2018 SRAA® Regatta Rules Document

Racing will be conducted under the USRowing, “Rules of Racing” and the SRAA® Rules

• The SRAA® National Championship regatta is an invitational regatta and will always be held on Friday & Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
• The SRAA® Regatta is a USRowing registered regatta.
• Invitations to this regatta are open to qualified crews of any public or private school given to the education of youth.
• A national scholastic institution must certify the status of the school.
• Students must be working toward a diploma.
• All schools wishing to enter must be approved to compete in their state’s public league championship regatta.
• Neither composite teams, nor rowers representing more than one public school or school district will be allowed to compete.

​USRowing Organizational Membership

• USRowing requires all participating organizations at registered regattas to be USRowing members*. The organization (high school) has to be an organizational member of USRowing; individuals do not have to be members.
• *Exception: Schools with singles and/or doubles only are exempt from the USRowing organizational membership requirement. However, all individuals in exempt schools must be individual members of USRowing.
• ​USRowing membership applications are posted on the USRowing website.

​Qualifying

• Crews will be invited based on their performance at a qualifying championship.
• The qualifying championship regattas are:

1. Florida State Championship
2. Midwest Championship
3. Garden State Scholastic Championship
4. New York State Scholastic Championship
5. Philadelphia City Championship
6. Virginia State Championship
7. Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Rowing Association ®

• All teams must qualify at their local championship or petition for open slots.
• Open slot petitions will be accepted from crews placing below the automatic selection criteria in their championship regatta, however, priority for open slot petitions will be given to crews that are not from one of the qualifying championship areas.
• In addition, any entries not used for the championship regattas will go into the open slot category.
• The qualifying championship regatta directors must supply the order of finish for their events to the SRAA®.

Events

	Varsity					*2nd Varsity	Junior				Lightweight				Freshman
	8+	4+	4x	2x	1x	8+	8+	4+	4x	2x	8+	4+	4x	2x	8+	4x
Florida State	4	4	1	2	2	2	3	3	1	1	3	3	1	1	3	1
Midwest	4	4	1	2	2	2	3	3	1	1	3	3	1	1	3	1
Garden State Scholastic	4	4	1	2	2	2	3	3	1	1	3	3	1	1	3	1
NY scholastic	4	4	1	2	2	2	3	3	1	1	3	3	1	1	3	​1
Philadelphia Cities	4	4	1	2	2	2	3	3	1	1	3	3	1	1	3	1
VA Scholastic	4	4	1	2	2	2	3	3	1	1	3	3	1	1	3	​1
Washington Metro	4	4	x	x	x	2	3	3	x	x	3	3	x	x	3	X
**Open Slots	8	8	6	6	6	6	3	3	6	6	3	3	6	6	3	6
Total Entries	36	36	12	18	18	18	24​	24	12	​12	24	24	12	12	24	12

*Second Varsity boats will only be allowed if the Varsity 8 Qualifies and registers.
​Your second boat must qualify as well.

** Open Slots are for schools:
1. Who do not compete in the above named championship regattas (priority).
2. Who do not qualify for automatic selection at one of the above named championship regattas.

​SRAA® Regatta Rules

• Racing will be conducted under the current edition of USRowing “Rules of Racing” and the SRAA® Rules.
• The Executive Board of the SRAA® reserves the right to request the removal of any person or persons from the regatta site for unsportsmanlike conduct or breaking of the rules. Removal from the site may lead to a ban of that person or persons from future regattas as determined by the Executive Board.
• Access to the race course by anyone other than race officials or safety personnel is prohibited. Exception to this rule would be for a credentialed member of the press or VIP approved by at least two members of the Executive Board of the SRAA®. Notification of this exception must be provided to the Chief Referee prior to access to the race course.
• All questions of eligibility, qualification, or interpretations of any rule shall be referred to the Chief Referee whose decision shall be made in coordination with the SRAA® Executive Committee. This decision shall be final and not subject to appeal.
• All decisions of the SRAA® Race Jury with respect to protests shall be final and binding, and not subject to appeal to any outside agency or organization.
• All races shall be a distance of 1500 meters.
• No movable outriggers. 
• “B” boats will not be accepted in the regatta.
• Rowers and coxswains are only allowed to row in one event.
• Freshman shall be designated as those athletes in the 9th grade as listed on their team roster.
• Junior events are restricted to competitors in the 11th grade (Junior year) or lower.
• Juniors, including coxswains, must not have attained the age of 18 years prior to September 1st of that academic year.
• 12th grade (Senior) students shall not complete in junior events.

