RegattaCentral

2007 Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta Rules –Saturday, September 15, 2007

REGATTA RULES

1. ENTRIES

2. ELIGIBILITY

3. BOAT AND TRAILER STORAGE

4. ATHLETES VILLAGE + SPECTATOR VILLAGE

5. ATHLETE ROSTER FROM COACHES

6. CHECK-IN

7. COACHES/COXSWAINS/SCULLERS MEETING

8. LIGHTWEIGHT CREWS

9. COURSE

10. BOW AND BACK NUMBERS

11. LAUNCHING

12. START

13. SAFETY ZONES

14. CLASSES

15. HANDICAPPING

16. EVENTS

17. EVENT TIMES

18. HOTSEATING

19. CONDUCT DURING RACING AND PENALTIES

20. PROTESTS

21. MEDALS + TEAM POINTS TROPHY

22. GENERAL RULES

23. FEES

1. ENTRIES. To be complete, entries must include payment (payable to "Cleveland Rowing Foundation"), completed entry form for each event and waiver form signed by each competitor (parent/guardian must sign for competitor under 18). Registration and electronic waivers are on- line at www.regattacentral.com.

2. ELIGIBILITY All rowing clubs and scullers are eligible to enter.

3. BOAT AND TRAILER STORAGE. Security-patrolled, overnight shell storage will be available at the Cleveland Rowing Foundation launch site designated on the enclosed map after

2:00 PM on Friday, September 14, 2007. All shells will be placed in slings - no trailers will be permitted in the CRF launch site; trailers will be parked on the street. Security will patrol the area.

Coaches and scullers must indicate number of shells they are bringing; clubs will be assigned a specific shell area within the CRF Launch Site/Athletes Village. Contact [email protected] with your shell count.

4. ATHLETE VILLAGE + SPECTATOR VILLAGE. The HOTC staging area has moved in 2006; the size of this regatta necessitates the creation of two designated areas on opposite sides of the Cuyahoga River. Both sides of the river, and the adjoining bridge, offer outstanding views of the race. The ATHLETE VILLAGE will be on the Cleveland Rowing Foundation property, south of the river. This Village will host launch + recovery docks, stored shells, First Aid, Registration, Protests, Referees and Race Central. ATHLETES, COACHES, REFEREES and VOLUNTEERS will be the only individuals credentialed to enter the Athletes Village due to space and personnel restrictions. On the opposite side of the river, the SPECTATOR VILLAGE will feature parking, club tents, parents groups, merchandise, concessions and two opportunities to see each shell as it races: Once as it passes the Spectator Village, and by walking or riding a bike a short distance to the Center Street Swing Bridge, the chance to see that same crew as they power to the finish. See the Course Map for details.

5. ATHLETE ROSTER FROM COACHES. The US Coast Guard is now requiring us to provide a full list of athletes from every club and school. While Regatta Central will be the primary source of this information, coaches may be asked for additional information or data on late adds and your cooperation is appreciated in this matter.

6. CHECK-IN. All coaches or other parties responsible for each school or club must check in to confirm registration and receive race packets. Check-in for teams not affiliated with the Cleveland Rowing Foundation (CRF) must check-in on Friday, September 14 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM, or on race day from 6:30 AM to 10:00 AM. All crews from CRF member programs must register during the Friday check-in hours.

7. COACHES/COXSWAINS/SCULLERS MEETING. A meeting for coaches, coxswains, and scullers is required by our US Coast Guard permit and will be held at the CRF boathouse at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 16, 2006. NEW THIS YEAR: A SECOND COACH + COXSWAIN + SCULLERS MEETING will be repeated at 11 a.m. Due to the challenging nature of the course, attendance at these meetings by all coxswains and scullers is MANDATORY and wristbands will be distributed to all attendees. Dockmasters will not permit coxswains or scullers who did not attend the meeting to launch.

8. LIGHTWEIGHT CREWS are expected to comply with current US Rowing Association weight limits, but there will be no actual weigh-in. Coxswains will not be weighed.

