Youth Track Development Series Finale February 22, 2020 Mattamy National Cycling Centre Technical Guide Version 3.0 1 |11 General Information The Youth Track Development Series has been designed to optimize the development of our young athletes through a format that removes the emphasis on winning and instead focuses on skill development. After another successful season of ability-based racing, riders will continue to select their category based on their ability and comfort level. With the help of their coaches, athletes will be placed in categories A through E, with A being the most advanced category and E being the beginner/entry category. The ability categories aligns with Long Term Athlete Development Principles by allowing athletes at different levels of physical maturity, and/or time in the sport, to participate in meaningful mixed gender competition. Cycling Canada’s Track Cycling LTAD Model states: ● It is deemed essential to base cycling-specific training on developmental age, not on chronological age ● It is essential to understand that when working with young athletes, we are not simply preparing them for our sport, but for all sports- and that by offering well-rounded development that builds physical literacy, we are also preparing them for a more active, healthy lifestyle ● Young athletes of the same chronological age can vary widely in their development, ability to learn skills, and emotional readiness for competition. Over-emphasis on skills and tactics the athlete is not ready to learn, or intensive competition, can take the FUN out of sport ● Young athletes deserve a program appropriate to their own stage of development The emphasis on ‘Winning’ in the Youth Track Development Series has been reduced: ● Winning does not allow room for failure and learning ● Winning is all about the outcome, not the process of developing proper skills ● Winning rarely yields room for development; proper development inevitably leads to success Timing will be done manually and data used to rank athletes to ensure that they continue to be placed in appropriate competition categories. The recorded finishing order will be approximate and finishers in the main bunch will be placed as accurately as possible by the volunteers at the finish line. The focus should be placed on having athletes apply new tactics, try new skills, and seek to achieve personal bests NEW!! The 2020 Youth Development Series Finale will use a different format than previous years. The intention is to place more emphasis on youth riders in the Learn to Train and Train to Train development stages encouraging physical literacy, fundamental sport skills and building physical capabilities. This will also allow for more events to take place over a shorter period of time. As a result, U17/U19 athletes* who intend to compete at the Ontario Provincial Championships will not be eligible to participate in the Youth Series Finale. The ability-based categories will reflect those in B-C-D with each category having the opportunity to participate in an Individual Pursuit and four-event Omnium. *Upgraded 2nd year U15s are eligible to compete in both the Youth Finale and Provincials. However, we ask athletes to speak with their coach about this decision, understanding that the intention of the Finale is for developing athletes. 2 |11 FIRST TIME TRACK RACERS The National Cycling Institute Milton (NCIM) runs track certification courses. It is recommended that riders new to the Youth Track Development Series obtain certification from NCIM first, prior to participating. Athletes who have raced at NCIM/FCV Sanctioned Race Nights should consult with their coach to determine which category best suits their abilities. The onus will be on the athlete’s coach to make this determination. Any athlete that does not have a coach but has raced in NCIM/FCV races should contact the OCA to determine their race category. Assessments of track competencies will include: (a) Ability to ride safely and confidently in a pack (b) Ability to move up and down the track [i.e. above the blue line] (c) Exhibits spatial awareness [e.g. shoulder checks] Registration Information ● All events are pre-registration only. Registration is available via www.ccnbikes.com ● Registrants may NOT downgrade or upgrade categories to secure a spot. Any participant who does this, risks being removed from the event and forfeiting the non-refundable processing fee. Should a category reach capacity, please contact the OCA to be put on a waitlist. ● CHANGES: Changes will not be permitted on race day. ● Entries WILL NOT be accepted after registration has closed on Tuesday February 18th, 2020 @ 12:00 pm NOON. Late registrations may be accepted and are subject to a $50 late fee, until Thursday February 20th at 12:00 PM – Noon, pending category availability. ● All athletes must be duly licensed by the OCA - Citizens Permit or UCI license. Out of province athletes must have a UCI license. Licenses must have a UCI track code. ● Riders must participate in all races. Should a rider need to pull out of a race, they must pull out of all races. ● The National Cycling Institute Milton (NCIM) runs track certification courses. It is recommended that riders new to the Youth Track Development Series obtain certification from NCIM. More details on the NCIM courses offered can be found HERE. ● COACHING FROM APRON: Coaching from the apron will be permitted during B, C, and DLY. ● NEW! Second year U15s who receive an upgrade to race U17 at Provincials are allowed to participate at the Finale but note that the focus is on developing athletes in the lower B and C-D categories. A second year U15 A racer may not be challenged as this race only includes the B-C-D categories. ● NEW! U17/U19 athletes competing at the O-Cup Provincial Championship are not eligible for the Youth Finale, while U17/U19s not planning on racing Provincial Championship are welcome to participate. NOTE: Regular Youth Track Development Series categories will not be awarded medals. There will be prizing for the YTDS Finale. Results for the YTDS races will be available at ontariocycling.org shortly after the event. Entry fees are as follows: Event (Grades B – D) Cost Cost (Para) Registration Deadline Track Development Youth Finale $35 + HST $20 + HST Feb 18, 2020 –12:00 PM (NOON) 3 |11 REFUND POLICY • A rider must withdraw prior to the end of registration in order to be eligible to receive a refund. Once the registration period has ended, refunds are no longer available. • All refunds are subject to a non-refundable processing fee (variable based on transaction value) plus a refund administration fee of $5 +HST. • If an athlete withdraws from the event on race day, they are not eligible for a refund and the rider must inform the Chief Commissaire of their withdrawal. Failure to notify the Chief Commissaire may result in a fine. • OCA reserves the right to issue refunds in other rare and exceptional cases. Injury, loss/change of employment, or a move away from town such that the participant can no longer attend, will NOT be considered a rare and exceptional case. POSITION NAME CHIEF COMMISSAIRE Anne Cobban STARTER Andrew Paradowski TIMEKEEPER Shari Pay FINISH JUDGE William Trischuk OCA TECHNICAL DELEGATE Chantal Thompson MEDICAL Odyssey Medical Events Over the course of the series athletes can expect a number of events. A 500 meter standing start timed event. Two riders will start on opposite sides of the track at the same time Time Trial with a held start and count down. Finish times will be published at the end of the event. Scratch Races The objective is simply to be first over the finish line after a certain number of laps. All riders begin the race together after a neutral start. There are no intermediate points or sprints. Similar to a point-a-lap race, riders score one point by being the first across the line each lap. After the race starts, the first 5 laps don't score points. A bell will be rung on the 5th lap indicating that a single point will be Tempo Race awarded to the lead rider of every following lap. The last lap is only worth one point. There are no points awarded for lapping the field. After a neutral start, every 2 laps, the last rider to cross the line is eliminated from the race and receives a Elimination Races place in the results respective to the number of riders that remain. Final two riders sprint for first and second place. Similar to the scratch with a sprint every set number of laps, where 5, 3, 2, and 1 point(s) are awarded to the Points Races top four finishers in each sprint. The last lap is worth double points. There are no points awarded for lapping the field. The winner of the race is the one to have the most points at the end of the race Bib Placement • Bib numbers are to be placed on the back of a rider’s jersey per the image below 4 |11 Category Selection Guidelines These guidelines are to be used when self-selecting an athlete's category. The guidelines are in place to help ensure that athletes will be racing with other athletes of the same caliber. When registration closes, the OCA will review all athlete category selections and reserves the right to make adjustments [this will be done in consultation with the athlete/coach]. If you have any questions/concerns regarding which category to enter, please contact the OCA. Category Suggested Seeding Citizen UCI Permit License B Grade ● Junior Women competitive within the Ontario Cup Series Gear Restriction ● U17 Men finishing middle of the pack at Provincial Championship 7.12M ● U17 Women generally