Sarasota Invitational
- Hosted By: Sarasota County Rowing Club, Inc/dba Sarasota Masters
- USRowing Sanctioned Regatta
UPDATED: 02-08-2023
SEE BELOW FOR UPDATES ON U.S. ROWING RULES CHANGES FOR 2023 AND FOR CLARIFICATIONS ON YOUTH LIGHTWEIGHT QUALIFICATIONS.
RULES FOR ALL DIVISIONS :
No private drones, no exceptions.
Crews are responsible to know the rules on Regatta Central and information announced at the Coaches & Coxswain meetings.
C & C MEETINGS: 7am both Saturday and Sunday at the grandstand
WEIGH-INS -- On the first floor (ground floor) of the Finish Tower:
Weigh-ins for Saturday events start at 8am to 11am
Weigh-ins for Sunday events start at 7:30am to 9:45am
No coxswain weigh-ins required; only lightweight rowers.
PRACTICE SESSION FRIDAY FROM 1-5PM ONLY; LAST LAUNCH 4:15PM
EVENTS MAY CLOSE EARLY:
It is anticipated that some events may see significant entries, usually in singles.
In the event we have more than entries than can reasonably be accommodated, we will have a head-style Time Trial.
Time Trials will take place before the start of competition on Saturday, and possibly even on Sunday.
In order to complete racing at a reasonable time, we may have to limit the number of flights per event to three.
This would allow for a maximum of 24 entries per event for the actual races.
If some events are under-subscribed, we may be able to add additional flights.
We reserve the right to close some events before the deadline if necessary.
THE STARTER WILL NOT WAIT FOR LATE OR HOT SEATING CREWS.
Any official delays will be announced. If it’s not announced, it is unofficial and temporary and referees will do all they can to make up the time.
POSSIBILITY OF TIME TRIALS :
Depending upon the total number of entries received, certain heavily subscribed events may have Time Trials added.
If Time Trials are added, they will take place near to or at the beginning of the daily schedule.
A determination on Time Trials will be made after Standard Registration closes.
If Time Trials are needed, you will be notified as soon as the decision is made.
ALL TEAMS MUST COMPLETE THE REGISTRATION SURVEY:
The survey shown on Regatta Central MUST be completed BEFORE you can pick up your packet at Registration.
Please do it in advance of Regatta Weekend to save time at registration. Be sure to include the NAME of the hotel so we can complete our report to the County.
SAFETY MARSHALS: HEED ALL INSTRUCTIONS :
You must heed the instructions and warnings of any course marshal or Regatta Official, not just Referees.
Failure to do so may result in penalties being assessed for Saturday / Sunday races.
WAIVERS: This is a USRowing Registered Regatta!
ALL COMPETITORS must have a valid US Rowing membership and waiver for 2023.
The FSRA / NOARA Waiver does not apply to this regatta.
WAIVERS should be done on-line at Regatta Central for maximum convenience and efficiency!
Paper waivers are reserved for international crews! If you have not signed an on-line waiver, you may not be able to race! Coaches, make sure your rowers have signed their waivers!
SCRATCHES:
1. Scratches made after Sunday, Feb 19 at 11:59 pm Eastern time will not be entitled to refunds.
2. Scratches made on regatta weekend:
a. Each team will be allowed four (4) scratches without additional penalty.
b. All scratches beyond the four (4) allowed will incur a penalty of $ 50 per scratch.
c. Scratch penalties must be paid before awards are picked up.
* * * NEW SAFESPORT RULES * * *
Effective January 1, 2023, all participants 18 years of age or older are no longer required to take SafeSport training unless they are involved with junior athletes. USRowing is revising their rules to clarify how this change will be implemented.
ADDRESSING U.S. ROWING RULES CHANGES:
2-310 Broken Equipment
Breakage is only recognized after the starting commands but before the crew has left the starting area (the first 100 meters of the race).
SIR Local Rule Variation for Rule 2-310 for 2023:
a. In the event breakage occurs prior to the Start of the race, crews which report breakage to a race official will have a maximum allowed repair time of 15 minutes past the scheduled start of their race.
b. Whether breakage occurs prior to the Start OR within the first 100 m of the race,
repairs must be completed within 15 minutes after the scheduled race time.
c. If the crew with breakage cannot complete repairs by that time,
they will be excluded and their flight will proceed at the next possible opportunity.
d. Other flights will not be delayed while waiting for the repair to be made.
It is therefore in your best interests to report breakage promptly to give your crew as much time as possible to complete repairs. This modified rule allows maximum opportunity for crews to repair problems, while minimizing any negative impact on other crews in the race and subsequent races.
