Hi Everyone,
There is a lot of confusion regarding both classes and appropriate distances for competitions. There seems to be some confusion within the IBU rules also as I see in one place it refers to a Youth as being at least 16 in the calendar year and starting in Nov as a Youth, and right above it is listed 4 birth years which come out to 15, 16, 17, 18. The North American Hosting policy says 15-18 but the Canadian Hosting policy says 16-18. And they overlap the 16 yr age with with Senior Boys/Girls with the distinction that the Youth Classes must carry the rifles.
For all athletes, the two most important aspects we are trying to develop are ski speed and shooting success at that speed.
As to carrying the rifle, that is dependent on the athlete’s stature, maturity and point in their growth. It is not a good idea to be carrying the rifle prior to complete growth and actually closure of the growth plates in the limbs. And certainly not for lighter/smaller individuals for which the rifle is a major percentage of their weight. It will also throw off their skiing and slow them down considerably.
So looking at the IBU Rules, and the NorAm and Canadian Hosting policies…I would suggest the attached. An advanced athlete can opt to race up a class [except Seniors to Masters]. And race organizers can consolidate classes and distances somewhat, but only by keeping in mind the ability and desired distances for the younger members they are proposing to put in that race.
Please get back to me with any comments.
Thanks,Bill Meyer
Update: Basically all Masters Men race the Senior Woman’s distances and the Masters Women race the Youth Woman’s distances. Masters are the only class that can ‘race down’. In other words, any Master can opt to race in the Senior class and often do.