NZSSRA: Rules of racing

SCOPE
These rules shall govern all regattas of the NZSSRA or its Local Associations
ELIGIBILITY
1. Entries are open to all registered rowers who attend, on a full time basis, schools which are financial members of the NZSSRA, or, in the case of Overseas schools, those which are invited to attend by the Schools Committee.
2. No rower shall be eligible to compete as a rower or coxswain unless he or she:
  1. is under 19 years of age on the 1st January in the year in which the competition is held; and
  2. is a bona fide pupil of the school that is:-
    1. be enrolled as a bona fide student at the school of representation and studying at least 80% of a programme which is part of the timetable provided by the school for at least four weeks prior to the event.
    2. have a satisfactory attendance record at the school. The final decision will be at the Principals discretion.
3. In the event it is found during or after the regatta is completed that a rower, who has competed in the regatta, is not a full time student of the school the rower competed for, then that School shall be held to have been disqualified from the regatta.
4. No rower shall be eligible to compete in a crew where the inclusion of that rower would cause the crew to be in breach of NZSSSC's school team eligibility criteria except the criteria shall not be applied to any rower who had not competed in rowing at another school or club before becoming eligible to compete for their current school.
APPLICATION
1. These rules shall apply to the following regattas:
  1. Championships; and
  2. Other regattas and or races organised by Local Associations
2. Variation to these Rules is permitted for non-Championships regattas, provided such variations are advertised at the time of calling for entries.
BOATS AND OARS
1. The construction, design and dimensions of boats and oars shall be such that they may be able to be raced in NZRA Regattas.
2. The point of the bow of every boat shall be protected by a solid ball of rubber or similar material firmly affixed to the boat.. This ball shall be white in colour and must be clearly distinguishable from the hull and be not less than 40mm in diameter.
3. All boats shall have a bracket permanently fixed at the bow immediately behind the bow ball for fixing the boat number.
4. All boats shall allow all crew members to disembark easily in the event of an emergency and to avoid accidents arising from capsizing all boats must be equipped with stretchers or shoes which allow the rowers to get clear of the boat without using their hands and with the least possible delay.
5. Bow coxed boats shall provide an opening for the coxswain at least 700mm long and be as wide as the boat for at least 500mm. The interior surfaces shall be smooth without any projections that would hinder easy and rapid egress. A fixed bulkhead shall be provided at a suitable distance from the backrest to suit the coxswains height so that they can push themselves clear of the cockpit easily The steering mechanism must not hinder egress by projecting into the coxswains enclosure.
6. No substances or structures capable of modifying the natural properties of water or of the surface layer of water shall be applied to the hull.
7. No boat shall incorporate features in its design or construction that violates the principals of fair competition.
8. No boat or member of any crew shall carry any electronic equipment that shall enable communication to be established between any member of the crew and any person not a member of the crew unless sanctioned by the Race Committee. The Race Committee may only sanction such equipment that permits remote video camera operation broadcasting to a designated place. Any school found violating this rule shall be disqualified from the regatta.
BOAT NUMBERS
1. Boat numbers shall be at least 180mm high and coloured air sea rescue orange or bright red except where boat numbers are provided by the Regatta Committee for use by all crews.
2. Each boat at Championships shall carry at the bow the lane number of the starting position which has been drawn by its crew. This lane number must be provided by the School unless boat numbers are provided by the Regatta Committee for use by all crews.
3. For other regattas, numbers which may identify crews or lanes, shall be carried if stipulated by the Regatta Committee.
4. This number must be affixed so that it can be read the correct way round from the judges position during racing.
RACE COMMITTEE
1. The Race Committee is responsible for all matters dealing with the racing and shall consist of the following persons.
  1. The Chief Umpire, who shall be the Convener;
  2. The Chief Starter;
  3. The Chief Judge;
  4. The representative of the Regatta Committee;
  5. The representative appointed by the NZSSRA Schools Committee. In the case of non-Championships regattas this representative shall be appointed by the Local Association.
