2008 Entries Guide

We have kept regatta format the same as previous years. The following notes are intended to help guide you through the process of submitting entries.

Wallingford Regatta will be staged under the rules of the Amateur Rowing Association, as reproduced in the latest British Rowing Almanack. These are also available on the ARA's website at www.ara-rowing.org. Please note that rule changes come into effect on 1st April and we recommend that you check these carefully before entering.

Event Details

  Morning Division Afternoon Division
Eights Elite, S2, S4, J16

WS2, WS4		 S1, S3, Novice

J18A, J18B, J15A, J15B

WElite, WS3, WNovice, WJ18
Octuples J14 *  
Coxless Fours S1, J18

WElite		 Elite, S2

WS2
Coxed Fours S1, S3, Novice, J18, J15

WElite, WS3, WNovice, WJ18		 Elite, S2, S4, J16

WS2, WS4, WJ16
Quads Elite, J18

WElite, WJ18		 S2, J16

WS2, WJ16
Coxed Quads J15

WJ15		 J14 *

WJ14 *
Coxless Pairs S2

WS2		 Elite

WElite
Double Sculls S2, J16

WS2, WJ16		 Elite

WElite
Single Sculls Elite, S3

WElite, WS3		 S2, Novice, J18

WS2, WNovice, WJ18

* J14 Events will operate a time trial over 1500m, instead of heats to determine the finalists.  The 6 boat final will take place over the full 2000m course from a pontoon start.

  • All events raced over 6/7 lanes
  • All events subject to a minimum of 6 entries and a maximum of 18/21. Events with fewer than 6 entries may not be staged.
  • No Doubling or Boat Sharing in the same division
  • See notes below for full conditions of entry
  • Please note that we only intend to run those events offered.

ARA Licenses

All competitors representing ARA clubs must have a valid ARA competition license and you must quote its number with your entry. Please check that your license starts with the numbers 200805xxxxxx or higher. Licenses starting 200804xxxxxx or lower will have expired by the end of April 2008 and will be invalid. If you need to renew your license, please do so through the ARA in good time. You can renew Online via the ARA website here.

Competitors representing clubs affiliated to the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association, or to overseas clubs, are exempt from the ARA licensing requirements providing they are representing a Club affiliated to SARA or an overseas rowing association.

Overseas/SARA crews must contact the ARA in order to submit entries via OARA.

Priority in Accepting Entries

In all previous years at Dorney we have received more entries than we can cope with in a single day. It is just as disappointing for us, as it is for you, to have to turn entries away.

Our limitation is the number of races that we can stage - 11 hours of racing, with races at 5 minutes intervals lets us have 132 races.

If we ran all races as straight finals then we could accommodate nearly 800 entries. In reality not all races will be straight finals and we reckon that we will be able to accept approximately 600 entries.

We are quite systematic about how we decide which entries to accept or reject, as follows. Entries are categorised as:

  • Confirmed - completed via OARA and payment received.
  • Provisional - completed via OARA, but no payment received.

Note that entries are placed on the confirmed list in the order in which the payments are received, and not according to the date of the provisional entry into the OARA system

Hence in order to have the greatest chance of being accepted into the regatta we would recommend you enter early - with immediate payment. Last minute entries are unlikely to get in!!

Entry Fees

  • £88 for all eights/octuples,
  • £48 for all fours/quads,
  • £30 for all pairs/doubles and
  • £20 for all singles.

These fees must be received before the close of entries. Once entries close and your entry is accepted you are liable for your entry fee whether you race or not. Note that if the regatta is cancelled you will receive a refund of all entry fees paid.

In view of the Easter holidays, school masters and club officials wishing to pay with a burser's or club cheque, and unable to do so immediately, can secure their entries with a personal cheque, which will be destroyed when the official cheque arrives.  

How to make entries

Please use OARA - entries will NOT be accepted by any other method.

