Membership Growth Causes Change in Michigan Cup Team Scoring

Sat, Aug  19, 2006 - By Mike Muha

The success of recruiting new members to the Michigan Cup Series has led to a change in the way team points are calculated. For the 2007 season, the ranking scores of a team's top 38 skiers, rather than the top 30 skiers, will be used toward team points.

In past years, the ranking scores of a team's top 30 skiers in any age class were added to determine team rankings. In 2006, the Michigan Cup Committee awarded an additional 1 point for each race entered, up to 5 points per racer, for the remaining, non-top 30 skiers on a team. These extra points were to reward participation in Michigan Cup races and to create an incentive for individuals to race in more races.

The number of paid Michigan Cup racers, however, has grown from 244 in 1999 to 414 this past season:

Strong Growth in the Number Michigan Cup Members

To reflect the growing numbers of Michigan Cup skiers and teams with larger rosters, the Michigan Cup Committee voted to allow a team’s top 38 races to be scored for team points in the 2007 Michigan Cup. An additional 1 point for each race entered, up to 5 points per racer, for the remaining, non-top 38 skiers on a team.

The hope is that smaller teams will have extra incentive to build up their teams this year, and bring even more people into the sport.