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2012 NASTAR Nationals

post #1 of 15
2/27/12 at 9:20pm
Thread Starter 

After missing two years with various ailments, managed to get back to racing this season and once agan qualified for Nationals.  Would most like have skipped it except Tag Jr. also qualified this year after also missing it for the last several years.  When I participated in 2010, my biggest disappointment, beyond my bad skiing, was not having any family along to share the trip, so with Tag Jr. getting in this year, decided to take advantage and sign us both up.  It's going to be tricky making the schedule work, but looking forward to getting another crack at the courses.  Have to say I'm a bit surprised to have made it this year - don't think I raced very well this year, but all it takes is one good race!  Did the job for Jr as he was stuck in the middle of the pack at our home resort, but had one good day of NASTAR at Copper Mountain and got in there.

 

Any other Bears heading to Winter Park?

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post #2 of 15
2/28/12 at 2:16am

Won't be there for nationals specifically but may be at winter park then. Not sure how they set for nationals but the nastar courses I saw set this weekend look pretty mellow there.

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post #3 of 15
2/28/12 at 7:37am

My son and I will be at NASTAR Nationals, have not registered yet, but booked room and plane. We have gone the last 5 years and had a great time each year. Can't wait, should be fun.

 

FYI they changed the qualifications this year. You now only need to be ranked in the top 5 at any resort to qualify for Nationals. Previously you needed a top 3 ranking, so a lot more people qualified this year. I guess NASTAR wanted attract more participants or feared that the economy could reduce turnout, so they increased the number of qualifiers. Past few years Nationals have had around 1,000 participants and I think they can accomodate 1,200+. I have no problem with this, NASTAR is a business and I would like it to be a sucessful business, so it can continue. I also suspect that there are some resorts where the #5 ranked skier may actually be much better that the #1 ranked racer at some other resorts, which potentially improves the competition.

 

 

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post #4 of 15
2/28/12 at 7:52am

i qualified and i'm not even in the top #5 in my age group at my resort in my category. popcorn.gif Seems totally like a money making scheme to me.

 

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post #5 of 15
2/28/12 at 8:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lonewolf210 View Post

Won't be there for nationals specifically but may be at winter park then. Not sure how they set for nationals but the nastar courses I saw set this weekend look pretty mellow there.



I assume you are referring to the Winter Park daily NASTAR course, set on Lower Cranmer, which is indeed "pretty mellow". Some of the Nationals races will be on that course, but most will be on Upper Cranmer and Middle Cranmer, which are a bit steeper and longer courses. The Platinum and Gold divisions will be on Lower Hughes, which is much steeper than any part of Cranmer.

 

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post #6 of 15
2/28/12 at 8:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by shoal007 View Post

i qualified and i'm not even in the top #5 in my age group at my resort in my category. popcorn.gif Seems totally like a money making scheme to me.

 



That is odd. I think there are some other ways to qualify for Nationals, but most get in by placing in the top 5 in their division at some resort. Notifications went out on February 21st. Is is possible you were top 5 at the cut off date (as of the 20th) and have moved down since?

 

As I said above NASTAR is a business, but I do not think it's a scheme.

 

Now Facebook, that is a money making scheme, but everybody just thinks they are your friend.

 

 

 

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post #7 of 15
2/28/12 at 11:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dwbrookside View Post

Is is possible you were top 5 at the cut off date (as of the 20th) and have moved down since?

 

As I said above NASTAR is a business, but I do not think it's a scheme.

 


I've seen that happen on my race results, only not moving down, but moving up (kinda).  I qualified under the Silver division early in the season, but after additional racing, I moved up from near the top of the Silver division to the bottom of the Gold division.  Had a poor start to the season coming back from neck surgery and didn't start racing well until much of the season had passed.  My one and only experience at Nationals, I was, at first, a bit miffed to be placed in the Silver division, but at it turned out, I was exactly where I should have been and was racing in a competitve group of near equal abilities.  It was great!  I'm hoping that this year works as well.  Now, my son will have a harder challenge of it as his typical handicap isn't going to compete with the top racers in his age group, but he knows that going in and will just be out for a good time and some skiing with Dad.  I can't ask for much more than that!
 

 

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post #8 of 15
2/28/12 at 7:35pm

I am going, and I went last year and had a great time but was by myself.  This year, my husband is coming along, not as a competitor but as a support for me.  Best of luck to all who compete

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post #9 of 15
2/28/12 at 10:59pm

I was at the Nastar nationals several times and always had a great time. My first time, I was racing the second day doing pretty well for the new racer I was then, nearing the finish and tried to really step on the gas. Had a good crash a second after coming to that decision. Collected my skis made sure I was OK and eventually got to the finish area where my husband and Bode Miller walked up to me. It turned out Bode had spent the last hour watching the race with my husband (he had an aunt/friend of his mother's in the same race).. He was a very nice guy, actually kind of shy but with the crash, we had a mutual subject of conversation. There are not many other sports where a low level recreational racer can get to meet, talk with and sometimes ski with real giants of the sport. I always found the Nastar event to be a very worthwhile time, lots of fun, plus competitive racing for most of the people there at whatever level they are at.

