DCRRC 2006-07 Snowball Series Series

General Information

The Snowball Series is a series of eight races, each of which counts toward series points. Points are awarded in 5-year age groups, beginning with 14 and under, and ending with 80 and over.

The rules are as follows:

1) Your age on the day of the first series race you run is your age for the entire series.

2) Points are awarded to the top twenty places in each age group. The first place runner in an age group receives 20 points, second place earns 19 points, etc.

3) You must be a DCRRC member on the day of the race to earn points for that race. In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the victories in head-to-head competition. If there is still a tie, the time difference in those same head-to-head races will determine the winner.

4) One must run three races to qualify for an award. A runner's top five races will count in the total scoring for the series.

An awards ceremony is held in Fall and the top three finishers in each age group are presented an award.

All Snowball Series Races are free for DCRRC members.

Race Schedule
1 Belle Haven Half Marathon December 2 at 9:30 a.m.
2 Bread Run 10K December 10 at 10:30 a.m.
3 Al Lewis 10 Miler January 6 at 9 a.m.
4 JFK 20K January 13, 2006 at 9 a.m.
5 Custis 12K February 3, 2006 at 10 a.m.
6 Belle Haven 25K February 24, 2006 at 9 a.m.
7 Burke Lake 12K March 11, 2006 at 10 a.m.
8 Ft. Hunt 10K March 18, 2006 at 8:30 a.m.

Snowball Series; New Rules on Award Eligibility

Remember that there is NO entry fee for Club Members to these races -- entry fee remains $5.00 for non-Club Members. 

Snowball Series Award Eligibility

In addition to the usual eligibility criteria for a Snowball Series age-group award -- running a minimum of 3 races, and being a Club Member -- we have added a requirement that we hope will encourage more volunteer participation in support of our race program.

Specifically, in order to be eligible for an age-group SS award in 2007, a Club Member will have to volunteer in one of a specified list of roles between Dec 2006 and April 2007.

This requirement (like the other SS eligibility criteria, such as being a Club Member), applies ONLY to the end-of-season Snowball Series awards given out in Spring.  All contestants in each race remain eligible for the individual age group awards in that race, regardless of whether they meet the criteria for "Series" awards.

As you will see from the list below, the number and variety of opportunities is quite broad. Some involve work at a SS race, which we encourage from ALL who participate in the SS program. Some involve work in other key races or functions.

This was not a decision lightly taken, and we all expect some discussion of the details. But the need to balance the demands of our extensive year-round race program with an appropriate level of volunteer involvement and support remains one of our greatest challenges as a Club.

Eligible Volunteer Roles:

No runner will be eligible for a Snowball Series age-group award unless that runner volunteers in one or more of the following roles between June 1 and September 30, 2006.

1. Snowball Series races: Water Stop; Finish Line (timing or scoring); Course Marshall; Race Director or Assistant Race Director. This presumes NOT participating as a contestant in the race.

2. Saturday Long Run/Marathon Training: Hosting a water stop.

3. Marathon Training Program/10-Mile Training Program: Coach or small-group coach.

4. Newsletter Editor; Website Manager; Team Coordinator, Permit Coordinators, Photographer, Weekly Workout Directors (SLR and Wednesday Night).

5. Other volunteer roles, as suggested, at the discretion of the Club president and vice-presidents acting jointly.

By rough estimate, the functions in 1 through 5 involve at least 150 separate volunteer "positions." This should be ample for people to choose from without "bunching" too many volunteers for a single event. If that occurs, priority will be given to those who volunteered first for the event, and others will be suggested to volunteer at a different event. (Cumulatively, the two September races require about 80 volunteers total, if not more, for enough water stops, course marshalls, etc.)

Comments and questions are welcome at dcrrcpresident@comcast.net