Rule 4-104 from the USRowing Rules of Rowing
(a)
Junior: A Junior is a competitor who in the current calendar year does
not attain the age of 19, or who is and has been continuously enrolled
in secondary school as a full time student seeking a diploma. A
competitor thus ceases to be a Junior after December 31 of the year of
his or her 18th birthday, or of the year in which he or she completes
the 12th grade of secondary school, having been a full time student,
whichever is later.
(b)
Master: A Master is a competitor who has attained or will attain the
age of 27 during the current calendar year. A competitor’s age is
determined as of December 31 of the current calendar year, rounded down
to the highest contained integer. A competitor thus becomes a Master on
January 1 of the year of his or her 27th birthday. A Masters crew shall
be comprised exclusively of Masters rowers, but the coxswain need not
be a Master.
(1)
Masters crews shall be classified by age according to the following
categories: (A) 27 to 35 years, (B) 36 to 42 years, (C) 43 to 49 years,
(D) 50 to 54 years, (E) 55 to 59 years, (F) 60 to 64 years, (G) 65 to
69 years, (H) 70 to 74 years, (I) 75 to 79 years, (J) 80 and over. The
age category of a Masters crew shall be determined by the average age
of the rowers in the crew, rounded to the nearest integer. The age of a
coxswain shall not be counted. The ages of individual rowers need not
fall within the age category, so long as each rower is a Master and so
long as the average age of the crew falls within the applicable
category.
Classifications -- By Weight
Lightweight vs. Open Weight
An
athlete of any weight can enter the open categories, although the
average woman in an open race will approach 6' in height and an average
open weight man 6'6". Lightweight Men cannot weigh more than 160 pounds
and the average weight in the entire boat cannot exceed 155 pounds.
Lightweight Women cannot weight more than 130 pounds and the average
weight in the entire boat cannot exceed 125 pounds.
Classifications - By Skill
Rule 4-105 from the USRowing Rules of Rowing
(a)
A competitor’s classification by skill shall be determined separately
with respect to sweep events and sculling events. Except for the
provisions of subsection
(b)(2)
below (Elite status affecting scull or sweep status), a competitor’s
classification in one category shall not affect his or her
classification in the other. A competitor’s classification by skill
shall not be determined separately with respect to open events and
lightweight events, and thus a competitor’s status as
Elite, Senior or Intermediate is applicable regardless of weight class.
(b) Competitors shall be classified according to skill by the following criteria:
-
(1) Intermediate: A competitor is an Intermediate who has not advanced to the status of Senior or Elite.
-
(2)
Senior: A competitor is a Senior who has won any intermediate or senior
event over 2,000 meters at the USRowing National Championships or at
the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, and who has not advanced to the
status of Elite. A competitor who is an Elite as a sweep rower shall be
advanced to Senior for all sculling events, and a competitor who is an
Elite as a scull rower shall be advanced to Senior for all sweep events.
-
(3)
Elite: A competitor is an Elite who has been a member of a USRowing
National Team as a competitor (including as a spare) in the category at
issue, other than in a Junior or Masters event.
(c)
All trials events to select the National Team, except those for Junior
or Masters events, shall be classified as Elite events.
(d) Junior or Masters races do not effect a competitor’s classification by skill under this Rule.
(e) All changes in classification by skill shall take effect on January 1 following the year of competition.
(f)
Any other provision of these rules notwithstanding, a competitor who is
not an amateur shall be deemed an Elite for all events, whether sweep
or sculling, open or lightweight.
4-107 Eligibility to Compete in Events
(a) No rower who is an Elite shall compete in a Senior or Intermediate event, and no rower who is a
Senior
shall compete in an Intermediate event. A coxswain may compete in any
of those categories regardless of his or her classification by skill
except that a coxswain who is not an amateur shall not compete in
events classified by skill as Intermediate or Senior or classified by
age as Junior.
