School Championships Regatta – 19-20 March 2022, LBIRC

Bulletin 6.

Introduction

As with previous schools Regattas, the Public Health Permit to conduct the event is conditional on compliance with covid19 conditions.  Rowing coordinators, rowers, coaches, and parents/supporters should all be familiar with these, which are provided again as an attachment to this Bulletin.

Public Health have confirmed there is no change to the compliance requirements.

With the introduction of seeding this season, and with the trial format of this Schools Championship Regatta, please ensure coaches are aware of the following previously advised arrangements.

1. Application of Rules

The Rowing Tasmania Racing Code and RT School Regatta Rules apply except for Schools Rule 4.3 “Tasmanian School Championship Provisions” which relates to pre-qualifying in single sculls, distances for heats, progressions etc. which do not apply to this year’s trial revised format

2. Seeding

The seeding function in Rowing Manager is based on single scull results, sorted on time at event level – a time trial.  This is cumulative over regattas.  When applying this to multiple seat boats, and where a crew member does not have single scull times, the average time of the other rowers in the crew is applied to that rower.

With some rowers having limited competition, due to Covid 19 0r other factors, the Regatta Secretary has used what comparative data is available to make a “best endeavour” seeding ranking.

3. Changes to Crews

RT Racing Code Rule 14 provides that up to 50% of a crew may be changed, and that there can be no substitution of a sculler.  Any crew composition outside this rule is a crew scratching and application for a post-entry.

The Regatta Secretary will seed a post-entry crew into an appropriate available lane (if available) in a Division of the event.

Where the scratching is in the A Division (Championship event), a B Division crew will be promoted.  In this circumstance, three scenarios might present, each of which effectively promote a B Division crew into the A Division Championship event:

• The next-strongest crew (9^th seeded) is from the same school and would be promoted; or
• The next strongest crew is from a different school and would be promoted; or
• The school can make a representation that, while their B Division crew is not seeded 9^th, substitution of the remaining available rower(s) from their scratched crew would make it 9^th seeded. Such representation is to be resolved at the sole discretion of the Regatta Secretary.

Once promoted, there would be the option of changing up to 50% of that crew under Rule 14.

In the Schools Championship Regatta, Promoting of crews will be applied only to A Division to ensure all available lanes are filled.

4. Updated Draw

For the Championships only, where there has been an A Division scratching more than one hour prior to the scheduled start time of the event, there will be a re-draw of lanes for that event only.  This is to ensure lane allocation reflects relative crew performance and provides best opportunity based on seeding.

5. Boat Park and Pontoons

An email was circulated last Thursday drawing attention to health and safety issues in relation to oars being left on pontoons.  It is timely to reiterate other boat park and boating requirements.  These are for safety of individuals, and also to minimise the likelihood of damage to boats, oars, and other equipment.

Please ensure all relevant members of your school rowing community are aware of the following:

• The boat park is out of bounds from sunset to sunrise;
• Bikes, footballs and other non-boat preparation and boating activities are not allowed in the boat park;
• Ensure boats are racked on correct trees – these have signs on them indicating if they are for 1X, 2X/-, 4/4X or 8+
• Take oars to pontoons when boating and remove them as soon as the boat is returned to the boat park.  If, for convenience, a school decides to leave oars in the vicinity of the pontoons, they must be on the bank, and placed so as not to impede other crews proceeding to or from the pontoon.  Paramedic access must not be impeded.

6.. Return of Trophies

• Can all Schools please bring the trophies back with them as per previous emails, it will be disappointing for the rowers if the trophy is not there for presentation.

I look forward to a fabulous culmination to the Rowing Tasmania school rowing competition with the Championship regatta this weekend

Rob Prescott

CEO.

Attachment

Covid 19 Public Health Requirements

Provisions applying to the LBI Site in general

As previously advised:

• If you are unwell please do not attend the regatta;
• Be double vaccinated, wear a mask, wash/sanitise your hands, social distance;
• Check in on arrival at LBI – please be ready so as to minimise delay and queueing at the check-in point;
• Limited Camping based on postcode/region.  There are also very small number of exemptions including boatrace officials working within the field of play and in the Secretary’s Office;
• No access to Reeconians Centre apart from Boat Race Officials and café Volunteers;
• No seating outside the Reeconians Centre or Coffee Shop (including inside the coffee shop);
• The apron on the Reeconians Centre will be partially blocked off to pedestrian traffic;
• Access to the Regatta Office and Numbers will be from the southern end of the Reeconians Centre only;
• Masks are to be worn at all times unless actively eating or drinking.  For clarity, carrying a drink bottle or sucking a Chupa-Chup to circumvent this requirement is unacceptable; and
• Weigh in for coxswains of Open crews will be conducted outside the entrance to the Reeconians Centre- Athletes with Coaches only.  Coxswains need weigh in once only.

Provisions relating to competition

The following include standing arrangements for LBI and the boat park, and arrangements agreed with participants in the Schools Commission meeting.  It is a shared view that there should be a constructive approach to ensuring this (and future regattas) can continue:

• Each school to arrange a volunteer roster of Covid Monitors.  Fluoro vests to be collected from the Secretary’s Office.  This is a constructive compliance role, ensuring mask wearing, social distancing and minimising risk of transmission is practiced;
• Attention to be paid to sanitising equipment between uses to prevent potential transmission on oar handles, cox boxes etc;
• Athletes to only remove masks when HANDS ON to proceed to boat; masks to be replaced when the boat is placed back on trestles;
• No sharing of water bottles;
• Social distancing in pre- and post-race meetings with coaches.

Sanctions

There is general agreement that compliance should be pursued in a constructive and educational way, with an understanding that involuntary lapses of standards occur from time to time.  Compliance at Schools 3 was a vast improvement on Schools 1.  However, should there be instances of extensive sustained failure to comply with the provisions of the Public Health permit, sanctions may be imposed at individual, crew, or school level, either:

• In relation to participation in competition; or
• Continued permission to be present at the venue.

Restricted Camping Provisions (unchanged)

1. NO CAMPING  IS PERMITTED IF YOU ARE FROM THE NORTH OR NORTHWEST.
2. CAMPING IS AS NORMAL FOR THOSE FROM SOUTHERN TASMANIA, SOUTHERN MIDLANDS, EAST, AND WEST COASTS

THE REASON FOR THIS IS THAT UNDER THE PUBLIC HEALTH EVENTS FRAMEWORK WE ONLY HAVE A LICENCE FOR 750 PERSONS.

To Camp at Lake Barrington for the remainder of the 2022 season you will need to:

• Register to camp online for EACH regatta. https://www.rowingtasmania.com.au/events/133468/
• Print off the emailed QR code which will be scanned by security.
• Rowing Tasmania/Pubic Health/WorkSafe Tasmania may conduct spot checks to view your registration document-please retain your QR code which is on this document.
• All those camping will be required to observe COVID SAFE Practices during the weekend.
• Each regatta will be reviewed by Officers from Worksafe Tasmania and/or Communities Tasmania and the exemption is subject to both the review and other Public Health Directions at the time of and leading up to the event and may be withdrawn.

The one-time LINK for Schools Regatta 3 is https://www.rowingtasmania.com.au/events/133468/