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UK CROSS TRAINING ASSOCIATION UKXTA
Rules and regulations governing British and World Cross training 2005 / 2006 1.
All Members of the Association must agree to these rules and regulations.
If a sport is to be taken seriously in the world, it must have rules and
regulations that are initially agreed by the people who have created the
association and its key stakeholders – the county representatives. 2.
Future rule changes can be made but must be with the majority of backing
from the county representatives. 3.
These rules and regulations may at first appear to be complex and too
long for the sport as we know it today. However we have in mind, and we have to
expect that, we at the start of something that will see rapid expansion and
growth over the next few years and because of that we must aim to be prepared as
though we are already at that stage in the sport three to five years from now. A.
Sanctioning events To
have an event sanctioned by the UKXTA you will need to comply with the following
rules:- 1.
Notice of International Events must be given 18 months in advance of the
date set for the competition and funding must be shown to have been agreed at
the time of the request for sanctioning. This notice period will increase as the
sport grows. 2.
Notice of a National or Regional Event for category A status must be
given more than 12 months notice before the date of the competition. This notice
period will increase to 24 months as the sport grows. Funding for the event, if
not sponsorship, must be in shown to be sufficiently in place in order to run
the event. 3.
Notice of a category B event must be given 6 months in advance of the
date of the competition. This will rise to 12 months as the sport grows. 4.
Notice of a category C event must be given 3 months in advance of the
date of the competition. This will rise to 6 months as the sport grows. 5.
The UKXTA will look at all proposed events on an annual basis and will
inform organisers of sanctioning at the beginning of the Cross Training season
at the beginning of September. This will be for the year after the next for
category A events, the next year for the category B events. For category C
events notice of sanctioning will be given within two weeks of application. 6.
All events proposed for sanctioning need to submit a copy of the event
course and rules and numbers of entries and timings showing the plausibility of
running the event successfully and to time. They will also need to provide
assurances that the judging will be strict and to the UKXTA rules. To evidence
this they will need to supply information on who the judges will be and the
training they will have received, if necessary prior to the event. The will also
need to give an outline of what cups, medals and cash prizes they intend to give
out. This can be determined and stated dependent and based on the amount of
entries. 7.
The UKXTA will be looking at the event course from the point of safety
for competitors in that the event rules are not going to lead to competitor
injury and that the event course design is not going to lead to over dependence
on weak muscle groups in a way that could also lead to injury. They will also
look at the overall course to see that the concept of all round fitness is being
tested. If the UKXTA feels that certain muscles are being missed out in a way
that could lead to deformation of body shape through over training and that
consequently could lead joint and tendon injury, the event will not be
sanctioned unless changes are made to the course. 8.
The UKXTA will also sanction four extreme events throughout the year.
These will not be knock-out competitions and will not have points allocated for
rankings in either the cup or open course league nor the overall league. These
events will be for the few athletes that prefer to just run through extreme
events. Anyone entering these competitions will do so entirely at their own
risk. The inclusion of these events in the sanctioning system is purely to
recognise them as cross training events in their own right. To be sanctioned,
these events must also be run on dates that are different to that of the cup and
open course dates for international, category A and B events. Although extreme,
the course type and content will also be scrutinised to ensure there is a
minimum risk to injury for the competitor.
B)
Category of Events To obtain a category with a specific status
the following extra rules will apply. 1.
Category C events will all be granted if they comply with the sanctioning
requirements and if they do not overlap in time with any other events happening
nearby on a local basis in the same county. Any number of category C events can
be run by any organisation though it will be a requirement that these
organisations keep to the seasonal requirements and have an off season, an open
course season and a cup season. 2.
Category B events will be granted if they comply with the sanctioning
requirements and if they do not overlap with other category B events in that
part of the country. The divide will initially be North and South of the UK.
This will currently be specified by those events to the North of Birmingham and
those to the South. In addition to this requirement these events will also need
to attract a certain number of entries from gym athletes in order to give their
event a required level of competitive status. They will need to have at least 5
category A athletes and also at least 5 of the top C athletes. The determination
of International, A, B & C athletes will be based on accumulated points of
the previous year of racing. The current years points standing can also be taken
into consideration if necessary in order to hold competition status. 3.
If an event takes place that is promoted as a particular category and
then does not attract sufficient numbers of athletes to gain the required number
of points, then even if the event has taken place the points gained by the
athletes at that event will be downgraded to the lower level of category status
that does apply. 4.
Category A events in the open course can have International, A, B
& C athletes competing with the exception of the closed entry open course
Best of the Best competition which will only be open to category A athletes at
the end of that open course season. 5.
