Category exception petitions: deadlines August 17 and August 31.
The League only takes category placement petitions twice all season: August 17 for Race 1, August 31 for Race 2. Every petition needs a coach's signature, so talk to Coach Anthony first.
The League places every rider in a category based on grade and experience, and that placement is published on the League site. A rider who thinks they belong somewhere else can petition for an exception.
There are only two windows all season:
August 17, 2026 for Race 1, Frisco Bay Invitational on August 29.
August 31, 2026 for Race 2, Showdown in the Boat on September 13.
Decisions come back before the race registration deadline. After the second window closes, placements are set for the year.
Most riders will not need this
The League’s own language is that exceptions are “discouraged and will be granted only under extraordinary circumstances.” Ninth through twelfth graders may petition to race Junior Varsity or Varsity.
For a move up, the bar is deliberately steep. You have to show that your performance and experience clearly exceed every other rider in your assigned category, meaning nobody there has a reasonable chance of racing with you. Winning your category is not the same thing as being beyond it. That is the test the committee applies, and it is the reason most petitions do not get granted.
Talk to me before you file
A petition needs a coach’s comments and signature, so it is not something a rider submits alone. Come find me at practice, or email coach@boulderhighmtb.org. Bring your reasoning: results, times, what you have been riding. I will tell you honestly whether it clears the bar, and if it does I will write it up with you.
It is worth starting that conversation well before the 17th, since the rule requires petitions to be in at least a week ahead of the registration deadline and last-minute ones cannot be rushed.
Two things worth knowing
While a petition is pending, you race the category you were originally placed in. Nothing changes until a decision comes back.
A granted petition can also be revoked later at the League Director’s discretion, and a change made against League policy can bring penalties for the rider and the team. That is the League’s guard against gaming placement, and it is another reason to only file when the case is real.
The petition form is here: Category Placement Exception Petition. The guidelines behind it are Appendix E of the League rulebook. If any of this is unclear, ask me or ask Cadence, which has the full rulebook loaded.