Important Announcement - Short Course

Summary of significant changes to the racing rules for Short Track – effective 2010-2011 season.

1) The word “penalty” replaces the term “disqualification” or DQ.

Therefore a skater who has made an infringement will be given a “Penalty” and will be disqualified from the relevant race and excluded from participation in the next round. Points for that race only will be forfeited, points gained prior will not be affected.

If the infringement is more serious, for example very unsafe, harmful or hazardous, a yellow card will be given.

The penalty will be as above but will carry a further sanction of loss of all points accrued in the distance concerned.

Two yellow cards in the same competition will equal a red card. This will require the skater to be excluded from the competition immediately and not ranked in the final classification.

A red card is reserved for intentionally dangerous or grossly negligent behaviour and means exclusion immediately from the competition. Two red cards in the space on 12 months will result in suspension to ISU events etc....

2) Starting – the only significant change is the location of the skaters.

For example, if there was a non start from a skater in lane two, the skaters on the outside would move left to fill the gap. This also applies if a skater has two false starts, the gap is filled.

If there are five starters, the starting dot positions will not be used. If there are more than five , a second row will be used and the skaters will be positioned as far as possible towards the outside of the track.

For example, 8 starters, lane 8 will be behind 5, 7 behind 4, 6 behind 3. With s starters they would be positioned behind lane 5.

3) Infringements – basically there are now only four possible breaches when racing.

“Off-track”, basically the same, skating inside the markers or going inside the finish line when finishing.

“Impeding”, blocking, charging or pushing another skater with any part of the body. Interfering with another skater by crossing their path thereby causing contact that is deliberate.

Basically the referees have agreed that if the passage is safe and clean then it is OK. This then gives the skater the right to “protect their patch”. The onus is still on the overtaking skater until they are level. If the skater being overtaken acts improperly i.e. swinging an arm across to clock, that skater will receive a penalty.

Please address any questions regarding the above to

Kelvin Nicolle or the Technical Committee.