Category B events in the open course can have A, B & C
athletes competing. International Athletes will not be allowed to enter these
events. 6.
Category C events in the open course will not be allowed to have
any International or Category A athletes competing in them. 7.
Category A cup events in the cup season will only be open to
International standard athletes, A and top B athletes. 8.
Category B cup events in the cup season will only be open to A, B
& top C athletes with the exception of the local county cup where entry is
only open to those athletes who live in the county. This will include
International athletes who will be required to compete in this competition. 9.
Category C cup events in the cup season will only be open to B
& C athletes. 10.
Category A events will be granted if they comply with the sanctioning
requirements and if they do not overlap with other category A events. They will
also need to show a certain level of prize money for the event. With central
sponsorship, the UKXTA would be looking to see that any central funding given
for these events would need to show a proportion given over to prize money. That
proportion is yet to be determined and is currently something that organisers
should reach in agreement with the UKXTA for each and every event. 11.
There will be a limited number of Category A events in the year. This
will be dependent on the calend and availability. 12.
These category A events in the open course season will also be able to
hold category C events at the same time. 13.
International events are just what their name implies. The event will
need to attract competitors from at least 5 different countries around the world
with these athletes actually living in these countries. A number of local
athletes who are A category will also be allowed to enter these events. The
proportion of local athletes to International athletes will be something that
has initially to be agreed with the UKXTA, but later on with the World Cross
Training Association.
C) Points system for Athletes for category
events. To
obtain points for an event that count toward an overall league standing and
ranking, the following rules will apply for the season starting in September
2005:- 1.
Points will be awarded for cup competitions, open course competitions and
overall for competitors that do both open and cup courses. 2.
Athletes will be able to enter as many competitions as they want in each
section – cup and open course but only their best 8 races where they scored
their 8 highest points will be counted in the league and ranking system. These
can include A, B or C category race results, but not international results.
International competitions will have their own points and league system. 3.
Category A events will be awarding points as follows 1st place
- 20, 2nd place - 15, 3rd
place- 12, 4th place- 8, 5th place- 6, 6th
place – 5, 7th place -
4, 8th place- 3, 9th place – 2, 10th place-
1. 4.
Category B events will be
awarding points as follows 1st place - 10, 2nd place - 6,
3rd place- 4, 4th place- 3,
5th place- 2, 6th place - 1. 5.
Category C events will be awarding points as follows 1st place
- 6, 2nd place - 4, 3rd place- 2, 4th place- 1. 6.
At the end of the season your total of points for your best 8 races will
determine your starting category for the next season. You will remain in that
category all season unless you improve as you will be able to go up categories
during a season. You will not be able to drop a category until the end of a
season. 7.
With open courses and cup courses you could have a different category for
each course in the season. 8.
The overall league system for points from both courses through out the
season will go toward producing the title Ultimate Gym Champion. This can only
be awarded if the athlete has already has accumulated the most points in the
seasons open course league or won the Best of the Best competition or is the
Extreme gym champion having won the knockout cup competition that year as well
and added to having one of those three they must also have the highest combined
total of points from both open course and cup seasons. In some seasons this
title may not be awarded. 9.
To go up in a category you must have fulfilled the following conditions:-
Category C athletes (anyone who has scored points in a category C competition,
remember as well that anyone who does not have a UKXTA category can enter a
category C competition) who get more than 10 points from the beginning of the
season will automatically become category B athletes and be eligible to enter
category B events and some category A ones. Category B athletes who get more
than 20 points will automatically become a category A athlete and be eligible
for A events. They may not then be eligible for some category C events.
International athletes will be picked from A category athletes by the UKXTA to
represent the UK in competitions overseas. 10.
At the end of the season an athlete needs to have attained sufficient
numbers of points to stay in certain categories. A category C athlete needs only
to have scored 1 point in all competitions they enter. A category B athlete
needs to have scored a minimum of 5 points during the season. If they do not
they will start the next season as a category C athlete. A category A athlete
needs to have scored a minimum of 8points in order to stay in category A for the
next season. If they do not they will move down to category B. 11.
The UKXTA will display all athletes and their categories on their website
and will retain all such rights to the display of these categories and rankings.
