Competitors Information — Stotesbury Cup Regatta

Questions: For Entry/Registration Inquiries, contact Stotesbury Cup Regatta Director of Racing Joe Kieffer. For Chuckwagon/Tent/Parking Inquiries, contact Bonnie Mueller.

1. Eligibility

All competitors in a boat must attend the same scholastic program, defined as all participants must be students in the same school.
Competitors (including rowers and coxswains) may enter and compete in only one event.
Eligibility is assigned to students in their freshman through senior year (9th through 12th grades). Each athlete has four consecutive years (eight consecutive semesters) of eligibility beginning in September of their freshman year (9th grade). After eight consecutive semesters, a student will have completed his/her athletic eligibility and may no longer participate in the regatta. Post-graduate fifth year students (including Grade 13) are not permitted.
Eligible competitors must not have attained the age of 19 years prior to September 1 of the year proceeding the regatta.
Junior events are restricted to competitors in the junior year (11th grade) or lower. Juniors, including coxswains, must not have attained the age of 18 years prior to September 1 of the year proceeding the regatta. Senior (12th grade) students may not compete in Junior events.
A school must enter the senior eight in order to enter a second eight. A school must enter the senior four in order to enter a second four.
No "B" boats are permitted. Only one entry per school per event is permitted.
All competitors in Boys and Girls Freshman Eight and Freshman Quad events must be high school freshmen (9th graders). Middle school, 7th, and 8th graders are not permitted.
Crews of home schooled athletes representing multiple public high school districts or more than one high school in a given district are not eligible. Contact the Schuylkill Navy for documentation requirements.
Lightweight rowers need to have a certification document submitted by April 1st to be eligible to compete as a lightweight.

2. Weight Categories

Lightweight boys shall weigh no more than 150 lbs.
Lightweight girls shall weigh no more than 130 lbs.
No weight averaging is required.
Coxswains will not be weighed.

3. Weigh-ins

For Friday races: Thursday, 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Athlete's Village near the Three Angels. You can do either but not both. If you weigh in the day before your race, you do not need to weigh in again on the morning of your race. Indeed, if you try to weigh in the day before your race and do not make weight, you cannot try again on the morning of your race.
For Saturday races: No weigh-ins required. You only have to weigh-in one time for the regatta.
If you choose to weigh in on Thursday (and we recommend it), you must complete the weigh-in process that day. You cannot return on Friday morning for another attempt.
Athletes must be within two pounds of the required weight on the first try or they will not be allowed to weigh in again. If they are within two pounds they are allowed to return one additional time.
Crews must weigh in wearing racing uniforms, and no weight allowance will be permitted. All members of a boat must be present.

4. On-site Registration

Registration will be Thursday, May 14 from 2:00-6:00 pm in the Registration Tent in the Stotesbury Village.
Coaches and coxswains meeting will be via Zoom on Tuesday May 12, at 7pm.
All crews MUST register on Thursday.
Entry information for each school will be provided in a team packet at the time of registration. The coach or team representative should check and verify the entries and boats for his/her school. All substitutions should be made on-line at Regatta Central after being approved at on-site Registration. Scratches must be reported at registration.
All trophies must be returned by prior year's winners at registration or earlier.

5. Trophies

Prior year winners are required to return the trophies at registration.
All schools should clean and polish their trophies before returning them. Treat the trophies with pride and care!

6. Coaches and Competitors Meeting

Will be via Zoom on Tuesday May 12, at 7pm. Watch the recording HERE. The chief referee and regatta director will be available for additional questions Thursday afternoon at the Registration Tent.
All crews will be responsible for the information delivered at the meeting.

7. Substitutions

A crew other than a single scull may substitute up to one-half of its rowers, as well as the coxswain. Any substitutions MUST be announced at registration. Once approved, substitutions should be made on-line at Regatta Central.

8. The Course

All events will be 1500 meters. The course will be open for pre-regatta practice at 12:00 pm on Thursday, May 14. No boats may launch for practice after 6:00 pm on Thursday. Absolutely no boats may be on the water after sunset on Thursday and will be escorted off the course by safety launches.

9. The Athletes' Village

All visiting crews will be parked at and launch from the Athletes' Village near the Three Angels, approximately 500 meters downstream from Columbia Bridge at the finish line. A limited number of teams have been designated to park at and launch from the Gillin parking lot to relieve overcrowding. Only these crews will be permitted into the lot and only tow vehicles displaying the special permit will be permitted into this lot after noon on Thursday.

10. Bow Markers

For the time trials races, bow and back numbers will be provided. We ask that all bow numbers be returned at the Return Dock or at the Regatta HQ Info Tent.
For conventional six lane semi-finals and finals, bow numbers will NOT be provided. Each school must provide its own bow number for these races. Bow numbers one through six will be used, corresponding to assigned lane numbers. We will have sets of bow numbers on hand for purchase at registration and during the regatta. No shell may race without a bow number. Bow numbers must be a minimum of 7in high and 5in wide.

11. Bow Balls

No shell may launch without a bow ball.

12. Uniforms

All crews must wear matching shirts. "Matching" means identical in style, color, and detail, including any insignia. No crew will be permitted to race in violation of this rule.

13. Bow-coxed Boats

Must adhere to USRowing rules governing the size of the opening, i.e., minimum 2.3 foot long longitudinally, minimum 1.64 foot long as wide as inner hull, inner surface smooth and free of obstacles.

14. Awards

Medals will be awarded to all first, second, and third place crews. Trophies and plaques will be given to the schools of all first place crews.

15. Unsportsmanlike Conduct

In accordance with the USRowing Rules of Rowing, a crew that engages in Unsportsmanlike conduct, witnessed by or on information deemed reliable by a Race Official, may be assessed by a Race Official with one of the penalties described in Rule 2-602 ("Types of Penalties"), regardless of whether such conduct otherwise constitutes a violation of these rules. If another Crew's opportunity to win, place, or advance is affected by such conduct, the Race Official shall take appropriate action to restore that opportunity, pursuant to Rule 2-603 ("Restoring Opportunity of Winning, Altering Results").

Any Team member, including a Competitor, who engages in Unsportsmanlike conduct at any time during the Regatta, as witnessed by or based on information deemed reliable by a Race Official, may have their further participation at the Regatta curtailed or prohibited by a Race Official.

If any Team member engages in personally abusive language or conduct, the incident shall be reported by a witnessing Race Official to USRowing.

16. Tents

We encourage you to order your tents through the regatta committee. These tents will be set-up on Wednesday. No other tents may be set-up until these tents have been set-up on Wednesday. Link to spectator tents page.

17. Port-a-potties

The regatta provides an ample quantity and has them serviced frequently. Schools are not permitted to bring their own; there simply isn't enough space.

18. Vendors

All manufacturers, clubs, and sellers of rowing-related equipment and goods are welcome to apply for vendor space. Interested vendors should contact Margaret Meigs.