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post #10 of 15
3/18/12 at 7:13pm
Thread Starter 

Less than a week away now.  Looking forward to hitting the gates again, although I haven't been on skis for several weeks now (which is not a good thing).  Been so warm so soon here in MN that our ski hills are done for the season.  Hope the snow and skiing are better at Winter Park!

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post #11 of 15
3/18/12 at 8:06pm

I am excited about going.  I decided to bring my Blizzard Crush this year.  I don't think it matters where I place since I believe that it will be 3/3 which is okay.  I am just excited about competing again this year.  Not sure if I will bring the ski jacket or not, looks like it will be pretty warm.  

 

Hope everyone has fun!!!

 

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post #12 of 15
3/19/12 at 7:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by shoal007 View Post

i qualified and i'm not even in the top #5 in my age group at my resort in my category. popcorn.gif Seems totally like a money making scheme to me.

It's not uncommon for a racer to qualify at more than one resort (I qualified at five) When that happens, NASTAR picks the resort where he/she earned the best handicap. At all other resorts where he/she qualified the next racers in line move up in the selection process. As a result it's possible to be ranked below fifth and still earn an invitation. NASTAR is not a "money making scheme". It's the largest recreational ski and snowboard racing program in the world and gives a lot of folks a wonderful opportunity to participate in a national competition against others from all over the country. This will be my eighth trip to the Nationals and the experience just keeps getting better and better. Everyone should plan to attend at some point.

Pat Moore
NASTAR Coordinator
Okemo Mountain
Ludlow, VT
Edited by patmoore - 3/19/12 at 8:04am
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post #13 of 15
3/25/12 at 9:03am
Thread Starter 

Wrapped up my second trip to Nationals yesterday.  As with my first trip to Nationals, my group had a number of close competitors and one guy who clearly didn't belong in our group.  My big reason for coming out to Nationals this year was that Tag Jr. also qualified, so we felt that we should take advantage of this as we don't often manage to both qualify.  Other than a loooonnnng delay getting the first race started (bad timer - took over 40 minutes to get it fixed), the racing was fun, my fellow racers great to hang with while waiting for our turn to race, and the weather was spectacular.  I managed to improve a bit from my first Nationals, finishing 4th this year from 6th two years ago.  Needed about .2 seconds to climb to third.  Would say that I only managed one race that felt like I was close to racing well technically speaking, other three races were mediocre at best.  Kinda raises a philosophical debate - if I work at improving my technique, to the point where I am consistently getting gold, rather than the silver with a few golds, chances are I won't be qualifying for Nationals again anytime soon - would have to go from just getting gold to just getting platinum to get to the top of the gold division at my home hill.  Our first day, we had a really technical course set for us.  Very challenging for us amateurs.  Everyone in my group was complaining about it.  Funny to hear even the 'pro's' also complain about it that evening at the apres-ski event.  Saturday's course was much more akin to the typical NASTAR courses we usually ski (dropped 5 seconds from my time on Friday to my time on Saturday).

 

I heard a rumor that NASTAR's contract with Winter Park is up this year.  The rumor I heard is that Winter Park, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Park City are all in the running to host the next year's Nationals.  Any one hear something like that ?  Wouldn't bother me to see it moved somewhere else.  I thought that Winter Park did a good job from the racing side of the event, but I am not a fan of the ski area, nor the base "village".  Would like somewhere where the free skiing is better than WP.  Any unofficial votes for the location for next year's event?

 

As for the debate here about qualifying, any handicap system can be jobbed, from the GHIN system for golfers, to NASTAR's system.  While I'm not crazy about the guy in my group that was three seconds faster than the rest of us, nor was my son happy with the man in his group who had similar results, I still had an enjoyable two days of racing.  Like golf, I can only control what I'm doing out there, and my falling short of the podium this year certainly wasn't the fault of the NASTAR handicap system.

 

 

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post #14 of 15
3/27/12 at 3:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tag View Post

Needed about .2 seconds to climb to third.  . . . Our first day, we had a really technical course set for us.  Very challenging for us amateurs.  Everyone in my group was complaining about it. 

 

I heard a rumor that NASTAR's contract with Winter Park is up this year.  The rumor I heard is that Winter Park, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Park City are all in the running to host the next year's Nationals.

I was on the podium by about .2 seconds (.01 seconds on the second day).  Sorry man.

I wasn't one of the people complaining about the technical course.  It was tougher - but it was a challenge - "another chance to excel" (as they always told us in the Navy).  I recovered from 5th on the first run of the first day to 3rd on the second run of the first day.  I discovered that I am not very good at evaluating courses on an inspection run.  I really thought that the course was going to be fast - and that cost me on the first run.

 

I heard that Winter Park, Squaw Valley, Snowmass and Park City are in the running.  It's a good rumor, anyways.

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post #15 of 15
3/28/12 at 1:07pm

Just completed my 8th Nationals and had a blast.  In my age group I finished 1st in snowboarding (unopposed) and 2nd in Platinum skiing (strong competition).  Biggest thrill was seeing my four year old.grandson make the podium.

 

 

 

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