​

• ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY LIMITATION

1. Eligibility is assigned to students in their freshman through senior year (grades 9 through 12).
2. Each athlete has four consecutive years (eight consecutive semesters) of eligibility beginning in September of their freshman year (9th grade).
3. A rower or coxswain cannot have reached his or her 19th birthday prior to September 1st of that academic year.
4. After eight consecutive semesters, a student will have completed his/her athletic eligibility and may no longer participate in the SRAA® Regatta.
5. The eight consecutive semester rule begins with the student’s initial enrollment in the 9th grade.
6. Post Graduates or (Canadian/US) fifth year students are not permitted. 
7. Lightweight rowers must have submitted online the lightweight documentation to be eligible to compete.

​Objections

• Objections should be registered on the water in accordance with USRowing rules.
• In order to address objections, an informal “pre-hearing” will be held by a specially designated “ombudsman” official as soon as the crews have returned to the dock.
• This “ombudsman” will act only as a moderator and will attempt to resolve the potential objection(s) in a way mutually agreeable to the protesting crew, any other crews involved and the official most directly involved.
• If no mutually agreeable resolution can be arranged within a reasonable period of time or if it seems necessary to consult additional witnesses, the objecting team will then submit its formal protest to the SRAA® Race Jury. The Jury will be convened as soon as possible.
• The formal protest, written by a member of the racing crew, to the SRAA® Race Jury must be submitted to the Chief Referee or his designee by a member of the crew, citing the reason for the protest, the USRowing or SRAA® rule(s) being cited and the remedy the crew seeks.
• The protest must be accompanied by a $50.00 fee, returned if the protest is upheld.
• Disposition of the protest will follow the USRowing rules.
• In accordance with SRAA® rules and with the approval of the Chief Executive Officer of USRowing, Rule 2-608, “Appeal from the Jury and Grievance Procedure” as described in the Chief Executive Officer Procedures Manual is superseded. All decisions of the SRAA® Race Jury with respect to protests shall be final and binding, and not subject to appeal to any outside agency or organization.

​Progressions

We will use the USRowing Progressions system “C” except for the Varsity 8’s and Varsity 4’s.

Varsity 8’s and Varsity 4’s Events with 36 entries will have 6 heats of 6 boats.

Heats
1st and 2nd place will go straight to semi’s
3rd and 4th place will go to repechage
5th and 6th place will be eliminated
​
Repechage (2 reps of 6 boats each)
1st, 2nd, and 3rd will go to semi’s
4th, 5th, and 6th will be eliminated

Semi Finals (3 semis of 6 boats each)
1st and 2nd place will go to the Grand final
3rd and 4th place will go to the Petite final
5th and 6th place will be eliminated

Progressions for Varsity 8’s and Varsity 4’s Events with 25-30 entries will have 6 heats

Heats
1st will place will go straight to 2 semi’s.
2nd and 3rd place will go to 2 repechage
Remainder eliminated.

Repechage (2 reps of 6 boats each)
1st, 2nd, and 3rd will go to semi’s
4th, 5th, and 6th will be eliminated

Semi Finals (2 semis of 6 boats each)
1st, 2nd and 3rd place will go to the Grand final
​4th, 5th and 6th place will go to the Petite final

​Inclement Weather Procedure

The Scholastic Rowing Association of America®, Chief Referee, and the LOC will work together to monitor the weather continuously during the event. Should it be determined that schedule changes are necessary due to weather concerns, the following weather plan will be utilized:

1. Unable to run races Friday and Saturday:
Cancel Regatta.

2. Unable to run races Friday – Run races on Saturday:
Run Friday’s schedule as a head race with top 6 times in each event going to finals.Unable to run races

3. Saturday – Use results from races on Friday:
Award medals to top three times of Friday’s races.

4. Limited racing on Friday and Saturday:
Run all heats with top 6 times going to final.

5. Limited racing on Friday but full racing on Saturday:
Finish Friday schedule on Saturday with top 6 times going to final.

6. Full schedule on Friday but limited on Saturday:
Run all heats with top 6 times going to final.

In the event scenario 1 to 6 cannot be implemented, the Regatta Committee reserves the right to select events starting with Varsity events that can be run depending on time, weather and safety.

​Communication Plan

Weather-related schedule changes will be announced by:

1. Posted on the results board at the regatta site.
2. Announced over the on-site sound system.
3. Posted online at www.sraa.net and on Regatta Central.

**Teams are responsible for staying up to date on announced schedule changes.
Please direct any questions about schedule changes to the SRAA® at the registration area.**

​Awards

Medals and shields will be presented to each member of the winning crews and award plaques to the winning schools.

• Medals will be given to second and third place finishers in events with six or more entries.
• Earle P. Baltz Memorial Trophy will be presented to the winner of the Men’s Senior Single.
• Mathew Ledwith Memorial Trophy will be presented to the winner of the Women’s Senior Single.