You can now download the Durham Regatta 2017 entries prospectus and cover letter. As you will notice, there have been some changes since last year. This is as a result of the new personal ranking index (PRI) introduced by British Rowing.
We asked Richard Mortimer, our Entries Secretary, to explain the points system and how it will affect this year’s Regatta.
Regatta 2017 events
How has the new British Rowing competition structure impacted on the events on offer at the Regatta, on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June?
“British Rowing, the governing body for rowing in the UK, have just reviewed how competitive rowing and regattas should be organised. The old categories of rowers such as Novice, Intermediate and Elite will disappear – but not until next year. The new system is based on each rower’s PRI points. In the past, you had to win a competition final to get points. Now, you get points for every race you win at any regatta, as well as for where you finish in ‘head’ races.”
How is this going to affect Durham Regatta?
“Well, on Saturday we are keeping things just as they used to be. So the traditional events, such as the Mayor’s Plate and the Harry Clasper Trophy will be run in the same way as in previous years.”
OK, so what will this mean for Sunday’s racing, where you are running the new system?
“On Sunday we will use the PRI points to decide which crews should race each other and in which competitions. This should make the racing as fair and competitive as it can be. The rowers and crews with the highest PRI points will be entered into the Championship Events, like the Grand Challenge Cup and the Wharton Cup. The non-Championship events will be very similar to the old Intermediate and Novice racing and crews will complete for the existing trophies. The points will also be used to seed crews in the draw (similarly to other sports like tennis), so that the strongest crews are the ones most likely to get through to the final. That way we make the racing as exciting as possible.”
What about the younger rowers?
“Junior racing hasn’t changed. So all the events for eighteen-year-olds and below, like the North of England Sculling Championships, on the Saturday of the regatta, are still organised by age groups and by boat types.”
The new system in a nutshell
PRI: Each competitor will have a computer-based Personal Ranking Index (PRI) that is calculated from their 8 highest scoring events within the last 5 years.
Points: A competitor gets PRI points for winning rounds in a regatta and for their finishing positions within a head race.
Disciplines: Sculling and Rowing are still counted separately.
Crew Rankings: A crew has a Combined Ranking Index (CRI), which is the aggregate of the individual members’ points.
Points fixed: The CRI for a crew is as computed 8 days before entries close. This means that a crew will not change status between the close of entries and the race.
More information on the new system is available on the British Rowing Competition Framework pages.
Durham Regatta takes place on the River Wear on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June. Complementing two full days of exciting high-quality rowing are bankside entertainments for all the family. Most of these will be free with an admission ticket to the Regatta Enclosure. There will also be craft, food and refreshment stalls to suit a wide range of tastes.