GENERAL RULES

Title and Purpose of the Rules.

Officials.

Pre Regatta Meeting.

Traffic Pattern.

Violation of Safety Rules.

1-101 Title

These Rules are established by The United States Rowing Association (USRowing), and shall be known and may be cited as the USRowing Rules of Rowing.

1-102 Purposes

The purposes of these Rules are to:
(a) provide for the safety of competitors and officials;
(b) provide for fair and equitable racing under rules that are adapted to the needs of the sport of Rowing;
(c) promote consistent application of rules in situations where they apply.

Part A - Officials

2-101 Primary Duties of Officials

(a) It is the primary duty of every race official to provide for the safety of competitors and officials.
(b) Subject to subsection (a) above, it is the duty of all race officials to ensure that all crews have a fair and equal opportunity of winning or placing. Where a crew has been affected by unfair advantage or disadvantage, whether due to another crew or outside circumstances, it is the responsibility of race officials to restore fair racing conditions.
(c) These primary duties shall control the operation of all other provisions of these Rules.

2-102 Appointment of the Chief Referee

(a) Before the regatta, there shall be appointed a Chief Referee.
(b) Appointment of the Chief Referee for all USRowing National Championship Regattas, and all trials races and regattas to select the National Team, shall be made directly by the USRowing Judge-Referee Committee. Appointment of the Chief Referee for all other registered regattas shall be according to procedures established or approved by the USRowing Judge-Referee Committee.
(c) All persons acting as Chief Referee at a registered regatta shall hold a full Judge-Referee's license.

2-103 Duties of the Chief Referee

(a) The Chief Referee:
(1) shall assign the functions of all other race officials at the regatta;
(2) shall be President of the Jury;
(3) may also act individually as a race official as described in Rule 2-104 ("Officials");

2-104 Officials

(a) For each race at a regatta, the Chief Referee shall cause to be assigned officials to perform the following functions:
(1) Referee: The Referee shall have general supervision of the race, and shall follow the progress of the race from start to finish. All other officials for a particular race shall be subject to the control of the Referee except where duties are specifically delegated to them under these Rules. If more than one official follows the progress of a race, the official who begins the race following behind the lanes closest to the Judges' stand shall be the primary Referee, and all others shall be secondary Referees. Unless otherwise indicated, reference in these rules to the "Referee" shall include both the primary and secondary Referees.
(2) Starter: The Starter shall administer the starting procedures, and shall be responsible for their fairness. The Starter may be assisted by a deputy.
(3) Judge at Start: The Judge at Start shall supervise the process of bringing the crews into alignment with the plane of the starting line, shall decide when a crew has left the starting line before the proper commands, and may otherwise assist the Starter The Judge at Start may be assisted by an Aligner provided by the local organizing committee.
(4) Chief Judge: The Chief Judge shall supervise the judges at the finish line, and along with the judges, shall inspect photographic records of finishes to determine the proper order. If there is disagreement, the finding of the Chief Judge shall prevail over an individual judge.
(5) Judges: Under the supervision and control of the Chief Judge, the judges shall determine and record the order of finish, when necessary inspect photographic records of finishes, determine the proper placement of crews, and compute the appropriate time margins.
(b) All persons acting as Referee (primary or secondary), Starter, Judge at Start, or Chief Judge at any registered regatta shall have a full, emeritus, or associate Judge-Referee's license.

2-202 Pre-Regatta Meeting

No later than one hour before the first race in a regatta, a meeting for all competitors and coaches shall be held, which shall be conducted by the Chief Referee or his or her delegate. All crews and teams shall be responsible for any information disseminated at this meeting.

2-203 Traffic Patterns; Safety Information

(a) The local organizing committee shall devise and post in a conspicuous place at the regatta site a diagram showing all traffic patterns and regulations on the water. This diagram shall show the race course itself, the route to be taken by crews from the launching area to the start, any "warmup" area, any "cool-down" area, and the route to be taken by crews returning from the finish line. To the extent possible, it shall also show all known obstacles that may interfere with a crew's progress on or near the course. If conditions call for a different traffic pattern during practice hours than during racing, such practice traffic pattern shall also be posted.

2-206 Violation of Safety Rules

A crew that violates a posted traffic pattern described in Rule 2-203, or that violates the provisions of Rule 2-204 ("Rowing Near the Course While Race in Progress") or Rule 2-205 ("Approaching the Start; Warmup on the Course"), may be assessed a warning as described in Rule 2-602(b) ("Types of Penalties") by any race official. Such warnings shall be applicable to the next race in which the crew competes.