D)
UKXTA rules to cross training exercises UKXTA Exercise Rules Click here for list of exercise rules for all UKXTA sanctioned events. Teams Where
teams are involved in cross training competitions the above rules all still
apply but there must also be a distinctive changeover to indicate a new member
of the team continuing. This needs to be done by touch and the current
competition. Judging The
UKXTA will expect all organisers to fully brief all judges and course officials
on what the requirements are for correct completion of the exercises. For the
category A and international events, we will eventually have a select group of
people who have received proper training and be able to call themselves UKXTA
approved judges. Events that receive complaints
of supposedly poor judging or supposedly poor decisions by the course officials
or the organisers either during or after the event will be investigated by the
UKXTA in an appeals process. No complaints will be heard on the day of the event
and the decision of the organisers on the day will be final. Appeals
Process Should there be disagreement
between members and course officials and organisers and a complaint arises due
to the inability of the organisers to resolve it on the day, then an appeal may
be made in writing. As in other sports this appeal will be accompanied by a
deposit of £50 which is fully refundable if the appeal is upheld but will be
kept to cover the costs of enquiry and time if the appeal is turned down. All
appeals will be looked at by the UKXTA with one month of receiving notification
of the complaint. The complaint should fully outline the problem in a way that
is clearly readable and understandable. The UKXTA will then contact all other
parties involved to ask them to put their side in writing to the UKXTA. Once all
parties involved have sent in their cases, the UKXTA will give the results of
the appeal within 5 days. These time limits may have to increase in the future
as the organisation grows due to reflected increases in workload. After
a successful appeal the UKXTA reserves the right to take any action it deems
necessary to rectify the situation and no subsequent appeals on the subject may
be made. Rules
of conduct for members of the Association If
the association is to be taken seriously in the eyes of the rest of the sporting
world and in the eyes of potential sponsors, a degree of control is needed to be
shown to exist over the conduct of its members. These
rules of conduct will apply in two ways, where one is only relevant at the
present time. The two ways will be for 1.
Professional Cross trainers. 2 Competing cross trainers.
The
following things will apply to all cross trainers at all times:- Drugs
- recreational or performance enhancing. It
will not be acceptable conduct for any member found to have been taking either
recreational or performance enhancing drugs in order to improve their
performances. In the future we will be having random drug tests during training
and in between events as well as at the events themselves for the winning
athletes. When this facility is introduced we will include in the rules grounds
for appeal and all other procedures. We will be following the same guidelines
for this as all the other sporting bodies that have signed up to this policy.
Poor
or bad or unreasonable behaviour The explanation and
definition of this is down to the effect that a person’s behaviour has on
others. If anyone else perceives, rightly or wrongly, that the behaviour of a
cross trainer is causing distress or upsetting to others, no matter what the
extenuating circumstances are, then it will be deemed that poor behaviour might
be at hand. In these cases there will be an investigation by the UKXTA into the
situation that occurred. In all cases of complaint about poor behaviour an
investigation will take place. A complaint can be brought forward by any witness
and need not necessarily be brought forward by the injured party. Cheating at
events in any way will also be included under the heading of poor behaviour and
if anyone else is affected by these actions such that they are distressed or
upset then the UKXTA will investigate the situation. Poor behaviour can also
mean using abusive language during a competition irrespective of whom it is
being directed – other competitors or directing staff like judges and race
officials. In
all cases of investigation, the UKXTA reserves the right to make that
investigation in any way it sees fit in order to determine what actually
happened. The
UKXTA reserves the right to take whatever action it sees fit in cases where poor
conduct, or poor or bad behaviour, and / or the taking of recreational or
performance enhancing drugs, have been shown to have taken place after an
investigation having been carried out. The UKXTA is within its rights to
penalise the individual or individuals involved in these cases in any one or all
of the following ways:- Fines
& Loss of membership
The
UKXTA reserves the right to fine any training member of the Association up to a
maximum of 100% of any prize money from an event at which an incident in
question occurred and 25% of total annual income from all cross training
activities in the event of an investigation showing that poor or bad or
unreasonable behaviour, or the taking of recreational or performance enhancing
drugs, had occurred. The amount of the percentage of the fine would take into
account the total of all prize money & all personal sponsorship income
directly related to cross training and cross training activities that had been
earnt in the 12 months preceding the incident first being uncovered.
The
UKXTA reserves the right to withhold membership from immediate effect for as
long as it wishes from any member that is found after an investigation to have
behaved poorly, badly or unreasonably or if a member had been found after an
investigation to have been taking recreational or performance enhancing drugs.