2. The Race Committee is appointed in accordance with Regulation 5.
3. The duties which the Race Committee is responsible for are:
  1. Before each regatta the inspection of the course ensuring that all equipment and rowing plant conforms to requirements.
  2. Administer these Rules, the Regulations and Safety System throughout the regatta. Its decisions shall be announced within a reasonable time.
  3. Meeting immediately after the regatta and as required preparing a report on the racing and on such disputes as may have arising.
  4. Recording umpires decisions and confirming the order of finishing.
4. The Convenor shall submit a report upon the conduct of their Championships to the Regatta Committee and to the Schools Committee.
RACE OFFICIALS
1. The Chief Umpire, assisted by the umpires, starters and judges, is responsible for ensuring that the Rules and Regulations are followed and at all times the Safety System is being adhered to (This latter duty may be delegated to an appointed Safety Officer).
2. An umpires boat may carry only the Umpire and driver and no other without the authority of the Chief Umpire. Flags are not to be flown on the boat.
3. The occupants of all vessels carrying officials or operated by the Regatta Committee must wear life jackets.
REGATTA CONTROL
1. Regatta Control is to ensure that all rowers compete in their races in accordance with the Rules, Regulations and Safety System. Their duties include:
  1. Recording of scratchings and crew changes before the race.
  2. The drawing of heats and finals.
  3. Preparation and publishing the racing programme.
  4. Weighing of coxswains.
  5. Checking of necessary dead-weight.
  6. Weighing of rowers in lightweight events.
  7. Selection and taking of medical tests where required.
  8. Acting as a link between rowers and Race Committee.
SCHOOL REPRESENTATION
1. All racing under the NZSSRA Rules, Regulations and Safety System is between schools.
2. A rower shall not compete for more that one school at the same regatta.
ROWERS UNIFORMS
1. Every rower (coxswains excluded) must wear the official uniform of the school that they are representing. Any school not wearing approved Rowing Uniforms may be disqualified.
2. Undergarments may be worn uniformly under the official uniform, provided that the colour of the undergarment is the same as the body of the official uniform or plain white.
3. In an emergency, the Race Committee or umpire may authorise the wearing of an alternative uniform and/or undergarment.
CLASSIFICATION OF ROWERS (EXCLUDING COXSWAINS)
1. Male and Female rowers are classified according to:
  1. sex,
  2. ability,
  3. age, and where applicable,
  4. weight.
2. Classification according to sex.
  There shall be racing and classification provided for each sex, where crews and races shall be limited to members of one sex.
3. Classification according to ability.
  Novice Class - rowers who have not competed in a prior Season.
4. Classification according to age .
  In all age groups events rowers must be under the stipulated age before the 1st of January in the Season in which the competition is held *.
  In the case of dispute the rower may be required to produce a birth certificate to verify the age. No entries will be accepted where the rower's age is not specified.
5. Classification according to weight;
  1. Male - No individual rower shall weigh more than 72.5 kilograms.
  2. Female - No individual rower shall weigh more than 59 kilograms.
WEIGHING OF ROWERS
1. In races where a weight limit applies rowers shall be weighed in rowing costume on tested scales not less than one hour and not more than two hours before the event in which they are competing on each day of competition.
2. All members of the crew, excepting any coxswain, shall present themselves at the weighing centre for weighing at the same time.
3. A School representative, other than a rower shall attend the weighing in.
4. The scales used shall be certified as suitable for the weighing of human beings and shall display a current testing certificate.
COXSWAINS
1. A coxswain is a member of a crew. However a Coxswain may compete in any classification.
2. A male coxswain may steer a female crew and visa versa .
3. The minimum weight for a coxswain shall be 55kg for under 18 heavyweight events. For all other events the minimum weight shall be 50kg.
4. To make up the minimum weight, dead-weight shall be placed in the boat, near the coxswain, in such a manner that it does not impede the coxswains exit from the boat. The dead-weight must be of a solid substance and not be attached to the person. The dead-weight shall not include any article of rowing or racing equipment.
