline. DH, SG and GS competitors must start within 5 seconds before or 5 seconds after the “GO” command (10-second start window), and SL competitors must start within 10 seconds of the “GO” command; failure to start within these time limits will result in disqualification. (More information regarding start commands can be found in “The Starter and the Start Commands.) A competitor who is late appearing at the start or is not ready to start when called will be sanctioned. As an advisor to the Jury, the Start Referee may excuse such a delay if, in his opinion, the delay was due to force majeure; however, illness or equipment malfunction does not constitute force majeure. In cases of doubt, the Jury may allow the start provisionally. The Start Referee informs the Jury when (after what start number) the delayed competitor will be starting. The Start Referee must know what constitutes grounds for a rerun and must notify the Jury when a coach or a competitor requests a rerun. If a Jury member is unable to question the appropriate officials immediately to judge the justification for a delayed start or a rerun, they may, to avoid delay for the competitor, grant the provisional start or rerun. The provisional start or provisional rerun is valid only if the Jury confirms its validity. The Jury should ensure that provisional starts or reruns take place before the last competitor on the published start list. Some points to remember about reruns are: If, before the incident that allowed for a provisional rerun, a competitor had committed a fault that would result in disqualification, the rerun is not valid and the disqualification stands. In addition, a provisional rerun that is definitively approved by the Jury remains valid even if it proves slower than the obstructed run. The Start Referee is also responsible for reporting equipment violations and since different levels of competition have different rules regarding equipment, a knowledge and understanding of the USSA and/or FIS equipment rules pertaining to the particular level of competition is mandatory. The Start Referee records the names and bib numbers of competitors: who did not start due to late appearance; who were allowed to start in spite of late appearance; who were allowed by the Jury to start provisionally; who made false – early or late – starts; who have violated equipment rules; and who committed other start infringements, These violations are reported to the Referee. The Jury then considers all the facts |
| Finish Referee | |
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The finish area is the responsibility of the Finish Referee. This area
should be prepared and maintained in the same manner as the racecourse
and should be plainly visible to approaching competitors. The finish arena
must be wide with a gently sloped and smooth run out, and it should be
fenced to prohibit unauthorized entry. Finish installations and closures
should be secured with suitable protective measures so that the competitors
are adequately protected. There are specifications for the finish line, but the most important is that the finish line must be clearly marked horizontally with a coloring substance that is easily visible to the approaching competitor. At higher-level races, a Finish Controller is responsible for supervising the section between the last gate and the finish, supervising proper crossing of the finish line and recording the actual finish order of the competitors. This leaves the Finish Referee free to supervise the finish area. If no Finish Controller is appointed, the Finish Referee becomes responsible for the Finish Controller’s responsibilities. The Finish Referee supervises the Finish Controller, the timing and the crowd control in the finish, makes sure that Hand Timekeepers are able to perform their duties without distraction and makes sure that each competitor has an opportunity to finish in a fair manner. The Finish Referee must remain at the finish during course inspection, training and the race until excused by the Jury. The Finish Referee receives course reports from forerunners and delivers these reports to the Jury. The Race Administrator generally prepares a Finish Referee/Finish Controller packet that contains the proper forms and a corrected Start List. Finish Referee must have the ability to communicate by radio with the Jury at all times for notification of competitor information (request for provisional rerun, etc.); to call a “START STOP” when it is necessary to halt the competition; and to notify the Jury when the finish officials are ready to restart the competition. As the Jury’s advisor in the Finish, the Finish Referee must know what constitutes grounds for a rerun and forwards rerun requests made by a coach or a competitor to the Jury for appropriate action. The Finish Referee determines the validity of a finish so he must know and understand the rules pertaining to the level of competition and report violations of these rules to the Referee. The Jury then considers all the facts and decides whether sanction is required. |
| Starter | |
Slalom has a simple direct start command; “Ready” followed a few seconds later by “Go”. Once the command is given, the competitor has 10 seconds to advance through the wand and proceed on course. Failure to start within the 10 seconds will result in disqualification.
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| Assistant Starter | |
| The Assistant Starter helps line the competitors up in
preparation for the start and must be aware of “what competitor
is in the start”, “what competitor is ready”, “what
competitor is looking for his/her equipment” in preparation for
being “next”, and what competitors have failed to appear.
Competitors must be familiar with the rules governing the start and must
report for their start on time or be subject to sanction. The competitor must obey the directions of the Assistant Starter; however the Assistant Starter should take care and not line up too many competitors in advance. SUGGESTION: Assistant Starter should call both bib number and competitor name when lining up the competitors in order to eliminate the possibility of “switched” bibs. |
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| Head Gatekeeper | |
| The Chief Gate Judge ensures that all Gate Judges are properly
equipped with required materials, organizes and supervises the work of
the Gate Judges, designates the gates each Gate Judge will supervise,
places them in position and is also responsible for numbering the gates. At the end of each run, the Chief Gate Judge collects the Gate Judges’ control cards and delivers them to the Referee. If a Gate Judge has recorded a “fault” that may result in a disqualification by the Jury, the Chief Gate Judge assures that the Gate Judge is available after the race if a Protest against the disqualification is filed and a Jury meeting becomes necessary. |
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| Chief of Timing | |
| The Chief of Timing and Calculations is responsible for
the coordination of officials at the start and finish, the synchronization
of the timing and the accuracy of the results. The following officials are under the direction of the Chief of Timing and Calculations: Starter Assistant Starter Start Recorder Chief Timekeeper Assistant Timekeepers (Hand/Manual Timekeepers) Finish Controller Chief of Calculations (when one is appointed) and assistants |