RegattaCentral

PRACTICE TIMES - Stadium Map

We have marshaled practice on the race course 2-4:00PM Saturday.

Spectators and equipment trailers will be parking in two different locations within Marine Stadium but all will be on the race course (see attached map):

• TRAILER PARKING entrance is at Bayshore Drive and Paoli Way, Long Beach, CA.  The entrance for the trailers will be open between Saturday 8:00 AM and 8:00PM. LBRA is assigning each club spots on the beach, for trailer and your towing vehicle. Please plan to depart no later than 7:00 PM on Sunday, after racing. Rowing is a collaborative sport so please be respectful of other clubs and work together to share the space on the beach.  Look for your Club name clearly marked on the beach.

• SPECTATOR PARKING. The vehicle parking entrance for spectators is off of the intersection of Appian Way and E. Third St., Long Beach, CA 90803.  Be specific about this intersection in your navigation system for ease of locating the entrance.  There is no charge for parking in the parking lot.  Vehicle parking will begin on Saturday, December 2, at 7:00 AM and Sunday at 6:30 AM. Be aware that the parking lot is DIRECTLY in front of homes so please keep the noise to a minimum on both days.

SATURDAY – ARRIVAL & PRACTICE

• We are glad that so many clubs are coming into town earlier in the day on Saturday.  Plan to park and unload.  There will be security overnight in Marine Stadium.  Leaving personal items in the trailer is at your own risk.
• On Saturday, Marine Stadium is closed to rowers prior to 2:00 PM.  From 2– 4:00 PM, the marshaled race course is open for practicing crews.  Launch from the beach and use the lane that is marked by buoys (technically the return lane) to head up to the start.  Come through the stake boat docks for practice up the stadium and then use the return lane ONLY to return to the beach or the start.  
• All Crews must be off the Marine Stadium course by 4:00 PM.
• Any crews beyond the Marine Stadium waterway outside of practice times do so at their own risk.
• Coach & Coxswain meeting is at 4:30 PM at 7S (on the beach side).

SUNDAY – WHEN YOU ARRIVE

• The Clerk of the Course and Bow Numbers will be available at 6:30 AM, by the 500m pole on the beach. 
• Scratches: Please let the Clerk of the Course know if you have any scratches as soon as possible on Sunday morning, and also as they  occur during the regatta. A scratch form will be available with the Clerk of the Course at the Bow Number table.
• Substitutions:  Please include the substitute name and new handicap age of the crew.  All subsequent scratches or substitutions should be communicated to the Clerk of the Course throughout the day as soon as you know. Do not write out the entire lineup but instead include the name(s) that are being scratched and/or swapped and the new handicap age.
• Heat assignments will be available at Regatta Central.

New this year: 'THE SEAN L. WALTER HOLIDAY SPIRIT CUP'  

Awarded based on degree of Holiday Spirit, Cleverness/Creativity and Craftmanship.

Returning:

• 'THE JL SONIC BOOM'
• 'THE HUDSON SPEED DEMON

Awarded to the women's and the men's fastest crew (no handicap times).

MEDALS

Will be awarded to each heat, gold silver and bronze when 4 and more than 4 entries. In heats with 3 or less entries, only gold and silver will awarded.

US ROWING MEMBERSHIP

• Be sure all of your club members have logged in to the US Rowing Membership Portal to sign their waiver, renew membership and update their profile. A signed US Rowing Waiver is required to race.

COACH & COXSWAIN MEETING

This link is to the coaches and coxswain meeting, available anytime on our website: Recorded  

There will also be a brief in person meeting on Saturday, December 2, at 4:30PM at 7s to review the course map, the staging system prior to the start  and to answer questions. All programs are expected to attend and are responsible to know all of the information presented.

Again and for safety reasons, it is expected that at least one coach from each team is in attendance and it is recommended that all coxswains attend. 

WARM UP OVERVIEW – This does NOT take the place of the C & C meeting

Warm-up Map and Staging for race

Due to the number of entries, we have set up a staging system that will start just beyond the Davies Bridge.  It is critical for everyone to be in the correct place at the correct time so that crews have a calm and focused mindset before they enter the racecourse.  The following warm up protocol will provide plenty of room to avoid crews being on top of each other and ensure that the regatta will run on time.  All crews should be prepared to lightly paddle, scull for lateral position, and back as needed to hold staging positions as instructed.

