{"id":1062,"date":"2022-03-02T22:02:41","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T22:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uppervalleyrowingfoundation.org\/?page_id=1062"},"modified":"2025-08-12T22:45:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T22:45:48","slug":"uvrf-sweep-equipment-policy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.uppervalleyrowingfoundation.org\/?page_id=1062","title":{"rendered":"UVRF Sweep Equipment Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

UVRF Sweep Equipment Policy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

** Certification for unsupervised use at home and away<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

I.\u00a0\u00a0 General Discussion<\/p>

II.\u00a0 Eights and Fours with coxswain<\/p>

III.\u00a0Fours without coxswain<\/p>

IV.\u00a0Other Sweep Boat Requirements<\/p>

V.\u00a0 Sweep boat Race Reservation Policy<\/p>

I. General Discussion<\/strong><\/p>

Certification is required for two very important reasons: safety and safety. UVRF policies reflect our club’s concern for the safety of our members and of those who row with them or near them. We also need to keep our equipment safe and in good condition; we collectively own expensive gear that club members have worked hard to fundraise and pay for.\u00a0<\/p>

PLEASE NOTE<\/strong>: These policies do not apply to rowers and their boatings in UVRF coached programs (sweep or scull).\u00a0 In UVRF coached programs, decisions about rowers and appropriate boatings for both home practices and races (home and away) are at the discretion of the program coach.<\/p>

All rowers are required to be familiar with UVRF policies, particularly with respect to the Safety Guidelines,<\/u><\/strong> and it is strongly recommended that rowers of any unsupervised boats, particularly those in the bow seat, wear \u201chigh visibility\u201d clothing.<\/p>

This policy applies to UVRF sweep boats regardless from where they launch.\u00a0<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When launching from Dartmouth, all sweep boats must launch from the Dartmouth Dock and only between 0530-0900 daily. The only exception is the four without coxswain which can launch from either the Dartmouth dock (0530-0900) or from the UVRF sculling dock dawn to dusk. When Dartmouth is launching or landing at their docks, they have the right of way.\u00a0<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When launching from the Kendal site, sweep boats may launch from dawn to dusk.<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On program or race days, sweep boats are only available after 7:30 am or by specific permission of the UVRF Fleet Manager ( uppervalleyrc@gmail.com<\/a>)\u00a0 or the UVRF coaching staff. Programs have priority during program times and also on race days.<\/p>

Approved use of the UVRF racing \u201csweep\u201d equipment for unsupervised rows on our home stretch of river and on away race courses follows a progression of certifications.<\/p>

A \u201csupervised row\u201d means under the supervision of a UVRF certified coach, a Dartmouth coach or a guest coach. (See UVRF Coach Requirements<\/u> for qualifications necessary to be a guest coach.) All other rows are characterized as \u201cunsupervised rows\u201d.<\/p>

This policy is specific to unsupervised rows.<\/u><\/p>

All rowers must have paid the Club Equipment Use Fee for the year.<\/p>

All coxswains must be offered the regular practice stipend, which they in their sole discretion can decline.<\/strong><\/p>

The Board maintains a list of certified rowers <\/span><\/a>and reviews the list regularly.<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In a four with cox (4+) and in eights (8+), both the coxswain and one of the bow pair (4+) or stern pair (8+) rowers must be certified. (We have no stern coxed 4+s.)<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In a four without cox (4-), the bow-seat rower requires either a UVRF pair certification or a UVRF quad (4x) \u201ctoe\u201d qualification as well as experience in sweep boats.\u00a0<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In a pair (2-), each rower must have UVRF pair certification, and one rower must also have UVRF pair \u201ctoe\u201d certification.<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Boats must be reserved in advance (see Reservation process below).\u00a0<\/p>

Cox boxes are required for bow coxed fours and eights; they may be arranged for pick up with the UVRF coaches. Cox boxes must be returned with a full charge no later than 30 minutes prior to the next program practice.\u00a0<\/p>

It is strongly recommended that bow seats of any unsupervised boats wear \u201chigh visibility\u201d clothing.\u00a0<\/p>