The loss of membership will mean that any individual without membership will be
unable to compete in any tournament or event in the UK, Europe and the World for
the time the membership is withheld. Anyone
who becomes a member of the UKXTA will in so doing automatically agree to this
set of rules and regulations. The
UKXTA and the media One
of the advantages an association can bring to the sport is being able to provide
a unified face for all of its members. In today’s increasingly busy world and
executives time is their biggest constraint. They just do not have the time for
everyone, no matter how good opportunities are. The media has no shortage of
people in this position and some of the ways they find that helps is if they can
just deal with one person who can represent a whole community. That way they
know they can get an accurate reflection of the messages being presented by and
from someone and who is also accountable in whatever way to the people they
represent. Arranging
centrally generated sponsorship goes hand in hand with gaining major media
coverage such as the TV or newspapers of magazine articles. The more coverage we
can generate nationally, the more sponsorship is likely to come. The
UKXTA also recognises that at this early stage we are a sport that needs as much
coverage as possible and welcomes any activity from its members and key
stakeholders that achieves this. All that is required by the UKXTA is that we
are all ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’ so to speak. We must all appear
to be saying the same thing and not send out a confused message. If anyone finds
themselves in conversation with any member of the press about cross training,
the association its aims and directions, we would ask that if there is any doubt
with the accuracy of your answer to seek clarification before you do on the
point in question rather than possibly lead to any confusion. Added
to that we would ask that if any member finds themselves being interviewed by
the press, that they answer in a way that is respectful of their fellow members
and competitors and also in a manner respectful of the fact that we wish as a
sport to grow. Comments that might hinder that could be regarded as poor and
unreasonable behaviour and as such could result in either membership suspension
and or a fine. One
of the main concerns we would have is, if such an action happens, the actual
loss of a sponsor who might feel that we, as an organisation, could tarnish the
brand of that organisation by continuing in a relationship with us. Sponsors are
hard enough to come by so we do not want to lose them. In
fact what would help us is for all members who are interviewed by any member of
the media to take every opportunity to praise the sponsors and their work. It is
our belief that if a sponsor is willing to invest in us, and our growing sport,
the very least we can do is to help them as much as possible in return. Any
organiser of any competition is free to find local or national media coverage
and to benefit in any way they can from any sponsors they can attract having
obtained that coverage. However the UKXTA feels that in some situations
sponsorship with certain organisations might be damaging to the UKXTA and we
would look unfavourably at any or out key stakeholders who pursued a financial
contract with such a sponsor. The following situations will explain what we
mean. A
sponsor with a company that is not conducive to health and fitness – like a
tobacco company. Certain drinks companies will be OK but we would ask that you
speak with the UKXTA on the matter. A sponsor that is in direct competition with
a current central sponsor would also not be desirable, nor one that might impact
on any negotiations with new central sponsors. For example, we may be in the
middle of negotiating a deal for central sponsorship with a large soft drinks
manufacturer, if some other organiser / key stakeholder – county
representative were to arrange sponsorship with a soft drinks competitor for
another amount, the association as a whole and its members could lose out. In
these, probably rare cases, we would ask those involved to speak with
representatives of the UKXTA. We would look then to find some win / win way
forward for our members that is acceptable to all involved such that all parties
would be happy to continue in the working relationship that the UKXTA has built
up with its representatives. The
UKXTA sees the way forward for the sport as one that has a strong consideration
for the wellbeing and satisfaction of its spectators, whether they are present
at event, listening on a radio, reading a written article or watching on
television. For that reason it is expected that many competitors may be
interviewed prior to and after an event. In these cases the competitors may be
briefed beforehand with regards to some areas that need to be included and some
that need to be excluded for the benefit of the association and its members. At
all these times we require that the competitor presents a positive image of the
sport and its links with sponsors. The
UKXTA and its sponsors The
UKXTA will require all of its members to recognise that any sponsorship deal
that is arranged will have priorities and arrangements in place with regards to
how secondary sponsors are incorporated. No organisation, having placed large
amounts of money into a sport, will want to find itself upstaged by a minor
sponsor for some reason. For that reason the UKXTA reserves the right to make
any changes it deems necessary to reflect the arrangements it has made with any
of its sponsors. This may mean that individual sponsorship arrangements may be
placed in jeopardy at some events or in some situations. If you are in any doubt
in advance of such a situation, please contact the UKXTA and we will look for a
win / win situation for all involved. In all these cases communication in
advance often avoids awkward situations where meanings and perceptions are
misconstrued. At the very worst outcome you may have to renegotiate with your
sponsor in the light of the situation and that may lead to financial loss. We
would not want these situations to arise but the UKXTA
would have to take into considerations of the membership as a whole so at
the very least we would ask you to understand and we will do all that we can to
help the situation. The
UKXTA will not be looking to arrange central sponsorship from any one particular
health club chain unless they were amenable to other health club chains being
represented by their competitors. |