Umpires ensure fair and safe racing for all competitors.
People decide to become umpires for various reasons. Some of the reasons may include:
There are three levels of umpiring qualification in Scotland:
Scottish Rowing and British Rowing recognise each other’s domestic umpiring qualifications. For this reason, the standard of Scottish and British qualifications is aligned as closely as possible. This is particularly important for multi-lane umpires, where sponsorship by British Rowing is required to progress to FISA qualification.
Umpires are expected to show a firm knowledge and understanding of the Rules of Racing and to demonstrate competence in the handling of racing and racing incidents.
Training involves studying the Rules of Racing, attending at least one training seminar and shadowing umpires at regattas and heads. This shadowing should include some opportunities for supervised starting and management of races.
Assessment is by means of a set of written papers, followed by a practical table-top assessment. The written papers are designed to test both the quick recall of key parts of the Rules of Racing and an understanding of how to apply the Rules of Racing to situations. The table-top assessments are designed to test the ability to start races and to deal with emerging incidents during a simulated race.
Because of the number of multi-lane events in Scotland, the training and assessment will cover basic elements of multi-lane umpiring to allow successful candidates to participate fully in Scottish regattas.
Multi-lane umpires are expected to demonstrate a deep knowledge and understanding of the Rules of Racing and to demonstrate competence in the handling of multi-lane races and of the incidents which can arise during multi-lane races.
Before being accepted as a multi-lane candidate, an umpire must have been umpiring regularly for at least two years since passing their initial exam.
Training involves studying the Rules of Racing and the multi-lane handbook, plus attending one or more training seminars.
Assessment is by means of a set of written papers, followed by a practical table-top assessment.
The preparation and training of candidates for the FISA umpire licence exams is the responsibility of the British Rowing Multi-Lane Umpiring Panel (MLUP). The Scottish Rowing Umpires Commission will from time to time recommend suitable Scottish candidates to the MLUP.
Scottish Rowing umpires and multi-lane umpires are expected to umpire on at least three days every year and to attend a training day at least once in every three years.
The Umpires Commission may remove from the list of Scottish Rowing umpires anyone who has not met the attendance and training requirements.