5. Coxswains shall be weighed in racing uniform including life jackets on tested scales (see 12.4 above) not less than an hour and not more than two hours before their first race on each day of competition. Thereafter they may be required to be check weighed prior to and or after each race including heats, repecharges, semi-finals and finals.
6. Coxswains shall wear a New Zealand Safety Standards approved life jacket that is not an inflatable life jacket.
7. A coxswain shall be subject to the same rules of substitution as a rower.
SUBSTITUTIONS
1. Permission for substitution is the responsibility of the Race Committee and shall be recorded.
2. Every crew shall be entitled to substitute up to and including one half the number of its rowers and may also substitute its coxswain, provided that:
  1. the rowers are from the same school; and
  2. the substitutes name and age is recorded on the Declaration form that accompanied the original entries; and
  3. The substitutions are advised to Regatta Control in writing prior to the race and within any time limit recorded in the regatta conditions. If a substitution is due to illness or injury a medical certificate must be provided and the rower must be substituted from all their crews.
  4. The Regatta Control must notify the Race Committee of the changes.
3. Where there are elimination heats, no substitution may be made after the first phase of the heats have been rowed except in the following circumstances:
  1. In the event of serious illness to a rower substantiated by a medical certificate.
  2. A rower who has been substituted out of a crew for medical reasons may regain their position in their crew(s) on the production of a further medical certificate certifying complete recovery of health of the rower.
  3. In the case of the expulsion of a rower from the regatta according to Rule 20.3
4. A single sculler cannot be substituted.
5. In exceptional circumstances the Chief Umpire may authorise a substitution that is otherwise contrary to the Rules provided the crew will no longer be eligible for medals, trophies or awards
SCRATCHINGS and NON PROGRESSION
1. Where it is necessary to scratch a crew from a race, advice must be given in writing, to Regatta Control by a senior member of the School party, by the date and time nominated in the regatta conditions.
2. Schools who fail to notify scratchings by the nominated time or whose crew/s do not take part in an event in which they have been entered, shall incur monetary penalty which shall be decided at the Annual General meeting from time to time (See APPENDIX A). The penalty shall apply for each crew that has not been properly scratched.
3. Non Progression
  Schools, whose crew(s) do not take part in all succeeding heats and finals of an event which they have entered after first taking part in an elimination heat, shall incur a monetary penalty which shall be decided at an Annual General Meeting from time to time (see APPENDIX A). The penalty shall apply for each crew that does not progress.
4. The Race Committee may promote crews next in line should vacancies occur through scratchings.
QUALIFICATION SYSTEM
1. Should the number of crews taking part in an event exceed that of the available starting positions, a qualification system shall be used to determine the finalists.
2. The FISA qualification system or some other similar system shall be used. The system used shall be published in the Regatta Conditions. The qualification system to be used shall be advised in writing to the Schools Committee and be subject to the approval of the Schools Committee.
3. The allocation of crews to the preliminary heats shall be seeded or random drawn as decided by the Schools Committee in consultation with the Race Committee.
4. The qualifying heats shall be organised in such a way that a rower shall not be required to race more than twice a day in the same event. In emergency, the interval between events may not be enforced and the order of events changed provided that no member of the crews is unduly affected.
5. The Race Committee has the right to combine qualifying heats in the event of scratchings.
6. "B" finals shall be rowed at Championships when the number of entries in an event exceeds twice the number of starting positions available or when the event is an under-18 event and the number of entries exceeds the number of starting positions. In the event of scratchings reducing the number of crews able to compete in a small final to one the Race Committee may abandon the small Final. In the event of the race being a top ten event that remaining crew will be eligible for the award of top 10 badges.
DRAW
When the draw is announced, schools concerned shall be given information relating to heats and the time they will be held.
SAFETY
1. All regattas are to be run in accordance with the requirements of the Safety System.
2. Any crew in breach of the Safety System may be fined a monetary penalty determined by the Race Committee and the crew members may be disqualified by the Chief Umpire from taking further part in the regatta. The Chief Umpire shall reprimand the coach.
