HOW TO ENTER:
The "8" Ball Kayak Sprint is a kayak race for experienced Class
III whitewater paddlers. The race takes place on Gore Creek located
in the heart of Vail Village.
All interested athletes can pre-register on the event website @
www.mountaingames.com. Athletes may also register
on-site at the registration area. Organizers will not be
responsible for incomplete, lost, or misdirected registrations or
for registrations not received for any reason, including, without
limitation, failure or malfunction of any communications network or
equipment or computer software or hardware.
RACE CATEGORIES:
Open-Men / Open-Women
RACE RULES:
EQUIPMENT:
1) Athletes must be equipped with the appropriate
boat, gear and safety equipment sufficient to sustain whitewater
race conditions.
2) Boat Lengths: 8' 6" or smaller.
3) Plastic whitewater boats only.
RACE:
1) Start order: Women will compete followed by men.
Athletes start within each division will be chosen at random.
Special requests for start times will NOT be accepted. Athletes
must adhere to the start position he/she is given.
2) Athletes will be placed in "race pods" of no more then ten
kayakers. Final number of pods will be determined the day of the
race in accordance with total number of athletes registered for the
race.
3) The race begins with competitors starting in a "floating
start" format at the Covered Bridge. When all of the competitors
are as close as possible, the horn will blow and they will sprint
200 meters to the finish line at the International Bridge. Along
the way, boaters must avoid being pushed off course by the "8 Ball
Kayakers" who will be situated throughout the course. The roll of
the "8 Balls" is to impede the forward progress of lead
kayakers.
4) Both hands must remain on the athletes paddle at all
times.
5) No intentional grabbing, shoving, hitting or horseplay.
6) Top finishers will advance to the next round. Amount of
racers advancing in each round will be determined by amount of
athletes in each pod. Rounds will continue until a winner is
determined.
ADDITIONAL RULES & REGULATIONS:
ATHLETE ELIGIBILITY:
The competition is open to all interested athletes regardless of
state and/or country of residency. Competitors who are under the
age of 18 must register with a parent or legal guardian.
Competitors must be able to attend all scheduled events. Athletes
will be required to provide all their own equipment. Further,
athletes must abide by all applicable federal, state and local laws
and regulations during their participation in the Mountain
Games®.
PARTICIPATION:
Athletes agree to be bound by these Official Rules and all
decisions of Organizers. Organizers reserve the right to disqualify
any persons found tampering with, or otherwise abusing, any aspect
of the competition as solely determined by Organizers.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION:
Organizers will appoint judges and the decision of those judges
will be final. There will be no review of scoring / timing even
with the presence of TV cameras. Disputes with Organizers and/or
appointed judges will result in disqualification of that
athlete.
RESERVATION OF RIGHTS:
Organizers reserve the right to disqualify any athlete for any
reason, including, without limitation, acting in an unsafe,
unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner and/or with intent to
intimidate, threaten or harass, or harm another person. All
decisions with respect to the disqualification of an athlete shall
be made by Organizers and/or appointed judges. Failure to comply
with any term or condition of these Official Rules may result in an
athlete's disqualification and the forfeiture of his/her interest
in any prize. Organizers reserve the right to amend these Official
Rules at any time in its sole discretion, and athletes shall have
no recourse for any such changes or for any failure (whether
inadvertent or otherwise) by Organizers to follow the stated rules.
In the event that the competition is canceled prior to the
completion of the final event, no prizes will be awarded. If the
Tournament is cancelled prior to June 1st, for any reason, athletes
will be reimbursed only for his/her entry fee. Athletes will not be
otherwise compensated for any costs or expenses associated with
their participation in the competition.
ORGANIZERS:
The Mountain Games® will be organized and produced
by staff and contractors hired from and by the Vail Valley
Foundation. The decisions of Organizers regarding the selection and
elimination of athletes, the selection of finalists and winners,
and the production and administration of the Mountain Games®
related events, and all other aspects of the event, shall be final
and binding in all respects. Organizers will not be responsible for
typographical, printing or other inadvertent errors in these
Official Rules or in other materials relating to the
event.