9. COURSE. The course extends approximately 2.68 miles downstream from near the West 3rd Street Bridge to Settler's Landing/Scene Pavilion, along the eastern shore of the Cuyahoga River (see map at www.clevelandrows.org or at Regatta Central). Due to the course modifications from previous years, however, no prior course records can be compared to 2006 times therefore every winning crew in 2006 will set a new course record.

10. BOW AND BACK NUMBERS. Bow and back numbers will be distributed at registration in the race packet. Bow numbers must be returned at the conclusion of racing to the Dockmaster. A $10.00 charge will be assessed if the bow numbers are not returned. All shells must have bow clips to race. Back numbers must be worn on the back of the bow rower; stern coxswains must wear numbers on their backs (provided in the race packet) and a bow-coxed shell must place its stern bib number on the front of the stroke seat rower.

11. LAUNCHING. The CRF Boathouse dock is different than most traditional docks. The boats are not walked onto a sloping dock; rather, they are placed on Tees above the dock, parallel to the water, and the rowers than walk down a ramp onto the dock below, lift the boat off the Tees and roll the boat into the water. Local CRF crews will be on hand to assist away crews with the Launching.

12. START. Directions for proceeding to the start will be announced at the meeting for coaches/coxswains/scullers. Boats must be ready to leave the dock at the specified launch time. Due to the large number of crews anticipated, quick launching is essential. Boats must arrive at the marshaling area 5 minutes before the start time of their event.

13. SAFETY ZONES. Due to the complexity of the course and in the event of an Emergency, the US Coast Guard has asked us to identify 3 "Safe Zones" where crews will be placed in the event of an Emergency. Those are designated on the Course Map and will be reviewed at the Coaches, Coxswains and Scullers Meetings.

14. CLASSES Junior. A junior is a competitor who in the current calendar year does not attain the age of 19, or who is currently and has been continuously enrolled in secondary school as a full time student seeking a diploma.

Novice. A competitor who has not competed in a regatta before the current calendar year.

Open. Unrestricted.

Master. A competitor who has attained/will attain the age of 21 during the current calendar year.

Lightweight. In any men's lightweight event (sweeps or sculling) no rower shall weigh more than 160 lbs. In any junior men's lightweight event no rower shall weigh more than 155 lbs. In anywomen's lightweight event (including juniors), no rower shall weigh more than 130 lbs.

Recreational. The Recreational category is for masters who practice on average one day per week. This category includes such crews as those rowing as a corporate crew, in a summer rowing league, as novices (in first year of rowing), or other occasional rowers. What distinguishes a recreational rower is the limited frequency with which he or she rows. A team may not enter a Masters event and also a Recreational event.

15. HANDICAPPING. Masters races will be handicapped. Competitors/crews entered in masters races who do not have their ages (as of 12/31/06) listed on their entry forms will not have their handicaps calculated (actual elapsed time will be used). Handicaps will be figured using US Rowing Association 1000 meter handicaps, multiplied by 2.25.

16. EVENTS. Please see the Events List and Schedule, attached. Although every effort will be made to keep to the published events schedule, the race times are subject to change. Two (2)entries are required to run an event.

17. EVENT TIMES. Entries MUST row only at the time the event they are entered in is scheduled and raced. No boats will be permitted to race at any other time in the schedule (e.g., a men's junior 4+ will not be permitted to race when the women's masters 2x's are racing or at any other time except when men's junior 4+'s are racing).

18. HOTSEATING. Races will not be delayed to permit hotseating. All crews are on notice of the scheduled launch and start times, and enter at their own risk. The Dockmaster retains the final authority regarding the launch and retrieval order of shells.

 19. CONDUCT DURING TRANSIT, RACING AND PENALTIES

A. Boats will row to the start line upriver along the river's west bank (to the coxswain's right, sculler's left), and race back to the east of the centerline of the river.

