The first step to competing in the NSC is to qualify for Trials. This can be done completing one of the following:
- Placing top 4 in any race at USARS Indoor Nationals in either Sophomore, Junior, or Senior division
- Placing top 4 in any division race at a certified NSC invitational in Sophomore, Junior, or Senior
- Invitationals to be announced very soon
- Athletes who competed in the previous NSC season, including alternates, get an automatic invitation to NSC trials
Once you qualify for NSC Trials...
- NSC Trials are held once a year prior to the season; no athlete is exempt.
- Every athlete is to compete in a standing 100m time trial to determine heats, starting order and tie breakers for the sprint races
- Every athlete is to compete in a standing 800m time trial to determine heats, starting order and tie breakers for endurance races
- Time Trials don't count for points
- Distances:
- The order of events will be as follows: The longest sprint race is first, followed by the shortest endurance race; this pattern is repeated until all races have been run.
- Races will be run from heats to final, no more than 6 on the line
- Athletes must receive at least 20 minutes rest between races
- From the semis, the top 3 athletes move on to the A final, the last 3 move on to the B final.
- B finals will be right before the A finals
- Points breakdown is as follows:
- A FINAL
- 1st – 2048
- 2nd – 1024
- 3rd – 512
- 4th – 256
- 5th – 128
- 6th – 64
- B FINAL
- 1st – 32
- 2nd – 16
- 3rd – 8
- 4th – 4
- 5th – 2
- 6th – 1
- After all races are completed, the NSC athletes will be chosen based on the following system:
- The skater with the most points in either category is filled into the respected slot and removed from pool. The skater with the next highest amount on the board is filled into the respected slot, and removed from the pool. This is repeated until all spots have been filled.
- The 5 sprint slots and 7 endurance slots will be filled first before the 6 alternates are determined.
- There will be a total of 18 athletes that will make it into the league each year.
- In the event that an athlete’s points tie in both categories, the time trial placement will dictate which discipline he is filled into. If the time trial placement is a tie, he will fill the slot that needs the most skaters. If that is a tie, the skater with the fastest time trial in the sprint will go into the sprint category and vice versa for the endurance.
- If additional slots need to be filled and no athletes have points, the time trial in each discipline dictates the next skater in line.
