Great Lakes Police Motorcycle Training Seminar Rules
The Seminar’s Principle Objectives:
1. To establish and promote safe motorcycle riding skills within the police community.
2. To promote awareness of the police motorcycle officer in the public arena as a safe, responsible motorcycle officer.
3. To establish a cohesive fraternity and encourage kinship in the law enforcement motoring community.
4. To support local and regional charities affiliated with the police community.
Division Classification / Motorcycle Requirements
1) ELIGIBILITY: Competition is open to all Law Enforcement Officers including Auxiliary/Reservists and any other person authorized by the Board of Directors. All members of the Competition Board of Directors may compete in the Competition except those assigned to the Rules Panel. (See Rule #29). Competitors should note that they must participate in all three elements (Main, Slow Ride, and Challenge) to be eligible for Overall Scoring.
1a) ELITE/ EXPERT/ INTERMEDIATE/ NOVICE RIDER CLASSIFICATION:
Novice: A rider who has never competed in a police motorcycle competition, seminar or similar event. A rider can only be a Novice once. All Novice riders are automatically registered and encouraged to compete in the Intermediate division as well as the Novice.
Intermediate: A rider who has competed in one or more police motorcycle competition, seminar, or similar event, to a maximum of 5 events. That being said, nothing prohibits a rider who meets the intermediate criteria from electing to compete in the expert class.
Expert: Any Intermediate competitor who has competed in more than 5 police motorcycle competitions, seminars, or similar events, shall be assigned to the Expert Division the following year.
Elite A rider who has won Overall Champion or Mr. Rodeo of this or any other police motorcycle competition, seminar, or similar event. An elite rider is not eligible to compete for Mr. Rodeo
2) MOTORCYCLE REQUIREMENTS: Competitors must compete on a Police Motorcycle that is equipped in the “Normal Deployment Configuration”. ***Note*** “Normal Deployment Configuration” is defined as: How a department/service outfits its motorcycles for everyday use/patrol. A Motorcycle that is equipped with ABS the system shall not be deactivated.
A rider who meets the eligibility requirements to be a competitor but wishes to utilize a non police agency registered motorcycle must notify the Board of Directors prior to registering and attending the event.
3) ATTIRE: Competitors must compete wearing their issued “Uniform of the Day” (I.E. normally issued uniform for everyday motorcycle duty). This includes all issued safety equipment. Casual
police or soft tactical uniform is acceptable for practice and lecture days at the discretion of the individual Service/Departments. Boots, gloves and eyewear are strongly recommended.
4) SAFETY EQUIPMENT: All competitors must wear an approved helmet. (Meeting minimum H.T.A. regulation standards) The helmet must be properly fastened while participating in any portion of the competition including practice. This will be strictly enforced. Failure to comply will result in enforcement of Rule # 5.
5) CONDUCT / DEPORTMENT: All persons involved in the competition are expected to maintain professional conduct. Any one who displays/engages in unbecoming conduct as determined by a quorum of the Board of Directors may be censured, disqualified and/or ejected from the competition.
6) BREAKDOWN / MALFUNCTION: Once a competitor has commenced a skill/event run, breakdown or malfunction will not be accepted as an explanation for penalty point assessment. This will not be accepted as grounds for appeal. ***Note*** However if a breakdown or malfunction is encountered prior to commencing a skill/event run the competitor will be permitted 15 minutes to locate a replacement motorcycle of the same class. The competitor will be permitted ten minutes of off-course practice time on the replacement motorcycle.
7) COMPETITOR RESTRICTIONS: In the competition, the competitor may only compete with one motorcycle. (Except in the case of breakdown/malfunction). The competition will accommodate multiple competitors who share a single qualified motorcycle.
8) COURSE DIMENSIONS: Due to the assorted types of motorcycles in use by various departments/agencies, the Board of Directors has assigned the following classes and divisions to be used for the Seminar Competition:
Class I - Harley Davidson with fairing
Class II - Harley Davidson without fairing
Class III - Other (BMW, Honda, etc)
Division I – Novice
Division II – Intermediate
Division III – Expert
Division IV – Elite
The Board of Directors reserves the right to alter the course dimensions to accommodate certain specific motorcycles due to their size.
9) COMPETITOR SCORECARD: A competitor will be issued a “Competitor Scorecard Ring”. Once a Competitor begins the Competition he/she will present this scorecard ring to the greeting judge at the start of each skill/event. Upon completion of the skill/event the judge will enter the Competitor’s Score on the scorecard. The competitor will be given an opportunity to review the scorecard. The scorecard for that exercise will be collected by the Greeting Judge. The competitor will be given the Scorecard Ring back so he/she can proceed to the next exercise. Any Competitor found altering or presenting an altered scorecard will be disqualified.
10) PENALTY POINTS: Penalty Points are assessed according to the following Schedule:
1 Penalty Point
Touching a Cone or attached ball Knocking
Touch a Puck/Disc
2 Penalty Points
Knocking a Cone Over
Putting a Foot Down
Improper Weave Pattern Over Pucks / Discs
5 Penalty Points
Dropping a Motorcycle
Failing to Complete an Event/Skill
Running Out of an Event/Skill
Crossing a Boundary Line
11) PENALTY SCHEDULE DEFINITIONS: The following are the definitions of the Penalty Point Offences.