No on-line payments, so post your cheques, payable to Wallingford Regatta, to:

  • Rachael Haycock,
  • 32 Wantage Road,
  • Wallingford,
  • Oxon,
  • OX10 0LP

For queries, please

Email entries@wallingford.rowing.org.uk

or

Phone Phil or Rachael Haycock on 01491 824372

Entries close at 9pm on Wednesday 23rd April 2008 or whenever our maximum capacity is reached

Entry Confirmation

Entry confirmation will be mailed to the club contact nominated to the ARA. If your club would like it mailed to someone else, please notify us.

Doubling-up

We have split events between the two halves to optimise the possibilities of doubling up, but note that if you wish to double up, you may only enter one morning and one afternoon event - this also applies to boat sharing.

When making entries, it is your responsibility to ensure that no oarsman/woman/coxes are doubling up in the same division.

Any crews found to be doubling up in the same division will be scratched and payment forfeited. Please take care when submitting the entries and refer to the entries guide if in doubt.

Notes and Conditions of Entry

  1. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ANY ENTRY WITHOUT STATING A REASON.
  2. Wallingford Regatta is held under the ARA rules of racing and will conform to the Water Safety Code.
  3. Competitors will provide their own boats, oars and sculls, which must conform to current ARA rules. All boats and equipment are brought to the regatta at the owner's risk.
  4. The course is 2000 metres, multi lane. A pontoon start is intended unless conditions do not permit this. All races are launch umpired over the whole course.
  5. All events are subject to a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 18/21 entries. Our aim is to allow as many people to race as possible within the confines of the racing day and creating a safe manageable day.
  6. If the regatta is oversubscribed entries may be closed earlier. We will aim to ensure that all lanes in heats are used and may move later entries to a higher status event if space permits.
  7. No substitutions will be permitted after entries close on OARA until race day. Any substitutions made on the day of racing must have their status confirmed with a valid ARA card.
  8. For Juniors, please state your crews senior status in case it is necessary to move crews in inadequately subscribed events.
  9. Crews and scullers will be moved to the next higher status if insufficient entries are received. Please state clearly if you do not wish to move.
  10. No doubling up or boat sharing is allowed in events in any one division. We will endeavour to arrange the timetable so as to minimise clashes between divisions, but reserve the right to refuse entries where these impose severe difficulties in the scheduling of races. Doubling up and boat sharing is at your own risk.
  11. Competitors may not enter more than two events.
  12. Clubs may alter the details of their entries at any time up to the close of entries.
  13. Crews that scratch after the close of entries will be liable for payment of their entry fees. In the event of postponement or cancellation of the Regatta a FULL REFUND of entry fees will be made.
  14. Please ensure that you include a contact name, address and telephone number so that we can return the draw to you and contact you when entries close if necessary. The draw will also be displayed on this website.
  15. Parking permits and crew numbers will be posted to the address given with the entry. Anyone not receiving these by the Wednesday before the event MUST call Rachael Haycock on 01491 824372 as a matter of urgency.
  16. Please note that this event, in common with all rowing events, may be photographed by amateurs or professionals who sell their photographs. By entering you recognise that you may be photographed in this way.

Special note to coaches of inexperienced crews

We expect to have a full programme of races throughout the day at 5 minute gaps. In the last few years we have experienced severe delays to races involving the most inexperienced crews (notably but not exclusively J14 quads). These delays have primarily been caused by the inability of the least experienced crews to back down and attach themselves to the start pontoon, or to cope with a cross wind at the start.

We wish to encourage all levels of grass-roots rowing and we all have to compete at our first regatta somewhere, but it spoils the regatta for other competitors including from your own club if the event is delayed by a small number of crews who aren't quite ready to compete. Please ensure that all your entries have sufficient watermanship skills to get themselves attached to the start promptly when called and then to stay straight.

If this is the first regatta your crew has ever attended, it might be wise to practise these skills at your own club before the regatta.

We reserve the right to stop crews who cannot attach to stake boats or would otherwise delay the regatta from racing.