Whenever possible, lineups should adhere to the designed weight of the boat. For example, eight rowers with an average weight of 120 pounds should not take out Defiant (designed for average weight of 175-205). Another example, four rowers with an average weight of 200 lbs should not take out Prouty Pride (designed for an average weight of 135-160). Design weights for the sweep boats are as follows:<\/p>

\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Boatname<\/th>Average Rower Weight range (in lbs)<\/th>Boat type<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Resilient<\/td>175-205<\/td>EL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Defiant 8+
\n<\/td>		175-205<\/td>EL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voyager 8+<\/td>175-205<\/td>ES<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dawn Treader 8+<\/td>125-155<\/td>ES<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grace 8+<\/td>125-155<\/td>DM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chuck Nagle\/The Boss 4+<\/td>160-185
\n<\/td>		EM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Persistence 4+<\/td>135-160<\/td>VHP39<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Prouty Pride 4+<\/td>135-160<\/td>ES<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dear Mrs. Byrne 4+<\/td>160-185<\/td>EM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jasmine Rogers 4+<\/td>135-160<\/td>ES<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Friends of Lebanon Crew 4+<\/td>160-185<\/td>EM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Thing Two 4+<\/td>130-165<\/td>DS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Thing 1.2 4+<\/td>185-220<\/td>DL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Geisel 4x\/4-<\/td>130-170<\/td>MidW<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

II. Eights and Fours with Coxswain<\/strong>\u00a0– Rower and Coxswain Certification<\/span><\/p>

In order for an \u2018eight\u2019 to row unsupervised \u201cat home,\u201d both the coxswain and one rower of the stern pair must be certified. In a bow-coxed fours, the coxswain and one rower of the bow pair must be certified.<\/p>

Cox at Home Certification<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em> To be home certified, a coxswain must\u00a0<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be 16 years old or older<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have coxed for at least 200 miles under the supervision of a UVRF certified coach<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Approval by two UVRF coaches<\/p>

Sweep Rower at Home Certification<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em> To be a home certified rower for an unsupervised eight or four with cox, a stern or bow pair rower must\u00a0<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be 21 years old or older<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have 300 miles of sweep boat rowing experience<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Approval by two UVRF coaches<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have demonstrated understanding of river rules<\/p>

\u2219\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have passed the sculling captain’s test.\u00a0 (The whole point is to not run into something. The sweep rower should demonstrate an appreciation of how hard a sculler (i.e. a blind boat) has to work to keep a scull off the trees and yet in the correct lane.)<\/p>

Away Races (Rower and Coxswain Certification):<\/em> In order for an eight or four to row unsupervised for an \u201caway race,\u201d both the
coxswain and the designated rower must be certified, and must demonstrate safe boating skills in race-like situations at home to the satisfaction of two UVRF coaches.<\/p>

In the above cases (and in extremely limited circumstances), prior experience will be considered in lieu of part or all of the requirements but must be accompanied by the approval of the President of the UVRF Board of Directors.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

III. Fours without coxswains (4-)<\/strong><\/p>

Four without at Home:<\/em> To be a certified \u201ctoe\u201d in a four without a coxswain \u201cat home,\u201d a rower must first be a certified \u201ctoe\u201d in a quad (4x), and have approval by two UVRF coaches.<\/p>

Four without Away:<\/em> To be certified \u201ctoe\u201d in a four without a coxswain for an \u201caway race,\u201d a rower must first be \u201chome\u201d certified in a four without coxswain, and must demonstrate safe boating skills in race-like situations at home to the satisfaction of two UVRF coaches.<\/p>

In the above cases (and in extremely limited circumstances), prior experience will be considered in lieu of part or all of the requirements but must be accompanied by the approval of the President of the UVRF Board of Directors.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

IV. Pairs without coxswains (2-)<\/strong><\/p>

A pair is a very difficult boat to row and to steer, and the probability of flipping or meandering about the river and potentially causing\u00a0harm to self, others or equipment, is much higher than in a double or quad, or even a straight four.<\/p>

In order to row in a pair outside of (a) a coached UVRF program or (b) accompanied by a UVRF coach, each rower in the boat must be certified to row a pair and one of the rowers must also be\u00a0 a certified pair toe.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Certified Pair Rower<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0– In order to row in a pair, a rower must have significant sweep rowing and racing experience and be certified as competent to row in a pair by two UVRF coaches.

