I think by now, most every team knows about eligibility letters for their skiers. Here are the instructions you will need.

For your team to ski the Conference Championships, Regionals, and/or Nationals you must have aneligibility letter from your school registrar for EVERY SKIER ON YOUR A TEAM. This includes anyone that MAY ski A-Team for your team at Conference, Regionals, or Nationals. If you do not have this letter at conference, your school will not be able to ski for placement in A-Team competition. PERIOD

This is the biggest headache that we have in collegiate skiing, but it is absoutely necessary. So please do not make this any harder on anyone than it needs to be. Go ahead and get yours as soon as possible, so it is not a fire drill a few days before Conference.

Once you get your letter, feel free to send a copy of it to myself, or to your Conference Chairmen (Dan Pabst and Jim Grabowski) to look it over and make sure it is correct. They will be the ones checking it at the conference tournament. In the past we have had to not allow some skiers to ski conference because of a missing or incorrect letter, and it is the worst feeling ever. So please, make sure your team doesn't fall into this. We are here to help, this is what the board is for. USE US!!!

Attached is an EXAMPLE of what the eligibilityletter should look like. This is not the exact format that it has to be, but here are the 6 things your eligibilityletter MUST have:

1. This letter must be typed or printed on school stationary.

2. a. This letter must NOT be dated PRIOR to August 27, 2010 for use at Conference and Regionals.

b. The Letter must NOT be dated PRIOR to September 9, 2010, for use at Collegiate Nationals. PLEASE NOTE THIS MAY MEAN THAT FOR NATIONALS TEAMS, YOU MAY HAVE TO GET TWOELIGIBILITY LETTERS. ONE FOR CONFERENCE/REGIONALS AND ONE FOR NATIONALS.

3. The number of students listed must be spelled out and written numerically by the Registrar or an individual letter for each student may be used.

4. The letter must be signed by the Registrar (or Assistant Registrar).

5. The letter must contain the Student's name and ID number. I get a lot of questions on this each year. It does not necessarily have to be the student identification number, but any sort of number that the university identifies with your name.

6. The letter must be embossed with the University Seal.

This is all laid out very clearly for you. You MUST have all 6 of these items on your eligibility letter. So please don't make any of us be the bad guys. Get it done early, and check it with us beforehand, so that you know you and your team are taken care of, and you can put your best team forward.

Please note, to be eligible, you must be a Full-Time Student. The only exception to this is:

This student is taking the minimum hours necessary for graduation in this the last period of his/her academic year of graduation.