Verbatim copy of the ARA's recently issued "Guide to Regattas on Points". As far as Bedford Rowing Club's events are concerned, please see our notes on our intended implementation.
Preamble
The 1997 Rules of Racing were worded loosely with regard to Regattas' obligations on checking and marking up points books, and on the action to be taken if points books are not produced by competitors when required. The intention was to allow different levels of application between, say, 'The National Championships' and 'Tuppenney Village-on-the-Stream Regatta', and to allow experience to guide us towards a single tighter definition.
The first season has shown us how vital it is to check and mark up or punch points books at the point of competition; it is clear that there has been a growing abuse of a self-regulated system and that controls are necessary to protect the majority of honest competitors from a small minority.
It did however prove necessary to proffer advice to regattas on the minimum that they need to do to satisfy the Rules, and, unfortunately the advice given varied slightly from one region of the country to another.
Following this first season, there has been a meeting of the advisors from the National Competitions Committee and from the National Umpires Commission and others who form the Working Party on the Rules of Racing to review experience and correspondence, to co-ordinate and rationalise the advice given, and to prepare this guide for Regattas and a companion guide for Clubs entering crews in competition.
The Minimum Requirements
Regattas need to check that competitors are who they say they are and that they are eligible for the events that they have entered. As a minimum, this checking should be done for the winners of each event, by inspecting the winners' points books and attached photograph and comparing the names and registration numbers against those on the entry forms, and the photograph against the person.
The Regatta must also update the points cards of the winners for qualifying events, even if the points total is already at a maximum.
Where any member of a winning crew is unable to produce their points card, no member of the crew may receive an individual prize until the missing points books have been received, checked and updated. It is at the Regattas discretion whether or not prizes will be sent or whether they may be collected once the position has been regularised, and whether there is a time limit on the process. It is noted that a crew may regularise its position before its first race of the day by purchasing a day ticket for any crew member without his points/registration card. The day ticket stub should be endorsed with any registration number quoted on the entry form.
Formal presentation of an event trophy, for the benefit of ceremony, may take place at the discretion of the Regatta to a winning crew that has not yet proved eligibility, but the trophy may not be removed by the winning club, if that is allowed, until checking and updating is complete.
Ineligibility, whether determined at the time of the Regatta or after the day of the Event, should be considered as prima facie evidence of 'misconduct' and should be treated as such by the Chairman of the Race Committee.
In satisfying Rule 5.2.4a, the Return of winners names and registration numbers should highlight where points books have not been produced, and especially where the competitors have not explained the reason for non-production.
Additional Options Available to the Regatta
Random checks of the names of competitors against the Entry Forms (e.g. by the Control Commission on the boating stage) - followed by examination of the registration card if any doubt is felt. This process is recommended.
Requiring the deposit of points cards for crews at an earlier stage of the Event than when winners have been declared
Long Term Aims
When the technology becomes more widely available, the aim is to make the checking of eligibility automatic by scanning the entry forms; Regattas will then merely have to check for 'ringers'.