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Pair at Home – toe –<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0To be a certified \u201ctoe\u201d in a pair \u201cat home,\u201d a rower must first be a certified \u201ctoe\u201d in a straight four (4-), and also have approval by two UVRF coaches to toe a pair.<\/p>


Pair Away – toe\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>–\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0To be a certified \u201ctoe\u201d in a pair for an \u201caway race,\u201d a rower must first be \u201chome\u201d certified as a pair toe, and must demonstrate safe boating skills in race-like situations at home to the satisfaction of two UVRF coaches.<\/p>

In extremely limited circumstances, prior experience will be considered in lieu of part or all of the requirements, but must be accompanied by the approval of the President of the UVRF Board of Directors.\u00a0<\/p>

V. Other requirements for sweep boats:<\/strong><\/p>

Restrictions on weather conditions:<\/strong><\/p>


<\/b>All UVRF sculling safety guidelines apply to the sweep boats, with the following exceptions:\u00a0 (1) regardless of the qualifications of the rowers, no sweep boat may be rowed in low visibility situations without an accompanying safety launch. Low visibility situations include fog where the Vermont shore is not clearly visible from the Dartmouth sculling dock (or the Kendal dock, if launching from there), and before
sunrise, or after sunset, as defined in the UVRF sculling safety guidelines on the UVRF website; (2) if accompanied by a launch carrying proper safety equipment (life jackets, ladder), coxswains and rowers in sweep boats are exempt from the life jacket requirement under cold water rules.<\/p>

Reservation Process:\u00a0 <\/strong>All UVRF sweep boats are reserved for program use during scheduled practices and races. Submit reservation requests to the UVRF Fleet Manager. Requests should include the name of the certified \u201ctoe\u201d and certified rower in the case of pairs \u2013 and should include the name of the certified \u201ctoe\u201d in the case of fours without coxswain \u2013 and should include the name of the cox and certified rower in case of eights and fours with coxswains — . Email requests to\u00a0uppervalleyrc@gmail.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

Log Book Process:<\/strong>
The names of the certified rower and the cox (in the case of eights and fours with coxswain) or the certified \u201ctoe\u201d (in the case of a four or pair without coxswain) should be entered in the name column. Each rower and their seat number should be recorded in the comment column of the log sheet.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

VI.\u00a0 Sweep Race Reservation Policy<\/strong>
UVRF members, outside of the UVRF competitive program, who wish to race a four or an eight at a regatta must:<\/p>

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 have a certified rower and cox (in the case of eights and fours with coxswain) or a certified \u201ctoe\u201d (in the case of a four or pair without coxswain),<\/p>

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 submit their request using the racing boat reservation calendar<\/p>

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 assume liability for the insurance deductible if the boat is not traveling on a UVRF trailer<\/p>

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 pay the trailer fee if the boat is being transported on the UVRF trailer\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Rowers who intend to race outside of the UVRF competitive program must make their request at the earliest possible time to the UVRF head coach in order to avoid scheduling more than one crew to race a boat at one time. Lineups with more UVRF members have priority over those with fewer. If reservations of equal priority have conflicting race times or venues then rowers should try to work out a solution amongst themselves. If they cannot resolve the conflict they may appeal to the UVRF President to arbitrate a solution in consultation with the Sculling Steward.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UVRF Sweep Equipment Policy ** Certification for unsupervised use at home and away I.\u00a0\u00a0 General Discussion II.\u00a0 Eights and Fours with coxswain III.\u00a0Fours without coxswain IV.\u00a0Other Sweep Boat Requirements V.\u00a0 Sweep boat Race Reservation Policy I. General Discussion Certification is required for two very important reasons: safety and safety. UVRF policies reflect our club’s concern […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ocean_front_end_style_editor":"no","ocean_post_layout":"full-width","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","osp_disable_panel":"default","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1062","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uppervalleyrowingfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uppervalleyrowingfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uppervalleyrowingfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uppervalleyrowingfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uppervalleyrowingfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1062"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"https:\/\/www.uppervalleyrowingfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6548,"href":"https:\/\/www.uppervalleyrowingfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1062\/revisions\/6548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uppervalleyrowingfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}