B. Boats passing other racing boats shall pass on the inside of a turn or curve in the river (on those limited areas of straightaway on the course, the passing boat may take its choice of sides); the overtaken boat will yield to the outside of a turn or curve, or to the side not chosen by the overtaking boat on the straightaway.

C. Boats rowing to the start will at all time stay between the port side of the course buoys and the west bank. Passing another boat while rowing to the start line is permitted only in areas where orange-colored buoys are present. There are only 3 areas where passing is permitted, and all are on straight-aways. Passing another boat should only be done if necessary. If a crew passes another boat on a turn or in a no-pass zone, this may result in exclusion. Please refer to the Course Map.

D. Any racing boat crossing the buoys (with any part of the hull of the boat, but not the oars) will be charged a penalty of 10 seconds per crossing. All boats must finish between the finish line buoys, and any boat finishing outside the buoys will be charged a 20 second penalty. Boats in transit to the start may also be charged a penalty for crossing the buoys.

E. Any boat which, without justification, interferes with the forward progress of another boat, or which unreasonably fails to yield to an overtaking boat will be charged a 1-minute time penalty or be excluded, at the discretion of the officials.

F. After crossing the finish line, a shell must be prepared to weigh enough and steer to port as it enters the turn at Settlers Landing. The shell may then proceed as directed by the finish line marshal until it is safe to turn around. The shell may return to the dock area only as directed by the marshal to avoid interfering with racing crews at the Center Street Bridge. Shells shall return to the launch + recovery dock, single file, up the West Side bank (on the coxes right, scullers left).

G. No shell, under any circumstances, may proceed beyond the buoy markers down river of the Nautica Queen Tour Boat by order of our US Coast Guard permit. Any shell doing so will be excluded from their event, and the crew or sculler will be disqualified from all other races in which they/he/she participated during this regatta.

20. PROTESTS. Protests regarding the outcome of a race must be made to Race Central within 60 minutes of the time the provisional results of the race in question are posted. Protests made outside of that time period will not be allowed. A fee of $25.00 at the time the protest is submitted must accompany protests to Race Central. The fee will be refunded if a decision in favor of the protest is made. An ombudsman will make initial decisions on protests.

21. MEDALS/ + TEAM POINTS TROPHY. Medals (gold, silver and bronze) will be awarded to winning crews when race results are confirmed and official. Points will be awarded in each 8+ and 4+ event to the school or club with whom the winning boat is affiliated (NOTE: if a team has more than one entry in any event, only the highest finishing entry is eligible to win team points.) Points will be awarded as follows: 1st place - 6 points; 2nd place - 4 points; 3rd place - 2 points; 4th place - 1 point. The school or club winning the most points overall will be awarded the Regatta Trophy.

22. GENERAL RULES. US Rowing Association Rules of Racing apply to all situations not

covered above. AS A REMINDER, the US Coast Guard Permit allowing the river closure is only in effect from 8AM until 3PM sharp on Saturday, September 15, 2007. CRF and the HOTC Directors will strongly enforce the 3PM rule- NO RACING will be done after 3PM for the Safety

of all crews and in compliance with the US Coast Guard Permit. This will be reiterated at the Coaches, Coxswains and Scullers meetings.

23. FEES.

1X - $35.00

 2X - $40.00

4+ - $50.00

8+ - $60.00

Regatta Central will accept Credit Card payment. Deadline for registration is Monday, September 10, 2007.

Register on-line at www.regattacentral.com

Official Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn on Carnegie Head of the Cuyahoga Rowing Regatta Room Rate $92 a night 1100 Carnegie Avenue, 216-658-6400, www.clevelanddowntown.gardeninn.com

ATHLETE AND COACH HOUSING LIAISON: Please contact Alice Chessar, 216-741-4718, [email protected]

The Head of the Cuyahoga will be hosted by the Cleveland Rowing Foundation and will take place on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio.

Maps, driving directions, local information can be found at www.clevelandrows.org

Regatta Directors: Mark Silverstein  [email protected] Russ Eckles [email protected]