Regatta Survey - We Want Your Feedback

Thank you to everyone who competed at the regatta this weekend.

We are looking to improve each regatta. Your feedback allows us to:

• Identify strengths and areas for improvement

• Better understand the experience of different athlete groups

• Tailor offerings to improve your enjoyment of regattas

• Continue refining how we deliver safe, fair and exciting racing.

Why We Made Changes To This Regatta

There were two key drivers behind the recent adjustments you will have noticed this regatta:

1. Shortening the day
We wanted to reduce time on site and move competitors, officials and volunteers out of the heat of the day earlier. Wyaralong’s conditions are something we have all experienced, and heat management remains a priority.

2. Fuller fields across our 10 lanes
With a 10-lane course, we want to maximise participation within each race. Larger fields mean:

• More competitors on the water at once

• More exciting racing

• Stronger head-to-head competition

• Better use of the venue

To support this, and in response to the weather patterns we’ve seen at Wyaralong, we trialled starting all crews off “GO” simultaneously, with handicaps applied at the finish.

In the past, weather conditions have required us to adjust start processes mid-regatta. Moving to a unified “GO” start hopefully created consistency across the day. It also addressed two longstanding challenges:

• From an athlete perspective, holding position during a handicap countdown can be extremely difficult

• From a starter’s perspective, delivering a fair and consistent start in variable wind conditions is equally challenging

We acknowledge that many of you will have strong views on this change, particularly given past experience. That perspective matters.

What Happens Next

We are committed to giving this adjustment a fair trial. We may continue testing the “GO” start format over the next few regattas to ensure we gather meaningful, consistent feedback before making any long-term decisions.

We will share insights from survey responses over the coming regattas so the community can see how feedback is shaping future improvements.

Your voice is important.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and share your honest feedback. Whether positive or critical, it helps us deliver better racing for everyone.

Thank you for being part of the rowing community and for continuing to support the evolution of our regattas.