Interclub is a key part of adult ski racing at Craigleith. It is sometimes referred to as the Druxy’s Masters League, as Druxy’s deli is the main sponsor and, among other things, provides sandwiches for post-race socials. The interclub season features four “regular season” races, usually three GS and one SL, through which teams from different clubs try to qualify for the fiercely contested final GS event. In 2012, Craigleith ended over 20 years of disappointment and frustration at the finals and succeeded in ending a six year string of wins by Georgian Peaks to claim first place. We handily defended our title in 2013. Changes in Alpine Ontario policies before the 2014 season threatened the continuation of interclub, but the efforts of several key volunteers salvaged the league, albeit with fewer teams.  However, some things didn't change and Craigleith had an undefeated 2014 season. That success has continued unabated through 2020, with Craigleith establishing a new record of nine consecutive wins at the finals.

You can see Interclub results and more at interclubski.org

While the fastest individual times of the day are recognized at each race, interclub is all about the teams. In years before 2014, there were usually 9 or 10 teams in the league.   The number dropped to five for 2014 and has been six since, many of which include racers from more than one Club. Regular season races are hosted by clubs on a rotating basis. (Usually each club hosts one a year.)  Scoring is based on each racer’s position within his or her age group. There are separate age groups for males and females aged 18 to 29, 30 to 34, 35 to 39 and every five years thereafter. As might be expected, the men’s baby boomer groups are the largest, but there is good participation in groups over 70 and has been one racer over 90. (I have been told that there is one other over 90 racer in the world and that he has said his skiing is fine but his short term memory is failing, with the result that he once forgot to take a second run. He now just goes back to the start area after every run and if no one is there he can be satisfied the race is over.)

Racers start within their age groups. Absent the occasional over 80 racer, the first groups to start are women’s 70+, 65+ and 60+, in that order. They are followed by men 75+ and 70+, women 55+ and 50+, men 65+ and 60+, women 45+ and 40+, men 55+ and 50+, the remaining women’s groups and then the remaining men’s groups. Within each age group, starts rotate one racer at a time from each team. Racers may take two runs, the faster of which counts, although older racers often only take one run. The second run takes place on the same course, immediately after the first.

The scoring system is complex. In each age group, if there is only one racer, he or she scores 21 points. For two, scoring is 22 for first and 21 for second. For three, scoring is 22, 21, 20. (The first place score increases if an additional racer creates an even number of racers in the age group and the last place score decreases if the addition makes an odd number.)  Therefore, the winner in a men’s baby boomer group often scores 28 to 30 points, while the fastest individual of the day will only score 21 if there happens to be no one else in his group. (Or her group.  On one bitterly cold day in 2016, Kate Ryley of Craigleith beat all of the men by a wide margin in a short slalom at Caledon, despite racing in her down jacket.) Teams may submit up to 26 racers on the day before the race as being eligible to start. Up to 24 may start and the best 18 scores are counted, of which at least four must be women.

The team that counts the most points in its four races wins the regular season championship. This brings with it the right to have the first racer in each rotation in the start order for the season finals and traditionally brought the right to host the finals the following year (as the race schedule has to be planned well ahead). Craigleith won the regular season title in 2012 and 2013 and so was due to host the 2014 finals.  The revamping of the league resulted in the final race being combined with the traditional season-ending masters race at Devil's Glen, but the final was back at Craigleith from 2015 through 2020.  (Getting a full team to races at Caledon has been a challenge for us and being short-handed has resulted in not winning the regular season in 2018 and 2020. Georgian Peaks won the 2020 regular season.) Each racer must compete in two regular season races in order to be eligible to compete in the finals, except each team may include one racer who only competed once.

As one might imagine, the complex scoring system leads to great strategy among the teams with sufficient depth. A main goal is to increase the size of the age groups in which your team expects to have the winner and/or several top finishers, so that your team members score the highest possible points, while if necessary not starting racers in other groups in which your opponents are strong. The cornerstone of Craigleith’s 2013 finals victory was finishing 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 in the men’s 50 to 54 age group, which had 17 starters. (In hindsight, had we started one more in that age group and correctly chosen which other racer to drop, we could have scored another six points total, while adding only one to each of our key opponents’ totals!)

Being able to execute this strategy successfully depends not only on having fast racers and a captain willing to take the time to pore over the options, but having lots of options. In addition to our 24 starters at the 2013 finals, we had more than a dozen others who had qualified to race in the finals by starting two regular season races.

The starters for each race are chosen by the team captain, Taylor Simms-Brown, and deputies Glenn Blaylock and James Mathers, and are usually settled mid-week before each race. While there is often competition for places, especially at the finals, we are always anxious to add to our depth, particularly with more women. If Taylor hasn’t contacted you, you can express your interest by sending him an email. While most races are at nearby escarpment clubs, a willingness to go to Caledon when we have a race there is a good way to get your foot in the door!  To be eligible to race, you must first register and complete a waiver on the interclub website.  At the end of the season, the Club will charge racers about $25 per race started to cover race fees and related costs.