RULES AND GENERAL INFORMATION

I. TEAM DETAILS

1. A full team for racing is 25 crew members (20 paddlers, 1 drummer, 1 steersperson & 3 alternates).
2. Each team must have a manager (e.g., team captain) responsible for all administrative details associated with team.
3. A mixed crew must have a minimum of 8 of the opposite gender (e.g. 8 men or 8 women. 4. Unless prior approval is obtained from a IDBA designated official (e.g., Race Director, race official, dock official, etc.), a person can only be registered as a crew member for one team.
4. The race roster may have no more than 25 crew members and all crew members must be listed. Team Captains are responsible for assuring only their crew members are in their boats. All changes to race rosters must be reported to an IDBA designed official prior to the race. Due to safety considerations, violations of this rule will result in disqualification from race.
5. All crew members must wear supplied Personnel Flotation Device (PFD) while on the water. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS.
6. The minimum race crew is 16 paddlers, plus 1 drummer, and one steersperson.
7. Only crew members who have signed liability release forms and are on the race roster are allowed in the dragon boats.
8. To control safety on the water (i.e., for identification purposes), crew members are not permitted to race on other teams or change race rosters w/o prior approval from a IDBA designated official.
9. Teams exceeding the 22 crew member on board will be disqualified.
10. It is the responsibility of the team managers to ensure each crew member has signed and submitted to IDBA a liability release form before entering their boat.

1. Mixed Competitive - tend to be, at least third year competitive mixed teams, and those teams who wish to compete at a competitive level.
2. Mixed Social/Recreational - tend to be, first and second year social teams who treat the sport as recreational rather than competitive.
3. Mixed International - tend to be teams from outside of the United States traveling to compete with other competitive teams.
4. Mixed Youth - tend to be younger crew members (e.g., between 15 and 19 years old) who are competing against their peers.
5. Men or Women - teams of one gender competing against their peers (not currently offered, but may fall into a specialty race).

1. Each teams receives a minimum of 3 one hour practice sessions (novice teams receive 4 one hour practice sessions) with additional practice sessions at a rate of $75.00/hour (team).
2. Practices Schedules will be provided and can be scheduled by calling the Head Coach.
3. Due to the nature of the sport and for safety reasons, only qualified steerspersons will be allowed to steer the boats. New steerspersons may apply to be tested through the Head Coach. Social/Recreational and Youth Division teams will have steerspersons provided on race days.
4. Each crew member must have attended a minimum of 4 practice sessions in order to race on race day. Special arrangements can be made for out-of-town teams to practice.

1. The race schedule and format will be made available after mid-August.
2. All races are run on the second Saturday and Sunday of August at Jack London Square, Oakland, California.
3. The first race heat will begin approximately 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of August. All crew members must be on-site by 8:30 a.m.. Races will not be held for late teams and may result in forfeiture.
4. Lane designation is done by draw made by race officials. Every attempt will be made to have all lanes equal. Lane placement is luck of the draw.
5. The race course will be marked clearly with buoys.
6. A safety boat will follow each race. If your dragon boat becomes swamped, please remain with the boat and wait for the referee and/or safety boat to arrive. Follow their instructions.
7. If your dragon boat veers off course and is in danger of a collision, your team will be asked to "Halt or stop!" by the referee. All paddlers must assume the "brake" position to stop the boat upon demand of a referee. As safety is of paramount concern, failure to do so will result in disqualification from that race.

1. The objective is to give all teams a dead, even start on the defined start line. The following sequence will be used by the Referee(s) and Starter(s) to insure a fair start.
   1. The Referee(s) will assure all teams are behind the start line. The Referee furthest from the Starter shall say: " Mr./Ms. Starter . . . the race is yours."
   2. The Starter shall commence the warning as follows: " 3 minutes to start"
      "1 minute to start"
   3. Just before (2-4 seconds) an air horn, starter gun or cannon is sound, the Starter shall state, " Attention Please."
      The air horn, starter gun or cannon signifies the start of the race.
   4. The Referee or Starter may interrupt the start procedure at any time if the alignment and/or spacing of the teams jeopardize a fair start. He/she will do this by raising a red flag and announcing to the Starter: " Mr./Ms. Starter, I have the race".
      The Starter will acknowledge the Referee by stating, " The Referee has the race". When the Referee(s) are satisfied with the alignment of the boats, he will raise a white flag and the Starter will re-commence the warning as either: " 1 minute to start, 30 seconds to start, or 15 seconds to start" The Referee or Starter may also recall a race after it has started, by sounding one air horn. All teams are to "brake" and return to the start line or be disqualified at the finish line. A team attempting to gain an unfair advantage at the start line after fair warning shall be disqualified by the Starter. Repeated attempts to gain an unfair advantage can result in a team being disqualified for the remainder of the competition (without refund). The Starter(s) duties are not complete until the sterns of all of the boats have cleared the 25 meter marker.
2. False starts - A team causing a false start will be warned. A second false start will disqualify them from the current race. In all cases, the Starter has the authority to call back the race for a restart.

1. Once a race begins (stern crosses over the 25 meter mark), each team is responsible for remaining in their respective lane until the end of the race. A team that wanders outside the race course or into another lane may be "disqualified", particularly if they interfere in any way the progress of another boat or jeopardizes the safety of crew members. Mitigating circumstances and associated facts will be reviewed, but all Referee decisions when concluded are final.
2. Acts of unsportmanlike conduct, violations of safety rules, and refusal to yield to Race or Event Officials by individual members of the team will result in the entire team being barred from further competition and the forfeiture of future invitations to participate in this event. Race Officials will provide approximately 3 oral warnings on conduct issues prior to debarment, but no warnings will be given on safety violation issues.

1. The finish line is marked with larger size buoys. The finish of each boat is recorded as the nose of the dragon breaks the plane of these buoys. All crew members must be onboard at the completion of the race or the boat will be recorded as "Did Not Finish" (DNF). Decisions of the Race Officials, once deemed "Official", are final.

1. Upon completion of the race, all teams must return immediately to the mooring area and follow the instructions of the Dock Marshals so that the next heat may begin on schedule.

1. All protest or grievances must be logged by a Race Official no later than 20 minutes after the completed race along with a $50/processing fee. Only the Team Captain or Team Manager may lodged a complaint with Race Officials. Race Officials will diligently investigate complaints and ascertain the facts as best as possible with the assistance of the Referees and Starters and render decisions. Results of races are considered "Unofficial" until "Officially Posted" by IDBA. Processing fee will be returned only if Race Officials rule in favor of grievant on issue.

1. Official times and finishing positions will be made available as the results are tabulated and taken off "unofficial" status. They will be posted on the Race Results Board in the marshalling area. Team advancement into Sunday's divisional finals will be posted as soon as they are determined by Saturday's qualifying heats. All race results posted as "Official" by IDBA are final.

1. Opening Ceremonies will take place on Saturday at Jack London Square's Main Stage approximately 8:00 AM.
2. Awards Ceremonies will take place on Sunday at Jack London Square's Main Stage approximately 5:00 PM.