Compiled by Jeff Moag

If you row long enough, you'll find yourself in a boat with someone who professes to know everything about rowing. One memorable season that person sat in the four seat of my eight, from which he would respond to any question, or statement, with the words "well, actually..." A cascade of mind-numbing facts would then follow. We always tried to stay at least one room away from him at parties, but more than once his encyclopedic knowledge of rowing rules, metric conversions and rigging measurements kept us from critical mistakes. This section is dedicated to him. I won't mention his name, because he already knows.

Standard Race Distances:

Senior, U-23, International Juniors and North American Collegiate racing ("Olympic distance"):
2,000 meters (1.243 miles/1.080 nautical miles)

North American High School racing:
1,500 meters (0.932 miles/0.810 nautical miles)

Masters competition:
1,000 meters (0.621 miles/0.540 nautical miles)

FISA Race-Course Specifications:

In addition to length, FISA has a series of requirements and recommendations governing official race courses. The regulations are designed to allow fair racing conditions for six crews racing simultaneously in parallel lanes.

• Number of available lanes:* 6
• Width of lanes: 13.5 meters (44.291 feet)
• Min. Required Depth:** 3 meters (9.843 feet)
• Min. Recommended Depth:** 3.5 meters (11.483 feet)
• Min. Recommended Length:*** 2150 meters (1.336 mile)
• Min. Recommended Width:*** 135 meters (442.913)

Wind, current and waves: Courses must also be free of wind obstruction that shelter the lanes unequally. Standard courses should have no current, and artificial courses should be designed to diffuse wind waves and boat wakes as much as practicable.

* Races use up to six lanes at a time, but in principle, at least eight lanes should be available. Occasionaly, as in the event of a dead heat in qualifying races, more than six crews are allowed to race at one time. FISA requires certified courses built after February 2001 to have at least eight racing lanes.

** Shallow water increases hull drag, so a course of uneven depth would be unfair if any part of that course were less than about 3.5 meters deep. Hence FISA's required and recommended minimum depths. FISA does sanction some older racecourses with uniform depth of 2 meters.

*** These figures refer to the overall length and width of available water, not to the competition distance.

USRowing, Rowing Canada Aviron and other national bodies publish their own race course specifications. In general, they conform to the FISA specifications.

Non-Standard Race Distances:

Head Races:

There is no standard length for head races, though most are about three miles long. Head races are traditionally run in the fall, often on courses that require several turns. Competitors start one-at-a-time at pre-determined time intervals.

* Previous Atlantic Rowing Races started in Tenerife, Canary Islands and finished in Barbados

Eligibility:

Determining age for Junior, U-23, Senior and Masters Competition:

FISA Standard:

Junior: Athletes are considered Juniors until December 31 of the year in which they turn 18.
Under-23: Athletes are eligible for Under-23 competition until December 31 of the year in which they turn 22.
Senior:* Athletes of any age may compete in Senior competition.
Masters: Athletes become eligible for masters competition at the beginning of the year in which they turn 27. For competition purposes, a master's age is that which he attains during the current year.
FISA Masters age groupings are as follows (except for group A, the age category refers to the average age of the crew, excluding the coxswain): (A) Minimum age 27 years; (B) 36-42; (C) 43-49; (D) 50-54; (E) 55-59; (F) 60-64; (G) 65-69; (H) 70-74; (I) 75-79; (J) 80 or older.

* In FISA parlance, Senior does not refer to the athlete's skill level, as it does in USRowing usage.

USRowing Standard:

Junior-B: Athletes are eligible for Junior-B competition until December 31 of the year in which they turn 17.
Junior: Athletes are considered Juniors until December 31 of the year in which they turn 18, or the year in which they complete the 12th grade of secondary school if they have been full-time students, whichever is later.
Open: Athletes of any age may compete in open competition, subject to the relevant skill classification.
Masters: Athletes are eligible for Masters competition on January 1 of the year in which they turn 21. For competition purposes, a master's age is that which he attains during the current year.
The average age of Masters crews (excluding the coxswain) must equal or surpass the minimum for the category in which they wish to compete (e.g., an older crew can compete in the younger divisions, but younger crews cannot compete in the older divisions). AA athletes can only compete in AA or A events. USRowing Masters groupings are as follows: (AA) 21-26; (A) 27-35; (B) 36-42; (C) 43-49; (D) 50-54; (E) 55-59; (F) 60-64; (G) 65-69; (H) 70-74; (I) 75-79; (J) 80 or older.

Other Age Standards:

A number of popular regattas have age divisions that are different than the FISA and USRowing standards. Among these are many head races, including the Head of the Charles, and the Canadian Henley Regatta. Check with regatta organizers to be sure of your eligibility.

Athlete Skill Classifications:

USRowing maintains different skill classification based on athletes' past results. The classifications are Intermediate, Senior and Elite. National championships are awarded in each of the categories. Athletes of a lower classification may compete in higher-rated events (e.g., an Intermediate may compete in Senior and Elite competition) but not vice-versa. Skill Classifications are separate for sweep rowing and sculling; advancing in one discipline does not affect an athlete's status in the other discipline. (e.g., a Senior sculler can compete in sweep events as an Intermediate.) The exception is that anyone who becomes an Elite in one discipline automatically becomes a Senior in the other. (e.g., an Elite sculler becomes a Senior sweep rower, even if he has never competed in sweep rowing.)

Intermediate:

Any athlete who has not advanced to Senior or Elite.

Senior:

Any athlete who has won a U.S. National Championship or the Canadian Henley Regatta in an Intermediate or Senior event contested over 2,000 meters. Junior and Masters races do not affect an athlete's skill classification. (e.g., an athlete who wins a national championship as a Junior or a Master does not advance to Senior status. An athlete who wins a 500-meter dash event at Canadian Henley likewise does not advance.)

Elite:

Any athlete who has been a member of a national team as a competitor, including as a spare. Membership on Junior and Masters national teams does not affect an athlete's skill classification.

Minimum Bodyweight for Coxswains:

FISA Standard:

Men's Crews: 55 kilograms (121.25 pounds) in racing uniform.

Women's and Mixed Crews: 50 kilograms (110.23 pounds) in racing uniform. Underweight coxswains may carry a maximum of 10 kg (22.05 pounds) of deadweight (e.g., a sealed bag of sand) to bring their weight up to the FISA minimum. The deadweight must be kept on or near the coxswain while racing. Note that the minimum weight is determined by the sex of the crew, not of the coxswain.
Under FISA rules, coxswains must weigh-in not less than one hour and not more than two hours before their first competition of each day on which they are competing.

 * * * * * *