4-103 Eligibility to Compete in Events
Places responsibility on competitors to only enter events for which they are eligible.
4-106 Weighing of Competitors
The weight of Rowers in lightweight Events as described in Rule 4-104.3 (“Lightweights”) shall be determined once each day during either the Weigh-in Window or the Adjusted Weigh-in Window but not both. Each Rower shall have only one (1) initial opportunity to weigh in. A Rower within one (1.0) pound or less of the weight standard is allowed one (1) re-weigh within the same window as their initial opportunity. A Rower whose initial weight is greater than one (1.0) pound above the weight standard will be ineligible to compete in the Event.
TRAFFIC PATTERN ON WATER:
Launch from south side of Regatta Island & head due south; follow along the length of Wave Attenuator
Row south to southern end of lake and turn to starboard, Cross past the southern end of the Wave Atttenuator;
Turn to starboard and enter the race course.
DURING PRACTICE SESSIONS: On the course, you may ONLY row northward. Do NOT cross lanes.
> Watch out for the starting platforms (at 500 meter point on Saturday; 1000m on Sunday)
> Preferred practice lanes: #'s 1, 3, 5, & 7 -- spread yourself out.
> Pass through Finish Line; Keep rowing to clear area; turn to Starboard; proceed through island canal.
> Circle island in canal; pass under bridges and return to recovery docks on south side side of island.
(For a visual, please see the map posted under Venue on Regatta Central)
SCULLING MAY BE NECESSARY AT THE START:
Coxswains must be trained in keeping the bow pointed in the correct direction.
Please review proper sculling technique with all rowers.
This is especially important with Novice and Freshman rowers.
Boats which are unable to lock on in a reasonable amount of time may be excluded from the race.
NOVICE ROWER DEFINED:
The definition of novice is a rower in his/her first year of competition in either sculling or sweep.
The first year of competition is defined as being within 365 days of your first competition in that discipline.
Therefore, it is possible to be a novice sculler but an experienced sweep rower, or vice versa.
REQUIRED: BOW BALLS, BOW NUMBERS, & QUICK RELEASE SHOES:
All boats must have adequate Bow Balls, Bow Numbers, and Quick Release shoes as per US Rowing rules.
These will be checked prior to launching.
PARENT - CHILD EVENTS:
> Restricted to parents and their children or grandparents and their grandchildren.
> Can be single gender, or one female and one male.
COXSWAIN WEIGHTS:
There shall be no minimum weights for Coxswains.
CLUB REGISTRATION WITH US ROWING :
For our insurance to cover you, each club entering must be a current member of USRowing.
Unaffiliated individuals must be individual Championship members of USRowing.
Please make sure your membership is current.
MEDALS:
Beautiful, heavyweight medals will be awarded to the top three finishers in each flight.
ALL POINTS CUP SCORING SYSTEM:
An All PointsTrophy will be awarded to the Junior Team accumulating the most points on Saturday.
The points calculation for the Points Trophy will be based on the Event as a whole.
All boat finish times for each event will be ordered as though they are in a single heat.
Points will be awarded based on overall finish time placement.
Points will be awarded to 6th place based on the US Rowing points system (tbc).
ROWING FOR LIFE RULES :
We will be having the Rowing for Life competition on Saturday again this year! Each boat must be half juniors and half masters, and at least four women. The plan is to go with mixed events for all entries.
Juniors: All the Juniors must be from the same club, AND MUST ALSO COMPETE IN AT LEAST ONE OTHER EVENT IN THE REGATTA
Masters: If the Junior club has an affiliated masters club, then all the masters must come from that affiliate.
If the junior club does not have a masters affiliate, they can have masters from another club within their region of which ever gender is needed, but all the masters must come from that one club; “cherry-picking” high performance rowers from multiple clubs is not permitted. Junior Coaches may compete as masters.
There are two $1000 prizes for the event. If there is just one heat, the two prizes will be awarded to the first two finishers. If there are two heats, the winner of each heat. If more than two heats the prizes go to the fastest two finishers overall.
The $1000 goes to the Junior club, so, you Juniors, find some Masters to row with and compete for the prize!
RULES FOR YOUTH ONLY :
ENTRY LIMITS / YOUTH DIVISIONS :
The youth entry limits per club established in 2013 will be continued:
1X : max 6 per club per event
2X, 2- : max 3 per club per event
4+, 4X, 8+ : max 2 per club per event
Middle School 8+ : max total 6 per club
EXCEEDING ENTRY LIMITS / YOUTH DIVISIONS :
Due to the growth of the regatta, entries in excess of the entry cap limits cannot be allowed in 2023 unless an empty lane is available. Those crews will be waitlisted until entries have closed.
