AICSA Sculling Rules

ELIGIBILITY: Competitors must be a Financial Member of a Society (see Schedule III below).

SECTIONS:

1. Men’s 4s
2. Women’s 4s
3. Mixed 8s
4. Individual (Open)
5. Women’s Individual
6. Freshers’ 4s
7. Veterans’
8. Non-Alcoholic 4s

ENTRIES: Entries can be lodged at any time up until the draw.

RULES:

1. Any person may drink for only one society in any given section.
2. The crews shall be arranged on either side of the table so that the drinker of the last glass shall be immediately in front of the judge.
3. Subject to these rules, the judge, and there is only one, shall have final jurisdiction.
4. Teams with fewer than requisite number of drinkers:

   • a) Any one drinker shall not drink two or more glasses consecutively unless absolutely necessary.
     b) Where it is absolutely necessary for one drinker to drink two or more glasses consecutively, s/he shall not reassume the starting position [see para. 5] but shall be required to clap both hand behind his back.

5. The starting position shall be as follows: the drinker, kneeling, with chin on table shall have his drinking hand clasped by the other hand passing behind the body. The clasping action shall be some form of positive hook engagement, as defined by the judge.
6. Each drinker shall be observed by a scrutineer, who shall observe whether the drinker breaks [see para. 7] and whether there is excessive spillage [see para. 8].
7. Breaking: Breaking may take the form of:

   • a) not having chin on table, and/or
     b) releasing their hands from their clasped position before the race has been started (as defined in Schedule II below), or before the previous drinker has struck the table audibly with his (empty) glass.

8. Spillage: Excessive spillage is defined as either:

   • a) leaving beer in the glass, and/or
     b) spilling beer whilst drinking, subject to the judge’s discretion.

9. Breaking and spillage are each grounds for disqualification.
10. Protests. Any team wishing to lodge a protest against another team must have that protest submitted to the judge by a member of the team against whom the protest is being made.
11. In the case of breaking or spillage, or other unsatisfactory practice, the judge may order a re-run of the event, to be held either immediately or after such a time as s/he may determine.
12. After the closing of entries, the teams shall be drawn in pairs for the heats. The winning teams from heats shall compete in semi‑finals, etc., until the winner of the event is decided by one final between two teams.
13. Where there is an odd number of teams at any level of the competition, the odd team shall compete against the fastest loser of the other races of that round.
14. In the case of the Mixed 8s race only, at least three glasses must be drunk by each sex.
15. In the case of the Veteran’s race only, any number of team members is allowed as long as their total age exceeds 150 years, and as long as the number of drinkers of one sex does not exceed the number of drinkers of the opposite sex by more than one. (See Schedule V below.)
16. The judge may limit the number of entries into the individuals category in consultation with the festival committee.
17. Individuals shall be drawn in heats of four each. Each indiv­idual drinker will be timed separately. Rule 13 shall apply to the individuals’ event also.
18. Once a team is constituted, every attempt should be made to eliminate the need for the addition or replacement of members in any subsequent heats, semi-finals or finals of that event.
19. Intervarsity sculling is fun, and all attempts to keep it so must be made by the organisers, participants and spectators.

SCHEDULES

I. ORDER OF EVENTS:

1. Draws for first rounds of all events
2. Men’s and Women’s 4s heats
3. Freshers’ 4s heats
4. Mixed 8s heats,
5. Non-Alcoholic 4s heats
6. Men’s and Women’s 4s semi-finals
7. Veterans’ 4s heats
8. Freshers’ 4s semi-finals
9. Mixed 8s semi-finals
10. Non-Alcoholic 4s final
11. Men’s and Women’s 4s finals
12. Freshers’ 4s final,
13. Veterans’ 4s final
14. Mixed 8 final
15. Draw for Individuals (Men’s and Women’s)
16. Individual heats
17. Individual final

Note: the order of all races may be varied at the absolute discretion of the controller of the sculling. Novelty sculling events may be inserted at any appropriate point in the proceedings.

II. STARTER’S INSTRUCTIONS: The starting instructions called by the starter appointed by the judge shall be:
“Are you ready? … Face the water … Go!”

III. DEFINITIONS:
‘Society’ shall be any bona fide AICSA affiliate or associate society.
‘Financial member’ shall, in the event of a society not charging a membership fee, mean any active and/or enrolled member.

IV. DRINK CONSUMED: In all events, excepting the Non-Alcoholic 4s, drinkers shall drink the beer decided upon by the organisers, which shall for preference be lite, and of an equal alcoholic content throughout the events. Such beer shall be drunk from 7 fl oz glasses, unless these are not available in that state or territory. In the case of the Non-Alcoholic 4s, the liquid consumed shall be Ginger Ale (which should be allowed to go somewhat flat before use).

V. CREW COMPOSITION FOR THE VETERANS' TROPHY:

1. permitted three (3) member combinations: 2f+1m or 1f+2m
2. permitted four (4) member combinations: 2f+2m only
3. permitted five(5) member combinations: 3f+2m or 2f+3m
4. permitted six (6) member combinations: 3f+3m only
5. permitted seven (7) member combinations: 4f+3m or 3f+4m
6. permitted eight (8) member combinations: 4f+4m only

The formula should be self-evident for other combinations, and should be applied in the unlikely event of there being crews of nine or more persons. Teams of two are considered to be so unlikely as not to require a specification, although the general idea should be apparent by now.