rowIT.nz

Hi EveryoneWith this year's Marlborough Championships you will notice a number of changes to the way we are doing things. Hopefully all of the changes we are making will result in a regatta that is even more enjoyable, fairer and more flexible than ever. The key changes are;    1. Whole new regatta program. This encompasses the grading changes made by RNZ this past winter. You will notice that there are no age group races, which is a major change from the past. Races are now as per the new ability grades of Novice, Intermediate, Club, Senior and Open. This requires everyone (administrators, coaches, rowers and parents) to think just a little differently about who their athletes are when entering. By now everyone should have their 2017/2018 grades from RNZ. This is NOT a status regatta as defined by the new Rules of Racing.    2. Simple entry fee. The entry fee this year is $25+ gst per rower irrespective of how many races they row. This is simpler for both of us to administer. There is no limit on the number of races that an athlete can row. It is up to the judgement of the coaches as to how many events each athlete can handle. We feel you are better placed to know your athletes than we are.    3. Entry system. We will not be using rowit to collate entries this year. Entry will simply by telling us how many crews you want in each event and the names of the stroke seat. This will require some honesty on your behalf. If you need to have someone in a crew who is of a higher grade to make the boat 'happen' just let us know. The crew can still race and qualify for the finals but will not be eligible for aggregate points. We will also need a complete list of athletes you are bringing for our health & safety plan. Entries to strickland.nz@icloud.com by Nov 24th at 10pm.    4. Crew changes. We realise that this early in the season that you might wish to play with your crews from Saturday to Sunday. Feel free to do so, but as above please be honest about what grade the athletes are in your boat.    5. For live (well liveish) results we will have a Facebook page setup with results and photos going up throughout the weekend.    6. Coaches Happy Hour. At the end of Saturdays racing we invite all of the coaches and officials to imbibe of a cold refreshment. It's our way of saying thanks for bringing your crews and helping with the regatta. Also it's a great chance for a chat and a telling of tall tales.All of this should result in a great weekend of racing on the Wairau River. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please don't hesitate to get in touch. See you in December.