Cross-Country Skiing

Cross-country is the oldest type of skiing. In the snow-covered North, you had to ski to hunt and gather firewood in the winter.

Governance Cross-country skiing is governed by the IPC with coordination by the IPC Nordic Skiing Technical Committee following modified rules of the International Ski Federation. Mountain Cluster country At the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, cross-country skiing will be contested in the same venue where the biathlon events are held. “Laura”, a venue in the Mountain Cluster of Sochi, Russia, will have seats for over 7,500 spectators. Count on Cnossen Dan Cnossen, who competed in multiple sports at the 2011 Warrior Games presented by Deloitte for Navy/Coast Guard, hopes to make his Paralympic Games debut at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in biathlon and cross-country skiing. The active duty lieutenant in the U.S. Navy is the top U.S. contender in cross-country heading into Sochi. At the 2013 International Paralympic Committee Nordic Skiing World Cup in Cable, Wis., he won four of the 13 medals claimed by Team USA, with two each in biathlon and cross-country skiing.

What is Cross-Country Skiing?                                                                                   3 

How did it get its name?                                                                                             5

Cross-Country Skiing&nbsp;techniques                                                                              7

Fun Facts                                                                                                                       8

We are the authors of Cross-Country Skiing. We are Lucas W, Truva A, Meredith S. Hi, my name is Meredith and my favorite Olympic sport is Cross-Country Skiing. Hello, my name is Lucas and my favorite winter sport is skiing. I really don't have a particular favorite type of skiing. Hi, my name is Truva and my favorite sport is skiing.

History Cross-country skiing appeared at the 1976 Paralympic Winter Games in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. Men and women used the classical technique in all cross-country distances until a skating technique was introduced by athletes at the Innsbruck 1984 Paralympic Winter Games. Since then, cross-country skiing events have been split into two separate races: classical and free technique. The new technique, however, was not officially used in a medal race until 1992 in Albertville, France. Skis Made from fiberglass, classical skis are usually 25-30 centimeters taller than the height of a skier. Free technique skis are about 10-15 cm shorter to allow skiers greater maneuverability. Sit skiers are equipped with a special-made chair with specific skis attached.

The Olympic competition trails are divided into Red and Blue courses. Athletes use different skiing techniques (classical or free technique) on the different trails.&nbsp;Men have been competing in cross-country skiing at the Olympics since Chamonix 1924, but women didn't compete until Oslo 1952.

Divisions The three categories of cross-country skiing are standing, sit ski and visually impaired, with athletes categorized according to their ability. Each category has specifications that are tailored to the physical or visual impairment of the athletes. In the relay event, teams are made up of skiers from different categories but with the total percentage for each team being equal, which means that no time calculation is required. The first team across the finish line wins. A level playing field Cross-country skiing uses a percentage system to help neutralize the differences in athlete ability. The percentage-system is an adjusted time formula, which is used to determine overall place of each competitor relative to all other racers. This formula assigns a percentage to each competitor based on each individual's particular race class. The athlete’s actual time is multiplied by this percentage to determine an adjusted finishing time. Each class has different percentage for the different techniques, classic and free technique. Going the distance Paralympic cross-country skiers compete in the sprint event, men’s and women’s individual events over short, middle and long distances ranging from 1k to 50k and in the relay event. Each race has an interval start with skiers starting every 30 seconds.

An athlete in the lead In June 2011, the United States Olympic Committee hired John Farra as the high performance director for the newly created U.S. Paralympics Nordic skiing program. Farra was previously a member of the U.S. Ski Team, competing at the world championship and Olympic levels, and served as the Nordic program director for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, from 2008-11. During his tenure at USSA the U.S. Ski Teams in cross country, ski jumping and Nordic combined won six world championship and four Olympic medals. On-site The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation is the official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site for cross-country skiing, the United States Olympic Committee announced on Nov. 6. The Wood River Ability Program, a Paralympic Sport Club, is the Paralympic sport provider for the official training site.

From start to finish The sprint competitions are held on a course of 800-1200 meters. The sprint competition starts with a qualification round. The eight fastest competitors from each category will advance to the second round of the competition — the semi-finals. After the semi-finals, the four best skiers advance to the finals. Crossing first The first gold medals won for cross-country skiing was claimed by Finish skiers at the 1976 Paralympic Games. Finland won eight gold medals in that Games and 22 overall for cross-country skiing. U.S. Paralympians medaled in cross-country for the first time at the 1984 Games when the visually impaired team claimed the silver medal in the 4x5 relay. The distance Cross-country skiing events can range from a 1 kilometer sprint to a 20k long course. The sitting races can range from a short sprint to a 15k course. Around the world Cross-country skiing is practiced in 24 countries. At the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, 23 countries had athletes in the cross-country competitions.

The word "ski" is Norwegian and comes from the old Norse word "skid," which means a split length of wood.

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