LIGHTWEIGHTS :
> Each rower in a Junior Women's lightweight crew shall weigh no more than 130 lbs.
> Each rower in a Junior Men's lightweight crew shall weigh no more than 150 lbs.
> There shall be no boat averaging.
> We do not require minimum weights for Coxswains.
> There is no Friday weigh in period.
> Lightweight crews must weigh-in together in seat order bow to stern.
Competitors shall be weighed in racing uniform, without shoes or other footgear.
> The weigh-in area will be open for lightweight crews starting at 8:00am on Saturday and 7:45am on Sunday.
Priority will be given to those crews which must be on the water first.
Weigh-in must be completed at least 1 hr prior to the scheduled time of the first race where the weight is relevant..
> Opportunity for reweighing: See Rule 4-106 above.
RULES GOVERNING ELIGIBILITY:
Unless otherwise noted herein, FSRA eligibility rules will apply.
YOUTH RACE DISTANCE:
Youth events will be 1500 m and start via Anchored Starting Pods.
SPECIAL RULE FOR YOUTH MIXED 8+, MIXED 4+, AND MIXED 4X:
Youth Mixed boats must have a minimum participation of 50% female rowers
However, you are allowed to seat the boat with greater than 50% female rowers;
i.e. five or more females in a Mixed 8+, or 3 or more females in a Mixed 4+ or Mixed 4x.
SPECIAL RULE FOR YOUTH 1V, Lightweight, & 2V classifications:
> As per FSRA rules, in order to enter a 2V 8+ race, you must also enter a 1V 8+.
> In order to enter a 3V 8+, you must first enter a 2V 8+.
> The 1V should always be faster than the 2V; the 2V should always be faster than the 3V.
> A Lightweight 8+ may take the place of a 1V if the Lightweight 8+ uses your Varsity rowers.
Therefore, if the remaining 8+ is truly not your Varsity 8+, you can skip the 1V 8+ and enter directly to the 2V 8+.
> This rule is to be applied if entering the Ltwt 8+ negatively impacts your remaining 8+.
> It is designed to place crews in the appropriate classification, so that true 1V8+ crews will race other 1V8+ crews.
> If you have any doubt as to whether or not you should skip the 1V8+ classification, please do not.
> This rule is designed to make the competition more even and fair throughout the levels.
> Please advise Norm Thetford [email protected] if you will be taking this exemption.
> In the interest of fairness to all teams, exemptions to this rule will be watched closely.
> The Sarasota Invitational Regatta Organizing Committee reserves the right to examine race times and may disqualify a team which is found to abuse this rule.
SPECIAL RULE FOR YOUTH : NEW PROGRAMS :
> If your school is just starting competition, contact the director for exceptions to the above rules.
RULES FOR MASTERS ONLY:
LIGHTWEIGHTS :
> Each rower in a Masters Women's lightweight crew shall weigh no more than 130 lbs.
> Each rower in a Masters Men's lightweight crew shall weigh no more than 160 lbs.
SPECIAL RULE FOR MIXED MASTERS NOVICE 8+ :
The Mixed Masters Novice 8+ may have up to (2) experienced rowers in the boat.
SPECIAL RULE FOR MASTERS MEN'S AND WOMEN'S NOVICE 4+ :
The Mens and Womens Masters Novice 4+ may have up to (1) experienced rower in the boat.
SPECIAL RULE FOR MASTERS WOMEN COMPETITORS :
In order to increase potential for participation, the SIR allows provisions that:
> Masters Women may participate in Masters Mens' open events, but not lightweight events.
> Masters Mixed boats must have a minimum participation of 50% Women rowers.
However, you are allowed to seat the boat with more than 50% Women,
i.e. five or more Women in a Mixed 8+, or three or more Women in a Mixed 4+, etc.
SPECIAL RULE FOR MASTERS COMPOSITE BOATS :
Composite boats will be awarded Team Points on a pro rata basis.
Teams must clearly identify participating team of each rower. (Coxswain's team will not be counted.)
MASTERS RACING DISTANCE :
Races will be 1000 m and start via Anchored Starting Pods.
MASTERS HANDICAP SYSTEM :
Masters events will use the US Rowing Handicaps.
We will NOT be using a staggered start; all handicaps will be calculated at the finish.
MASTERS PRACTICE SESSION ON SATURDAY :
From 10 minutes after the last race until 6pm. Avoid the area on the course while the starting docks are moved.
MASTERS DIVISIONS FOLLOW US ROWING RULES :
Unless otherwise noted herein, US Rowing eligibility rules will apply.
< END >