Touch a Cone is defined as: During execution of a skill/event whenever any part of a motorcycle or Competitor touches/contacts any part of a cone/pylon in place as part of a skill/event.
Knocking a Cone Over is defined as: During execution of a skill/event whenever any part of the motorcycle or Competitor touches/contacts any part of a cone/pylon in place as part of a skill/event which causes it to fall over off its normal standing base.
Putting a Foot Down is defined as: During execution of a skill/event the Competitor’s foot leaves the foot rest and comes in contact with the Competition ground surface.
Dropping a Motorcycle is defined as: During execution of a skill/event the motorcycle falls to the Competition ground surface and the Competitor does not have control of the motorcycle.(As determined by the skill/event judges) Does not include scraping of any part of a motorcycle against the ground surface.
Failing to Complete an Event/Skill is defined as: During the execution of a skill/event a Competitor does not finish the event by exiting the skill/event at the normal exit point. This includes failing to follow the correct Path of Travel.
Running Out of an Event/Skill is defined as: During the execution of a skill/event both the front and rear wheels cross the plane of an imaginary line between two cones/pylons that are not the Entry or Exit Point or normal path of travel for an event.
Crossing a Boundary Line is defined as: During the execution of a skill/event where a Boundary Line is used as opposed to cones the contact patch of a Competitor’s motorcycle tire crosses the Boundary Line. A judge will determine if the motorcycle has crossed the line by being able to see unmarked ground surface between the tire and the outside edge of the boundary line. Riding on the line is “Not” out of bounds.
MAIN COMPETITION
12) GOAL: The object of the Competition is “Not” to receive any Penalty Points. All competitors start with a score of zero.
13) COURSE RUNS/SCORING: Competitors are required to make one untimed run through each separate skill/event. The total score from these runs will be tallied to determine the final placement in the Main Competition. (The lower the score, the higher the ranking.
14) 5 POINT MAXIMUM: A maximum of 5 penalty points is all any one Competitor can accumulate in any one skill/event. If the Competitor is assessed 5 points he/she need not complete the event.
15) MAIN COMPETITION TIE SCORES: In the event of a tie score for a placing position in the Individual Competition, the following system will be used to determine final placement. The competitor will be required to make a timed run through all the events/skills consecutively. The object of the timed run is to complete the skills without being assessed penalty points with the addition of doing it as quickly as possible. At the completion of the run-off the scores will be tallied using the following schedule:
For each penalty point assessed an extra 10 seconds will be added to the Competitor’s Time.
1 Penalty Point = 10 seconds
2 Penalty Points = 20 seconds
5 Penalty Points = 50 seconds
The Competitor with the Fastest Time at the Completion of the Run-Off will be awarded the placement. The next fastest time will be awarded the next placement and so on. Rule #15 (5 point maximum) does not apply to tie score Run-Offs. A Run-off is viewed as one course from start of the timed run to completion of the timed run. As such Rule #10 applies. **Note** Each Competitor in the Run-Off must make a valid attempt to follow course of travel in each course/event.
SLOW RIDE COMPETITION
16) ELIGIBILITY: All competitors properly entered in the Competition will participate in this event.
17) GOAL: The object of the Slow Ride Competition is for a Competitor to travel through a designated pattern as slowly as possible. The slowest time will determine the winner.
18) COURSE RUNS /SCORING: The competitor’s time will stop at the occurrence of any of the following infractions:
- A Competitor puts a foot down.
- A Competitor drops the Motorcycle
- A Competitor crosses the Boundary Line (See Rule 11 for definitions of these Infractions)
19) TIMING: Timing of a Competitor’s Run will commence when a Competitor raises his/her feet from the Competition Surface and the Motorcycle front wheel axle crosses the plane of the Entry Line. A Competitor’s time ends when the rear axle of the Motorcycle crosses the plane of the Exit Line.
CHALLENGE COURSE
20) ELIGIBILITY: Any competitor properly entered in the Competition will participate in this event.
21) GOAL: The object in the "Challenge" event is to complete a timed run through the course in as quick a time as possible without being assessed penalty points. For each penalty point assessed, an extra ten seconds will be added to the competitor’s time. 22) BREAKDOWN DURING CHALLENGE: Rule #6 applies to the "Challenge."
NOTE: The “Challenge” event layout is confidential and will be explained on the day of the competition.
OVERALL CHAMPION COMPOSITE SCORING
23) COMPOSITE FORMULA:
Note: The individual rankings by division and class will apply to determine the winners of those divisions/classes. The individual results from all classes and divisions will be blended to form one overall ranking list that will be used to determine the overall individual champion and team scores.
