Rowing Part 21

XVII.--The Regatta Committee shall appoint one or more umpires.

XVIII.--The Regatta Committee shall appoint one or more judges, whose decision as to the order in which the boats pa.s.s the posts shall be final.

XIX.--A maiden oarsman is an oarsman (A) who has never won a race with oars at a regatta; (B) who has never been a compet.i.tor in any International or Inter-University Rowing Match.

A maiden sculler is a sculler (A) who has never won a sculling race at a regatta; (B) who has never competed for the Diamond Sculls at Henley, or for the Amateur Champions.h.i.+p of any country.

XX.--A junior oarsman is an oarsman (A) who has never won a race with oars at a regatta other than a school race; a race in which the construction of the boats was restricted; or a race limited to members of one club; (B) who has never been a compet.i.tor in any International or Inter-University match. No oarsman who has won a race at a regatta in which the construction of the boats was restricted, shall compete as a junior in any such race after the end of the current year.

A junior sculler is a sculler (A) who has never won a sculling race at a regatta other than a race in which the construction of the boats was restricted; or a race limited to members of one club; (B) who has never competed for the Diamond Sculls at Henley, or for the Amateur Champions.h.i.+p of any country.

N.B.--The qualification shall in every case relate to the day of the regatta.

XXI.--All questions not specially provided for shall be decided by the Regatta Committee.

LAWS OF BOAT-RACING.

I.--All boat races shall be started in the following manner:--The starter on being satisfied that the compet.i.tors are ready, shall give the signal to start.

II.--A boat not at its post at the time specified, shall be liable to be disqualified by the umpire.

III.--The umpire may act as starter, or not, as he thinks fit; when he does not so act, the starter shall be subject to the control of the umpire.

IV.--If the starter considers the start false, he shall at once recall the boats to their stations, and any boat refusing to start again shall be disqualified.

V.--Each boat shall keep its own water throughout a race. A boat departing from its own water will do so at its peril.

VI.--A boat's own water is its due course, parallel with the course of the other competing boat or boats, from the station a.s.signed to it at starting, to the finish.

VII.--No fouling whatever shall be allowed; the boat or boats committing a foul shall be disqualified.

VIII.--It shall be considered a foul when, after a race has been started, any compet.i.tor, by his oar, boat, or person, comes into contact with the oar, boat, or person of another compet.i.tor; unless, in the opinion of the umpire, such contact is so slight as not to influence the race.

IX.--A claim of foul must be made to the umpire or the judge by the compet.i.tor himself before getting out of his boat.

X.--In case of a foul the umpire shall have power--

(_a_) To place the boats not disqualified in the order in which they come in.

(_b_) To order the boats not disqualified to row again on the same or another day.

(_c_) To re-start the boats not disqualified according to his discretion.

XI.--The umpire shall be sole judge of a boat's own water and due course during a race, and he may caution any compet.i.tor when in danger of committing a foul.

XII.--The umpire, when appealed to, shall decide all questions as to a foul.

XIII.--Every boat shall abide by its accidents, but if during a race a boat shall be interfered with by any outside boat, the umpire shall have power, if he thinks fit, to re-start the boats according to his discretion, or to order them to row again on the same or another day.

XIV.--No boat shall be allowed to accompany or follow any race for the purpose of directing the course of any of the compet.i.tors. Any compet.i.tor receiving any extraneous a.s.sistance may be disqualified, at the discretion of the umpire.

XV.--Boats shall be held to have completed the course when their bows reach the winning post.

XVI.--Any compet.i.tor refusing to abide by the decision of the umpire, or to follow his directions, shall be disqualified.

XVII.--The umpire, if he thinks proper, may reserve his decision, provided that in every case such decision be given on the day of the race.

XVIII.--The jurisdiction of the umpire extends over a race and all matters connected with it, from the time the race is specified to start until its termination, and his decision in all cases shall be final and without appeal.

A brief explanation of some points arising out of the Rules and Regulations of the A.R.A. may be useful.

"PROFESSIONAL."

Up to 1894 the A.R.A. gave a very wide interpretation to the term "professional," which was held to include "any person not qualified as an amateur under A.R.A. Rules." Mechanics, artisans, labourers, men engaged in menial duty, or employed in manual labour for money or wages, were, therefore, not merely disqualified as amateurs, but were considered to be professionals, and compet.i.tion against them for a prize involved disqualification to the amateur so competing. In 1894, however, the whole code of A.R.A. was submitted to the revision of a sub-committee, and their report, subsequently adopted by the full committee, laid it down that from this time on the word "professional"

must be interpreted "in its primary and literal sense," _i.e._ one who makes money by rowing, sculling, or steering. An amateur rowing, or sculling, or steering with or against a professional for a prize is still disqualified, but the amateur status of one who rows or steers with or against mechanics, artisans, etc. (provided, of course, the race is not for a stake, money, or entrance fee), is not affected. At the same time it must be remembered (Rule I of Rules for Regattas) that at regattas held in accordance with A.R.A. rules no mechanic, artisan, etc., can be admitted to compete, and by Clause XI. of the Const.i.tution no member of any club affiliated to the A.R.A. is permitted to compete at a regatta not held in accordance with A.R.A. rules. The result would seem to be, therefore, that whereas an amateur who is not a member of a club affiliated to the A.R.A. can compete against mechanics, artisans, etc., at a regatta not held in accordance with A.R.A. rules without incurring any penalty, a member of a club affiliated to the A.R.A. can compete against this cla.s.s only in a private match. Any member of an affiliated club transgressing Clause XI. would unquestionably render himself liable to suspension under Clause VIII. of the Const.i.tution.

There are now, therefore, three cla.s.ses of oarsmen, viz. amateurs, non-amateurs, and professionals.

NON-AMATEURS.

The A.R.A. holds that "apprentices.h.i.+p is no disqualification." n.o.body, therefore, is to be disqualified for serving an apprentices.h.i.+p, even if it involves (as in the case of engineers or nurserymen) manual labour for a money payment. But such manual labour on the part of one who has pa.s.sed through his ordinary apprentices.h.i.+p and still continues at the work for a year or two would disqualify.

The committee has held that disqualification attaches, for instance, to--

(1) A watchmaker's a.s.sistant who works, or has worked, at the bench.

(2) A baker's a.s.sistant who not only helps to make bread, but also delivers it.

(3) Engravers and etchers.

(4) A man having an interest in a boat-letting business, _and_ taking in or starting boats at a raft.

But not to--

(5) A 3rd engineer, sea-going, who goes to sea and works for money, where such sea-service it necessary to qualify him for pa.s.sing his examinations for the position of chief engineer.

(6) A draughtsman in an engineering firm, though working for wages.

Decisions 3 and 6 are not easily to be reconciled.

REGATTA. JUNIOR OARSMEN AND SCULLERS.

Doubts have occasionally arisen as to what is the correct meaning of the word "Regatta" in Clause XI. of the Const.i.tution, and in Rules 19 and 20 of the Rules for Regattas. The committee has held that any meeting, whether or not called open, at which more than one club, or members of more than one club, compete, is a regatta. This decision does not cover a private match, but does cover a regatta where, for instance, the compet.i.tion is limited to certain clubs, specially invited by the club or committee who arrange and manage the regatta. Thus, if a junior competed and won, either as an oarsman or sculler, at a regatta limited, say, to members of the London, Kingston, and Thames Rowing Clubs, he would by so winning cease to be a junior, provided the race was neither a school race nor one in which the construction of the boats was restricted.