Entry Information

Entry Information

Event Overview

The 2024 BUCS Sprint event will see an introduction of a new festival ticket for races that sit outside of the BUCS Championship races which are open to all paddlers that want to experience sprint racing. Boats will be available to borrow making this a perfect opportunity to try something new. 
 
With the festival races, there is no restriction on boats, so you can participate in any boat you wish to try, and as part of your entry purchase, you can choose to borrow a boat to participate in. Simply complete the boat request form detailed further below.
 

The costs for all categories (Individual, crew boat & festival ticket entries) can be seen below.

Entry Dates and Costs

Stage 2 now open! 

Tuesday 27th February 2024 at 23:59 - Student/Competitor Deadline

(Students/ Competitors must apply by this deadline)

Thursday 29th February 2024 at 23:59 - Institution Administrator Approval Deadline

(Institutional Administrators are given 48 hours after the student/ competitor deadline to approve entries)

 

Entry Opening Date

Tuesday 12th December 2023

Entry Closing Dates

Tuesday 13th February 2024 at 23:59 - Student/Competitor Deadline

(Students/ Competitors must apply by this deadline)

Thursday 15th February 2024 at 23:59 - Institution Administrator Approval Deadline

(Institutional Administrators are given 48 hours after the student/ competitor deadline to approve entries)

Entry Costs

Individual entries (K1 & C1) cost £30 per person. 
 
Crew boat and relay entries (K2 and relays) cost £15 per person. 
 
Festival Ticket (all festival events) cost £75 per person.
 

Staged Entry

Should the competition allow more entries a Stage 2 entry window will open. Priority will remain with the entries received before the Stage 1 entry closing date. Entries received in the Stage 2 window and accepted into the competition, will be charged an additional 20% fee.

Entry Allowance

Each event has a capacity of 30 competitors. 

Should the event reach capacity, BUCS may need to restrict the number of entries per institution.

This means when submitting entries on BUCS Play, for both the Men’s and Women’s competition, competitors should be ranked in order of preference e.g 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on, before being submitted. Please ensure that for team events, all competitors are entered and approved into the team before the deadline. Please ensure for relay and K2 events, both competitors enter the event and are ranked as a pair (e.g 1, 1). 

Festival Events

The festival ticket will grant access to all of the open events listed. Please choose all of the applicable races you wish to enter at point of entry. If there are changes to these choices, please email Harry Spinks to add or remove your choice.

 

Men’s Open 200m

Women’s Open 200m

Men’s Open 500m

Women’s Open 500m

Men’s Open 5000m 

Women’s Open 5000m 

Men’s Open 2/4 x 500m Relay

Women’s Open 2/4 x 500m Relay

Men’s Open Katacanoe 200m

Women’s Open Katacanoe 200m

Events and Class Clarification

For championship events, ICF Canoe Sprint boat and equipment rules apply - (Chapter 3  https://www.canoeicf.com/sites/default/files/rules_canoe_sprint_2022.pdf). 
 
For open events, any safe canoe/kayak/stand-up paddleboard is permitted. If you are unsure about the craft you are intending to paddle, please contact Harry Spinks in advance of the event.
 
The K1 and C1 5km events will include a number of laps. Once the winner crosses the finish line, all other competitors will complete their current lap and will not necessarily complete the full distance. Anyone who does not complete the full number of laps will be scored as DNF. 
 
Events will be organised with heats, semi-finals and finals with progression operating based on finishing positions together with best times from paddlers finishing outside of the top positions. Heats will be seeded based on the ranking provided by the institution. Please note this is subject to entry numbers. 
 
The relays will be 3x 300m and 2x 200m distances.

Equipment and Safety

All boats and equipment will be subject to review on the day of the event to ensure safety and compliance with above ICF regulations where applicable.
 
Buoyancy aids will be required for all open events and may be required for championship events subject to conditions. 
 
Some boats may be available for hire at the event to enable everyone to participate. If you need to borrow a craft from the venue or local club, please complete THIS FORM and share the key information for us to be able to supply these on the day.
 
Katacanoes will be provided for the open races by the venue.

Timetable

The full timetable will be released after entries close.

Withdrawals

Withdrawals must be made in writing by the institution administrator and e-mailed to Harry Spinks, the BUCS Event Coordinator.

Withdrawals before the IA selection deadline (23:59 on Thursday 29th February 2024 [stage two]) will not be charged.

Withdrawals after the IA selection deadline (23:59 on Thursday 29th February 2024 [stage two]) and before 23:59 on Thursday 7th March 2024 will still be charged the entry fee. 

Competitors who do not withdraw before 23:59 on Thursday 7th March 2024 and do not attend the competition will be classed as a late withdrawal/no show and therefore will be charged the entry fee. They will also be fined £10 which will be charged after the event, to the competitor’s athletic union.

Should BUCS have to open stage two entries then new deadlines for withdrawals will be published. Withdrawal of a competitor does not guarantee a replacement into the competition. Reserves will only be charged an entry fee if they are accepted into the competition. 

Please see our Withdrawal Policy for more details.

Venue and Camping Information

The Whitlingham campsite is 500m from the competition venue. Camping can be booked via the Whitlingham Broad Campsite site webpage which also has further details about the site including prices. The webpage can be found here: whitlinghambroadcampsite.com