DOPING AND TESTING
1. The use of pharmaceutical stimulants to obtain greater performance is forbidden.
2. Any rower who absorbs by what ever means, whether intentional or neglect, a substance appearing on the list of substances considered to be doping substances, which list is in force at the time of absorption, is deemed to have committed an offence under this Rule.
3. Testing of rowers may be carried out at any time in association with the New Zealand Sports Drug Agency.
4. Any rower who infringes the regulations on drugs use as laid out by the Association or refuses to submit to a medical or pharmaceutical test shall be suspended for such periods as the Schools Committee determines. The rower, coxswain or other person concerned shall be entitled to be heard by the Schools Committee before any penalty is imposed.
5. The NZSSRA shall advise the NZRA of any positive results in doping tests carried out in New Zealand by the New Zealand Sports Drug Agency. Any penalty imposed by that body or any other body that the NZRA is associated with shall be observed by the NZSSRA.
UMPIRING
1. It shall be the duty of the Race Committee and the Umpire to ensure that each crew/rower races under the same conditions and has the same chance of being placed.
2. During the race it shall be the duty of the Umpire to prevent any outside circumstances or act from helping or hindering any crew/rower. Should an incident likely to influence the result of the race occur, appropriate action as provided in these Rules shall be taken.
3. Crews are responsible for their own steering. Each crew shall have a lane reserved for its own use. A crew may at its own risk leave its lane provided that it does not impede any of its opponents or gain advantage thereby. The Umpire alone shall decide whether or not a boat is in its proper lane.
4. A foul is constituted by any collision or contact between boats or oars of different crews, unless the clash be so slight, in the opinion of the Umpire, that it cannot have influenced the result of the race.
5. The Umpire may call attention to the course steered by a crew/rower only in the following cases:
  1. If the crew/rower is about to interfere with another crew/rower.
  2. If for reasons of safety.
6. Immediately after all rowers have crossed the finishing line the Umpire shall, if no protest has been lodged, and if the Umpire deems the race to have been in order, indicate this to the Judge by raising a white flag. If there has been a protest or the race was considered unfair by the Umpire a red flag shall be raised and the Umpire shall report to the Race Committee.
7. In the event of interference or foul, the Umpire shall have power:
  1. To allow the race to continue, and accept the finishing order of the boats.
  2. To stop the race, impose appropriate penalties, and order the race to be re-rowed from the start either immediately or later. The Umpire may exclude crews at any time and confine the re-row to such crews as the Umpire shall designate.
REGATTA CONDUCT
1. In carrying out their duties, Umpires or the Race Committee may take disciplinary measures against rowers, crews or Schools infringing the Rules, Regulations, Safety System or for refusing to obey instructions given to them by any Race Official or failing to show proper respect to the Official. Such disciplinary measurers may include (in principal after a warning):
  1. The removal of a rower or crew from the race in which the infringement occurred, and in serious cases disqualification from the event. The Race Committee shall have the power to extend the disqualification for the duration of the regatta.
  2. A disqualification or other disciplinary action beyond the duration of the regatta can be made by the Schools Committee after considering the report of the Race Committee. The period of the disqualification shall be communicated to all Schools.
2. Any rower or any member of any school party who willfully interferes with any plant or equipment belonging to any other school, the regatta organisers or the regatta venue owners or whose actions bring the sport of rowing into disrepute shall render such rower or member of the school party or school subject to such penalty as the Regatta Committee together with those members of the Schools Committee present at the regatta shall deem appropriate after hearing from a representative of the school and any other person subject to penalty. That may include compulsory withdrawal of the rower, crew, School Official or school from the regatta.
  The Schools Committee shall at its next meeting further consider and decide whether the rower or crew or official or school shall be permitted to attend in any capacity any future regatta conducted by the NZSSRA. All such instances and penalties shall be formally reported in writing to the principal of the school concerned as soon as practicable.
