Starting a race

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Starting a race

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Functions of the Starter

The Starter:

Normally does not row in the race, but can do so.
Is responsible for starting the race:
Clicks Prepare to Start, which sets up the race on all the Concept2 PMs in the race.
Clicks Start, which starts the race.

The Check-In and Start Screen

The Check-In and Start Screen is a very important screen - it's the hub of the real-time activities leading up to the race start.

As the name suggests, the Check-In and Start Screen has two modes: Check-in, and Start.

Participant status indicators

Each participant has a status icon on the Check-In and Start screen.  These have the following meaning:

 

Icon

Meaning

Checked in and ready

Flywheel moving or false started

 

By default, all participants show as checked in and ready.

From this point on, each participant's Indoor Rower is actively monitored to check for flywheel movement, and if anyone's flywheel moves their icon changes to show a rotating flywheel until they stop rowing and their flywheel stops moving.

Check-In

When you first arrive in the Check-In and Start screen, the race is at the Check-In stage.

In this stage, the participants are getting seated on their ergs and the Concept2 PMs are in pre-race warm-up mode.

The starter calls out to the participants that they may do warm-up rows until the starter tells them to stop rowing.

Any warm-up rowing they do is treated as a Just Row on the Concept2 PM and is completely ignored by RowPro.

Withdraw

If you need to cancel the race at this stage, you can click Withdraw.  After you withdraw, you can still come back and set up the same race again if need be, or you can load another race.

Prepare to Start

When the starter is ready to start the race, the starter calls out to the participants to stop rowing and put down their handles.

When everyone has stopped rowing and all the flywheel moving indicators are gone, the Starter clicks the Prepare to Start button.  This moves the race on to the Start stage.

Start

When the Starter clicks Prepare to Start:

The warm-up is removed and the race is set up on the Concept2 PMs.
The Prepare to Start button is replaced by the Start button.
The participants' boats are positioned in the appropriate lanes in the 2D or 3D Display.
The starter calls out to the participants to strap in, pick up their handles, prepare to start and watch their PM screens.
The starter tells participants they will see the PM screen say Sit Ready ... Attention ... Row!, and tells them they must not start rowing until they see Row on the PM screen, otherwise the race will be false started and they will need to do it all again.
The participants strap in, pick up their handles, watch their PMs, and prepare to start.

The only thing the starter must wait for before clicking Start is for all flywheels to be still.  If Start is clicked while a flywheel is moving, this will immediately trigger a false start.  IF the starter sees any flywheel moving, the starter calls out to that person to stop moving.

When all flywheels are stopped, the Starter clicks Start and the race start sequence begins.

Race start sequence for PM5, PM4 or PM3

When the Starter clicks Start:

A voice says "Prepare for Start" (provided your PC is equipped for sound and you have set the volume appropriately).
The Check-In and Start Screen disappears from the PC display.
A small message screen appears on the PC display saying to watch the Concept2 PM display.
The PM display moves through the following start sequence over a few seconds:

Sit Ready

Participants should be fully ready to pull the handle and start rowing.

Attention

Participants should now be actively waiting for the start.

Row!

Participants should pull the handle now - the race has begun!

False start

From the moment the Start Sequence begins until the Row! message appears to signal the start of the race, any flywheel movements will result in a False Start, in which case the following will happen:

The Start Sequence will be terminated.
The Check-In and Start screen will re-appear and will show False Start!
The Participant Status of the person who false started will show a rotating orange flywheel.
After 20 seconds, the Check-In and Start screen will return to normal.
Once all flywheels have stopped moving, the Starter can restart the session the same way as before.

If a participant false starts more than once, the Starter may choose to start the race without them.

URL of this page: https://digitalrowing.com/support/help/index.html?starting_a_venue_race.htm