The overall champion will be determined by using the following formula:
Main Course Individual Competition Result 50%
Slow Ride Individual Competition Results 25%
Challenge Results 25% 100%
The competitor with the lowest score, using the following method will make the determination of overall champion:
Main Course Individual Competition Results
The competitor will be assigned a score equal to the value of his/her ranking in the Competition. (e.g. 1st place equals 1 point, 2nd place equals 2 points and so on)
Slow Ride Individual Competition Results
The competitor will be assigned a score equal to the value of his/her ranking in the Competition. (e.g. 1st place equals 1 point, 2nd place equals 2 points and so on)
Challenge Competition Results
The competitor will be assigned a score equal to the value of his/her ranking in the Competition. (e.g. 1st place equals 1 point, 2nd place equals 2 points and so on)
Example:
Competitor A received competition results:
Main score 3rd place = 3 points
Slow score 5th place = 5 points
Challenge 2nd place = 2 points
Competitor B received competition results:
Main score 1st place = 1 points
Slow score 11th place = 11 points
Challenge 3rd place = 3 points
Competitor A
Main 3 x 50% = 1.50points
Slow 5 x 25% = 1.25points
Challenge 2 x 25% = 0.50points
Total 3.25points
Competitor B
Main 1 x 50 % = 0.50 points
Slow 11 X25% = 2.75 points
Challenge 3 x 25% = 0.75 points
Total 4.00 points
Ties for placing positions (1st through 3rd ) in the overall championship will be broken by the championship being awarded to the competitor with the highest ranking/placing in the Main Competition. In the event of a Main course tie (Non-placing position such as 4th place) The competitor with the highest ranking in the Slow Ride will be awarded the championship. Ties for nonplacing positions will not be subject to the tiebreak formula.
TEAM COMPETITION
24) TEAMS: A Team will consist of 4 Competitors who participate in the Individual Competition. Any 4 Competitors, regardless of Department/Service or Course Assignment may form a Team. Competitors may only ride on One Team. After all Competitors have completed all of their events the score totals for all team members will be added together to determine the Team Score. Teams must be declared in writing prior to the commencement of the Main Competition.
25) PENALTY POINTS: See Rule #10 and Rule #18.
26) PENALTY SCHEDULE DEFINITIONS: See Rule #11 and Rule # 18.
27) 5 POINT MAXIMUM: Rule 14 applies to the Team Competition.
28) TEAM COMPETITION SCORES: Will utilize the Overall Champion Composite Scoring formula. (See rule 23)
29) RULES ADJUDICATION: On the day of the Competition a Rules Panel comprised of the Head Judge and at least one member of the Board of Directors will be established to settle all disputes that cannot be settled at the Judges level. Members of the Rules Panel may not compete in the event.
30) SCORING DISPUTE: Any dispute of scoring a particular event/skill, must be addressed by the affected Competitor after completing the said skill and prior to entering the next skill. Only a Competitor may dispute scoring on a Judge’s decision by appealing to the Judge in charge of a skill. In most cases this will be the Greeting Judge. If the dispute is not resolved at this level, the Head Judge will be appealed to for adjudication. The Head Judge may convene the Rules Panel to decide an Appeal. The decision of the Rules Panel is final for the day of the Competition.
31) TAMPERING OR IMPROPRIETY: Any allegation of Cheating, Tampering or Impropriety by a Judge, Competitor or any Involved Person must be brought to the Rules Panel in the First Person. No anonymous or 3rd party allegations will be accepted. The Rules Panel will investigate the accusation and may impose penalty.
32) APPEALS: A Competitor has the right to appeal a decision of the Rules Panel. The appeal must be submitted to the Board of Directors in writing within 30 days after the conclusion of the event. The full Board of Directors will consider the Appeal. The decision of the Board of Directors is final.
33) JUDGES MEETING: A meeting of Course Judges will be held prior to the Competition. The Head Judge will chair this meeting. A record will be kept of who attended the meeting. Judges will be assigned to an event/skill. Each event/skill will be assigned a Judge in Charge. The Judge in Charge will greet each Competitor at the start of each skill and receive the Competitor’s Scorecard. The Judge in Charge is not rigid in his positioning and has the ability to float during the Competitor’s execution of the skill. He/she may assist in the scoring of the skill. The Judge in Charge will canvas all Judges on a skill to determine if any penalty points were assessed and will tally the points if required. The Judge in Charge will then make the entry on the Competitor Scorecard and present it to the competitor for review.
34) COMPETITORS MEETING: A Competitors Meeting will be held prior to the start of the Competition. One of the Board of Directors will Chair the Meeting. All rules will be reviewed. Any changes will be announced and any questions or concerns will be addressed.
35) AWARDS: Awards and or prizes will be distributed for events as determined by the Board of Directors.
36) ROOKIE QUALIFICATION (John Flagg Memorial Rookie of the Year Award): Any Novice competitor is eligible for this award. This award will recognize the rider who best exemplifies the Seminar's Principle Objectives as determined by the Board of Directors.
37) GLOSSARY:
BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The Board of Directors of the Great Lakes Police Motorcycle Training Seminar.
COMPETITOR: A competitor as defined in rule # 1 registered to compete in the Competition.
COURSE: A series of events/skills a Competitor must execute on a Motorcycle, including Path of Travel.
EVENT/SKILL: A specific motorcycle riding exercise, which makes up part of the Course.
JUDGE: A person designated by the Board of Directors to score and/or time Competitors on the Course.