3. In the event of a school initiating the expulsion of a rower from the regatta due to disciplinary reasons, and provided the Race Committee is satisfied that the pupil has left the regatta venue and the Principal of the school and the rowers guardian(s) have both been informed, then that rower may be substituted in a crew, provided Rule 14.3.B is adhered to. Should the expulsion be initiated by the Regatta or Race Committee under Rule 21.1 & Rule 21.2 then such a substitution shall not be permitted.
THE START
1. The start must be simultaneous. Starters, Aligners and Umpires are responsible for seeing that the correct procedure is followed.
2. Crews must be held in their positions two minutes before the start time. The Starter may start the race without reference to absentees. Crews arriving less than two minutes before the start may be allowed to start under a race penalty.
3. If there is only one crew in a race, it shall row over the course.
4. The start procedure shall be for the starter to give the cautionary command "Attention" to allow crews to make final checks. After a clearly marked variable pause the starter shall operate a sound signal and or electronic device to signify the start. The raising of hands by a crew member will not be recognised after the command "Attention".
5. Any crew arriving at the start with a penalty or incurring a penalty at the start shall be judged as having made one false start.
6. A crew causing two false starts must be removed from the event.
7. If a crew while still in the start zone indicates that it has suffered damage to its boat or equipment the Starter or Umpire shall stop the race. The Umpire shall decide, after inspecting the damage, whether the claim was justified and shall, if necessary, apply any appropriate penalty.
THE RACE
1. All rowers shall compete in their races in accordance with the Rules.
2. When a race is in progress crews, not having started in it, are forbidden to race alongside or in any way place themselves against crews racing, over the whole or part of the course even outside the marker buoys.
3. Crews shall in no circumstance cause themselves to be followed during the race by any other boats or receive advice or instructions other than from authorized race officials.
4. A crew, which in the opinion of the Umpire, causes a collision on the water must stop.
5. No crew shall be entitled by reason of damage suffered during a race to claim postponement of a race except where such damage is suffered in the starting zone.
6. A crew has finished the race when the bow of its boat has crossed the finish line. If one or more rowers fall into the water, they shall continue to be part of the crew and the race still valid. A crew crossing the finish line without its coxswain shall not be placed. A sound signal may indicate the crew has crossed the finished line.
7. Any crew not crossing the finishing line without a dispensation given by the Umpire or Race Committee shall be considered as removed from the race. The judges must record any crew not crossing the finishing line. In the event of the Judge not having prior notification, the Judge or Race Committee, for safety reasons, shall immediately ascertain the location of any missing crew(s).
PROTESTS
1. A crew claiming that the race has been improperly run must make its protest to the Umpire immediately after the finish of the race and before getting out of the boat except where prevented by unavoidable circumstances.
2. A crew excluded at the start may make a protest to the Umpire at the time.
3. The crew shall confirm the protest in a written statement to the Race Committee not later than one hour after the race has been completed. The statement must set out the facts and reasons for the protest and be signed by the crews Coach. A deposit, as may be decided at an Annual General Meeting from time to time, which is forfeited if the appeal is lost (see APPENDIX A), must accompany the statement.
4. The Race Committee shall decide if the protest was justified and shall announce its decision not later than two hours after the last race of the day. If the protest is not upheld the amount of the deposit shall be forfeited to the Regatta Committee.
5. In the case of a protest, no one involved in the dispute shall constitute part of the Race Committee which decides that protest. If necessary the Chief Umpire may appoint a substitute to replace those involved in dealing with the protest.
6. Decisions of Umpires or the Race Committee are final and without appeal in so far as they concern matters of fact connected with the race.
7. The Race Committee shall be empowered to decide at their discretion any cases not covered by the existing rules. Such matters not covered shall be noted in the Race Committees Report.
APPEALS
1. An appeal against the decisions given which is at variance with the present rules must be made within eight days.
2. Appeals should be made to the Race Committee running the regatta with a right of a further appeal to the Schools Committee.
3. A deposit, as may be decided at an Annual General Meeting from time to time, must accompany the appeal which is forfeited if the appeal is lost (see APPENDIX A)

Constitution dated 17 March 2013