The Michigan Cup Committee met in September to look back at last season and prepare for the one ahead. Here’s a summary of what was discussed.
Reviewing the past season
Financially, the Michigan Cup remains in solid shape. Income and expenses were roughly balanced, and the Cup maintains a healthy reserve for unexpected needs.
A total of 349 skiers registered for the Michigan Cup—just two fewer than last season. Of those, 217 actually raced and earned points.
But here’s the interesting part: 536 individual skiers earned Michigan Cup points. That’s because many skiers race in Michigan Cup events without being part of a Michigan Cup team. They’re welcome to race, but only team members are eligible for Michigan Cup awards.
Cross Country Ski Headquarters and Team NordicSkiRacer topped the registration list with 91 skiers each. Note that “registered skiers” doesn’t always match the number of active racers—some teams include social members who don’t compete.
Registered 2025-2026 Michigan Cup Skiers by Team
| Team | MI Cup Registrants |
|---|---|
| Cross Country Ski Headquarters | 91 |
| Team NordicSkiRacer | 91 |
| Vasa Ski Club | 70 |
| Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team | 63 |
| Hanson Hills/Cross Country Ski Shop | 28 |
| Crystal Nordic Ski Team | 5 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 |
| University Of Michigan Ski Club | 0 |
The 70 and older race option
Teams were asked how well the optional shorter-distance category for skiers age 70 and older was received. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The option encourages older skiers to stay involved even if they’re not comfortable racing longer distances. The Committee continues to recommend that race directors offer a shorter-distance choice for 70+ skiers whenever practical.
Crystal Nordic Ski Team changes name
Crystal Nordic Ski Team has been renamed the Crystal Community Nordic Ski Club to better align with it's parent organization. More information about the club is available at https://www.ccskiclub.org/#nordic-ski-team.
Race Schedule Updates
Michigan High School Championships
The Michigan High School Championships will be included in the Michigan Cup, but exclude non-Michigan Cup skiers from receiving points. The Championships will give Michigan Cup points for the sprint, classic, and freestyle events. The pursuit (which combines the classic and freestyle events) will not be scored.
Vasa Raptor Rush & Krazy Klassic Conflict
The Vasa Raptor Rush Nordic Ski Race Fundraiser has recently landed on the same day as the Krazy Klassic, causing the Krazy Klassic to lose its Baic Cup designation. A suggestion was made to move the Raptor Rush to the first Sunday in December, the day after the Winter Wolf Skiathlon. This would give it a consistent date and avoid conflicts. Ethan Goss will check with stakeholders to see if the change is feasible.
Lakes of the North Freestyle Returns
The Grand Rapids Nordic Ski Team plans to bring back the Lakes of the North Freestyle, a long-time Michigan Cup favorite originally sponsored by the Vasa Ski Club. Vasa stepped away from hosting it a few years ago to focus on other priorities, but the race will return under new leadership.
Scoring updates
Splitting the 60–69 Age Group
The 60–69 age group has become the largest senior category, representing 22% of all senior racers—and nearly 25% of senior men. (For women, the largest group is 40–49.)
To better recognize performance across this wide age span, the Committee voted to split the category into:
- 60–64
- 65–69
This change was met with enthusiastic support from team leaders.
Age-graded scoring (Handicap Race)
The Committee also discussed a proposal to introduce age-graded scoring, similar to running handicaps. Age grading compares a skier’s time to the world-best standard for their exact age and gender, producing an adjusted time.
Formula: Age-Graded Time = Actual Time × Age Factor
Example:
- A 32-year-old man finishes a freestyle race in 40:00. His factor is 1.0000, so his graded time stays 40:00.
- A 58-year-old man finishes in 44:30. His factor is 0.8920, giving him an age-graded time of 39:41. Even though he finished later, his age-graded performance is stronger.
Several challenges came up:
- No one knew of reliable, modern age-grade tables for cross-country skiing.
- A study of Worldloppet races (1997–2005) exists, but the data is old, excludes skiers under 30, and focuses only on 30km+ races. (See Maximum Performance Of Master Cross-Country Skiers In Loppets: Relationship With Age, 2023, by Rock Ouimet, Ph.D.
- It’s unclear how to handle skiers 70+ who may choose shorter distances.
- No volunteers stepped forward to manage the scoring.
In the end, the Committee agreed that race directors may implement age-graded scoring at their discretion, but it will not be part of official Michigan Cup scoring at this time.
