Kris Freeman is in the elusive 30 member Red Group for the next period of Cross-Country World Cup racing. This is the first time an American skier has been in the prestigious World Cup Red Group for over 25 years. Canadian Beckie Scott is currently in 21st on the women’s list.
The World Cup Red Group is also called the seeded group. This group of skiers gets “special” treatment in form of preferred start positions relative to the rest of the World Cup skiers, as well as travel and accommodation paid for by the event organizers.
The World Cup ranking is determined by the accumulation of points each racer scores throughout the season’s competitions. The season is divided into three periods; Nov – Dec, Jan – mid-Feb, mid-Feb – March, and the Red Group stays the same within each of the periods.