It is the responsibility of all competitors to be familiar with the classifications listed below and the USRowing Rules of Rowing that may be applicable to the Head of the Ohio. The Head of the Ohio is a US Rowing Registered Regatta.
All competitors must be eligible for the event-division in which they are competing. Any crew containing an ineligible competitor will be violating the rules and will be disqualified from the Regatta. In accordance with NCAA rules, the HOTO Local Organizing Committee (LOC) determines that no event within the Head of the Ohio regatta may have Collegiate competitors rowing against high school competitors (including high school coxswains).
Masters - In accordance with USRowing Rules, a master is a competitor who has attained or will attain the age of 21 during the current calendar year. Age is determined by the competitor’s age as of December 31st, rounded down to the nearest whole number. Average age of a boat will be used for multiple-competitor boats. Masters events will be divided into as many separate USRowing Masters categories as possible. The Head of the Ohio retains the right to combine categories if less than three entries have been received in any one category. A Masters crew shall be comprised exclusively of Masters rowers, but the coxswain need not be a Master.
Masters crews shall be classified by age according to the following categories:
- (AA) 21 to 26 years
- (A) 27 to 35 years
- (B) 36 to 42 years
- (C) 43 to 49 years
- (D) 50 to 54 years
- (E) 55 to 59 years
- (F) 60 to 64 years
- (G) 65 to 69 years
- (H) 70 to 74 years
- (I) 75 to 79 years
- (J) 80 and over
The age category of a Masters crew shall be determined by the average age of the rowers in the crew, rounded down to the nearest whole number. The age of a coxswain shall not be counted. The ages of individual rowers need not fall within the age category, so long as each rower is a Master and so long as the average age of the crew falls within the applicable category. Handicaps will be applied for all boats using the Standard USRowing handicaps for a 1,000 meter course and will be multiplied by 2.5 to factor for the length of the course.
Collegiate - must be currently enrolled full-time at a college, university, or community college.
High School or Youth - a rower, sculler or coxswain who in the current calendar year does not attain the age of 19, or who is and has been continuously enrolled in secondary school as a full-time student seeking a diploma. High School race categories require all members in boat to attend same high school.
Junior Varsity - The JV classification is not open to any rower competing in a Varsity or Youth 8+ event unless all members are from the same high school and are enrolled as juniors or below in that high school. If a JV/2nd boat is a club/youth boat or includes seniors, those teams must also be entering a Varsity or Youth 8 boat. It is understood that the Varsity or Youth boat be entered as the faster of the two 8+'s.
Club - The club category is limited to persons (including coxswains) who in any sculling or sweepoared Event (master and veteran Events excepted) meet the following criteria:
- During the current calendar year did not compete beyond the quarter finals of the Henley Royal Regatta.
- Did not finish among the top six places in the San Diego Crew Classic, Dad Vail, EARC or EAWRC Sprints, Pacific Coast Rowing Championships, NCAA Championships, IRA, or Canadian Henley.
- Did not finish among the top six places in any major international regatta such as Lucerne- Rotsee, any national, international or world championships or any national team selection trials.
Open - any competitor that is not a junior or high school rower.
Novice (scull) - any oarsperson who has not competed in any sculling event prior to January 1st.
Novice (sweep) - any oarsperson who is eligible to row as a freshman/novice at their own institution or has not rowed in a race prior to January 1st.
Lightweight - Men - The weight of each individual rower/sculler in a boat must not exceed 165 pounds. Women - The weight of each individual rower/sculler in a boat must not exceed 135 pounds.
Quadruple Sculls - with or without coxswain.
Composite Boats - must be so registered.
Mixed Boats - must contain at least equal numbers of women as it includes men (may contain more women than men).
Corporate - This is reserved for crews that participate in the Three Rivers Rowing Corporate Rowing League. Exceptions can be made by prior requests directed to TRR.
Novice - any oarsperson who has had not more than three corporate rowing seasons or has not rowed prior to April 1st.
Experienced - any oarsperson who has completed three or more rowing corporate rowing seasons and has participated in corporate rowing for at least one season this year.
Corporate Events May be Split into Flights In the event that TRR equipment shortages prevent Corporate (Novice or Experienced) crews rowing at the same time, crews within an event may be randomly divided and assigned to different times. These crews will row in flights. All flights will be eligible for medals and trophies, based on HOTO awards criteria. Men’s divisions are for male participants only. Women’s divisions are for female participants only. Coxswains may be of either sex. Masters’ coxswains may be any age.
For Competitors 
