Proposed and seconded by Shepperton Slalom Canoe Club
The introduction of paddle up points (for the 2017 season) included a change to the rules such that combined division 1/2 races would no longer be permitted.
For Shepperton this meant that we ran a division 1 as a single division and trialled running a division 2 as a separate competition the following week. Neither competition was full and there were really insufficient entries to the division 2 to justify the continued running of the division 2 as a separate competition.
The loss of the division 1/2 competitions means that most division 2s are combined with division 3s and there will be even fewer division 2 competitions run on more testing water.
We therefore propose that the ability to run a combined division 1/2 is reinstated.
(Note: a reason given for removing division 1/2s was not wanting to encourage division 3s to paddle up on what was essentially a division 1 course; we believe this is addressed by the last bullet point). Page 52
B1.2 Competition Designation
Competition will take one of the forms below:
All Premier Competitions - Single division events, open to Premier paddlers and Division 1’s paddling up.
All Division 1 Competitions - Single division events, open to Division 1 paddlers and Division 2’s paddling up.
Division 1/2 Competitions – Two-division competition, open equally to division 1 and division 2 ranked competitors.
• In each competition, there is a separate race for each division and separate points and prizes are awarded
• The course is designed to division 1 standard, but may incorporate changes to accommodate division 2 paddlers (e.g. omission of gates, different start points).
• There is no paddle-up option for division 2 paddlers at a division 1/2 competition. (A division 2 paddler beating paddlers at division 1 will be awarded only the points earned against other division 2 paddlers and a division 2 paddler cannot enter the division 1 event as a paddle-up competitor).
• Division 3 paddlers cannot enter a division 1/2 competition as paddle-up competitors.
Division 2 Competitions - Single division events, open to Division 2 paddlers and Division 3’s paddling up.
Division 3 Competitions - Single division events, open to Division 3 paddlers, which may be combined with Division 4 competitions.
Division 2/3 Competitions - Two-division events, open equally to Division 2 and Division 3 ranked competitors, which may be combined with Division 4 competitions.
● In each event there is a separate race for each division and separate points are awarded.
● Prizes are offered for both Division 2 and Division 3 competitors.
● The course is to be designed to Division 2 standard, but may incorporate changes to accommodate Division 3 and Division 4 paddlers (e.g. reduction in the number of pumps at Pinkston or a different start point at sites such as Bala Mill).
● There is no paddle up option for Division 3 at a Division 2/3 competition. A Division 3 paddler beating paddlers in Division 2 will be awarded only the points earned against other Division 3 paddlers and a Division 3 cannot enter the Division 2 event as a paddle up competitor.
Division 4 Competitions - Single division events, open to novices and other Division paddlers. May be free-standing or combined with Division 3, Division 2/3 events and open events.