BUCS Canoeing: Slalom

Race Registration will be open at Race Control between 8:00am and 9:00am on the Saturday morning. Every club must register, pay their £40 bib deposit (Cash or Cheque) and collect their bibs.

There will be a Captains’ Briefing at 9:00am on Saturday in Race Control at the top of the course. A representative from all Universities must attend this meeting, failure to attend this meeting will result in a fine. A Judges’ Briefing will occur on both days of the event (after the captains meeting on Saturday) where full training for judges will be provided. It is expected that all competing universities provide some judges – no experience is required. Please see the Judging section for further details. Again, failure to attend these meeting will result in a fine.

Bibs must be worn at all times during practice and racing. If providing safety for other club members your bib must be worn inside-out. A bib list will be published on the Saturday morning at the event. It is your responsibility to ensure your competitors wear the correct bib number; competitors wearing the wrong bib risk disqualification. All of a University’s bibs must be returned together to race control after the University’s final event, where the deposit will be returned.

If a bib is missing, the whole deposit will be retained until the missing bib is returned; if it is not, a charge of £20 will be taken from the deposit and the rest returned. Bibs not returned by the end of prize giving will be subject to a £5 administration charge.

Competitors must bring their valid university ID cards and produce them upon request by the event organisers.

Each University is required to provide judges to assist the running of the event. A full timetable of slots allocated to universities can be found below. It is likely it will require about 30 minutes judging time per entrant from each university. All judges should attend the Judges’ Briefing each morning at race control (see timetable below). Large universities are strongly recommended to bring dedicated judges.

Each university will be assigned a shared judging slot(s) which they MUST man throughout the day. Formal judging qualifications are not required but some experience of slalom would be a considerable advantage. Universities will need to supply a second judge for the team runs.

Universities will be penalised (at the organisers’ discretion up to the extent of complete disqualification) if their judging position is not filled at any point during the day.

The following points must be adhered to:

1) No one should judge for more than 2 hours at a time.
2) Judges must be in dry clothing and suitably equipped to sit outside in minimal shelter for the duration of their stint.
3) Anyone acting as a judge must attend the Judges’ Briefing or speak to the Judge Controller before starting to judge.
4) Universities failing to provide sufficient judges to cover their allocated sessions will not be allowed to race for a period determined by the organisers.
5) Each judging position must be manned by two judges at all times. Both judges must come from different universities.

The race will be run in accordance with the British Canoeing Slalom Committee rules.

It is the responsibility of club captains to ensure their members are familiar with the race rules. Because of the close time constraints of the weekend we would like to draw your attention to two rules in particular, of which all competitors must be aware:

CAN 4.6        Capsizing

If a competitor capsizes and exits their boat they cannot continue their run, even if they self-rescue. They must leave the course at the earliest opportunity.

CAN 4.9        Whistling Off

In the event that a competitor is caught up by the competitor following them, the gate judge will blow a whistle and shout out the number of the slower competitor. The slower competitor must immediately move out of the racing line and allow the faster competitor to pass before continuing. A re-run will not be permitted. (Note: This does not apply if the following person is just missing all the gates).

Paddlers taking second runs will get priority over waiting paddlers, however, if a paddler is not ready to take their second run when they reach the top of the travellator they will have to take their turn like everyone else. That is, paddlers should wait in the lower pool if they want a short break between runs.

Any paddler taking an unauthorised run is liable to be excluded from the competition.

All competitors must wear suitable safety equipment and boats/equipment should be in a river worthy condition. All boats must be fitted with grab loops at the bow and stern and must contain 2 air bags. All paddlers must wear CE approved buoyancy aids and helmets. Helmets fitted with polo faceguards are not suitable for use on white water. Paddlers should wear sufficient warm clothing for the time of year. The organisers will conduct spot checks on equipment and reserve the right to refuse entry or disqualify as a result.

Further information regarding the types and condition of boat eligible in each class, and rules surrounding personal safety equipment can be found in the Entry Information, in the British Canoeing Slalom Committee Rules and also at http://www.canoeslalom.co.uk/info/FAQs.htm#equipment.

The event will be run in accordance with the British Canoeing Slalom Committee guidelines.

Clubs are responsible for the safety of their paddlers. Any safety provided by the organisers is additional to this. Clubs may provide safety boaters for their members (they must follow competitors down the course, not lead). The organisers should be made aware of this at the start line. Club Captains are advised that bankside safety is usually more appropriate. The organisers will supply some additional safety to assist if required.