Crews not following the staging procedures may receive a warning or be excluded.

Warm Up Instructions

Crews are to warm up beyond the bridge and stay in the warmup loop, which is a counterclockwise pattern to the seawall; please be aware of other crews as you make your loop turns at the turning buoys and please stay away from the middle of the loop!  This is an open course so be aware of power boat and paddleboard traffic Warm-up Map and Staging for race.

iNSERT REGATTA MAP

There are 3 staging areas where crews will gather prior to their event:

1. Gather at the far side of the bridge 20 minutes before your start time.  Lanes 1, 2, 3 & 4 move forward through the middle span; lanes 5, 6 & 7, move forward through the right span.
2. Next stop, Start Marshall – Lanes 1, 2, 3 & 4 will gather near the middle of the waterway and 5, 6 & 7 will gather near the LBRA boathouse side of the race course and hold until called up at 10 minutes to start.
3. At 10 minutes, you will be called to the Shallow Marshall area, closer to the area where the barge is.  Hold BEHIND your lane assignment. 

Once the prior race clears breakage, you will be invited onto the course.  Lanes are from 1 to 7 from beach side to boathouse side.  Please enter and lock on quickly.  Boats must be able to back into their start dock and know how to scull, to keep their boat on point. For the fairness of all competitors, racing will start on time and will not be held up by any inabilities. US Rowing sprint race start commands will be used.

SCRATCH PENALITES: Failure to scratch an entry by Standard Registration deadline will jeopardize future entries and other entries in the regatta. Please submit all scratches by email to [email protected]

REFUNDS: No refunds.

SUBSTITUTIONS OR LINE-UP CHANGE

On race day, submit scratches or substitutions to the Clerk of the Course on the Bow Number Station on the boathouse side or the beach side of the course. Make sure to include the substitute name and new handicap age of the crew. All subsequent scratches or substitutions should be communicated to the Clerk of the Course throughout the day as soon as you know, at the latest 1 hour prior to the race. Write only the name(s) of whom is being scratched and/or whom is the replacement and the NEW HANDICAP AGE.

BOW NUMBERS

We will be using Alpha-numeric Bow numbers. Rowers only need to know their event #. Letters i, Q and O will NOT be used. Bow numbers will be collected and reused throughout the day, so please make sure to return them quickly, if it's not collected on your return to beach (dock).

CLASSIFICATIONS

The age categories follow US Rowing Classifications. In addition, the following race categories apply for this regatta.

• Junior Novice: Rowers who may not have rowed prior to May of this year.
• Master Novice: A Master Rower who that has rowed for less than 2 years.

Junior Women cannot enter any Women’s Open events.

WEIGH-IN    There are no weigh-ins for any competitors.

MEDALS, TROPHIES and CUP

Medals and perpetual trophies may be picked up at the end of the beach near 7S, as soon as results come out. Medals will be awarded to each heat, gold, silver and bronze when 4 and more than 4 entries. In heats with 3 or less entries, only gold and silver will be awarded.

• The Sean L. Walter Holiday Spirit Cup will be awarded based on degree of holiday spirit, cleverness, creativity and craftsmanship.
• Trophy ‘The Sonic Boom’ will be awarded to the Regatta’s fastest Women’s boat (actual time, no handicap)
• Trophy ‘The Speed Demon’ will be awarded to the Regatta’s fastest Men’s boat (actual time, no handicap)

Trophy, if won last year, return no later than 7am Sunday to the LBRA Boathouse. A team will not be allowed to check in or race if their trophy has not been returned.

The rules for this regatta follow the current US Rowing Rules. The LOC would like to remind:

 'Composite Crews are those that include Competiotors from more than one Club and/or Unaffiliated Competitors. Such Crews shall be ineligible to receive points or other scores used to determine Team trophies or awards. Once a Crew has been entered as a composite Crew, it shall remain so, regardeless of subsequent substitutions.'

'A Competitor shall represent only one Club at a Regatta.'