Adjusting the Starter Responsibilities under 2C.1.3 Starter
This discussion has an associated proposal. View Proposal Details here.Comments about this discussion:
Started
Currently, the rules for the starter specify the following task:
4. The starter explains race rules.
However, I think that it should not be a general task of the starter to explain the rules to the competitors. On the one hand because I think that it should be the responsibility of the competitor to inform himself about the rules before the race and on the other hand because it would be very annoying for the competition and hold off the procedure if the rules are explained only at the start.
I would therefore be in favor of deleting this task (and if you think we need it, maybe add it somewhere else, maybe to a new "Judge").
But I would add the following sentence:
4. The starter has to take a position for the start from which he has an unobstructed view of the riders and the start command and signal can be easily perceived by the riders.
Unfortunately, I have seen it at competitions where this was not the case. This can lead to unequal treatment of the riders, which should be avoided in any case.
Comment
Agreed to all of that. The "old" task 4 is usually not done by the starter anyway, so it's a dead rule. If there would be a heat with particularly inexperienced riders, the starter can still take the initiative to explain the race rules, even without a requirement to do so.
I am not aware of competitions where the "new" task 4 was not done properly. But if this is sometimes an issue, it seems like a good addition.
Comment
I agree that the starting line is not the place to explain all the rules, just the ones riders need to know for that race, and not the ones they've already heard if it's similar to previous races that were already held. Mostly that time should be for explaining how to start, along with anything that may be special about that particular race.
Definitely add extra explanation as necessary for new/young riders.
I also agree with making sure the starter is in a good position to see all the riders. Riders must be able to see the starter as well (for manual starts).
Comment
Generally, it is the responsibility of the riders (and their coaches, particularly in the case of inexperienced young riders) to know and follow the rules. I would not include a rule that requires starters to explain anything. Still, in some cases, they may take the initiative to explain something.
>Riders must be able to see the starter as well (for manual starts).
Our rules require the start signal to be auditory, not visual. Also, the false start signal (to call riders back) is auditory. I don't see the need for riders to be able to see the starter.
But this made me think, have we ever had deaf unicyclists in a competition? For them to race on more or less equal terms, it would be good if there is a visual cue as well. I was thinking someone (maybe not the starter) could manually visualise the start beeps e.g. with hand/arm movements. But the "manual" aspect of that is tricky, in that he/she might signal the start too early (or too late). Something automatic (like a blinking light connected to the start beep apparatus) would be better.
But has this ever been a problem in the first place?
Comment
True on riders not needing to see the starter (unless they're Deaf).
I don't recall any racing situations with (very) Deaf riders. We have had some HOH (hard of hearing) riders here and there, but I don't recall any situations where a rider needed help detecting the start. With old fashioned starting pistols it's also visual, but electronic ones don't make a puff of smoke. In the case of a rider that can't hear starting sounds, yes, an official must give visual cues unless the starting system also includes lights that the riders can see.
Also yes, riders should understand the rules by the time they are lining up to race. The only thing they should get refreshed on when there, is exactly how that start is going to work, and any special or unusual notes about the course, such as, watch out for some damaged pavement in lanes 5-6, etc.
Comment
> I would not include a rule that requires starters to explain anything. Still, in some cases, they may take the initiative to explain something.
I completely agree with Klaas here. A rule that requires the starter to explain something is holding up the whole competition. And what about cases where the starter doesn't explain anything (as is the case in almost all competitions) - could someone then file a protest afterwards because the explanation was missing and the starter thus didn't follow the rules? I think that is extremely inconvenient to have a rule that requires the starter to explain the rules. As said, there is nothing wrong with it if it's done on the starter's own initiative if he determines that there is a need for it. However, it should not be part of his responsibilities as a matter of principle - as a matter of principle, it must be the responsibility of the riders to know the rules.
> The only thing they should get refreshed on when there, is exactly how that start is going to work, and any special or unusual notes about the course, such as, watch out for some damaged pavement in lanes 5-6, etc.
This should also be done before the competition, for example in a meeting with all tainers in the morning or posted as information (like we did it at the last Unicon), so that the riders are informed about it before the lineup.
> Riders must be able to see the starter as well (for manual starts).
This would not be so easy to realize, especially for a 400m race, since the starter would then have to stand "in front" of the outermost rider. But that would mean that the starter would probably not have a good view of the rider on lane 1. I think the starter should stand in such a way that he has about all riders equally well in his view.
In addition, as Klaas has already pointed out, there is no visual start signal for unicycles anyway, so why should the riders have to see the starter?
> But this made me think, have we ever had deaf unicyclists in a competition?
At the last Unicon there was a rider who is (almost, I'm not sure) deaf. We have set up a start flash for him, so that he can visually perceive the start signal. However, this happens so rarely that I don't think we need to include anything extra in the rules. Technical solutions that visualize the start signal are possible and available in any case.
Comment
>Technical solutions that visualize the start signal are possible and available in any case. (last paragraph)
If we don't require such technical solutions to be at hand in any competition (and I don't think we should), chances are that they are not available (even if they could have been available). But I think it's safe to assume that a solution is always available, that is: someone with a good feel for timing can stand in the field of view of some deaf or HOH rider, hear the start signal and visualise it specifically for this rider. In other words: without the word "technical" I agree.
Other than that, I agree to all of the previous post.
Comment
Okay, then I don't think anything needs to be adjusted in the proposal - if it does, there is still enough time to revise the proposal.
Comment
OK for the changes that this proposal is about.
There is a small grammatical error in the text which has been changed due to another proposal
This count are to be given in English...
==>>
This count is to be given in English...
The present proposal is a nice moment to correct this.
Comment
Thanks for the hint - I have revised the proposal.
Comment
The review time of the proposal is now over and since there were no further comments or suggestions for improvement, I assume that all committee members agree with the proposal.
I will now open the voting and hope that all voting members of the committee will also participate in the voting.