3 year olds can not qualify for state until they are 4.
12 year olds can not turn 13 before 9/26/2010 in order to qualify.
1. The Event will be for ages 4-12 years old. There will be 9 divisions by age mixing or not mixing boys and girls. Each age level will produce at least the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd boy and girl with sanctioning for advancement to State competition. Age is determine at the moment of the pull except for the 13 rule.
***Never use weight classes - we will not sanction these. It is an unethical practice.***
2. To qualify for state they must be at least 4 on the day of the local pull and not turn 13 until, at least the day after Nationals on the last Saturday in September. For instance, if the National is 9/26/09 they must not turn 13 until 9/27/09 or later.
Local Option: The local puller may choose to pull 2-3 year olds prior to qualifying, but they will not qualify for state. 12 year olds may pull even though they will not qualify if turning 13 to soon.
3. Competitors will enter the division they are the day of the pedal pull, including State and National. State and National will require proof of age and proper sanctioning paper work from lower meets.
4. Each participant must register prior to the starting of their age group and have a parent or guardian's signature on the registration forms.
5. Rules of Conduct by Participants:
A. The child may not place their hand on the tractor tire at any time during their pull to help increase their pulling distance.
B. The child may not place one or both feet on the ground to push the tractor forward.
C. There can be no loss of forward pressure. In other words they cannot hesitate or absolutely never jerk the equipment.
D. The child will remain in contact with the seat at all times. If a contestant loses contact with the seat or slides off the back the pull will be stopped and their distance will be measured to that point. (some high back seats allow movement up in pushing against the seat, this was the national ruling).**
E. All participants must be wearing shoes, no bare feet. (We would suggest tie or Velcro shoes that cover the foot and give traction on the pedal.)
6. Any arguing with the track officials by a contestant, parent, or guardian will not be allowed and could/will result in disqualification of the contestant. If you have a disagreement please talk to us after the pull in private. We will display sportsmanship in all cases and should that not be possible the offender will be asked to leave. No one is perfect, but we will handle things in the proper way.
7. All rulings by track officials are final and may supersede any of the above rules. In the case of need a sled may be re-weighted and the group may start over. If the physical constraints of the track or the malfunction of the equipment cause an obvious error the judge may determine a re-pull.*
8. Ties will be broken by pull offs. If the tie is less than a full pull then the tied competitors re-pull with the same weight until the tie is broken. If with full pulls then the weight will be increased and the tied individuals will pull again.
9. The top three finisher in each division at State qualify for the National Pedal Pull. The top five finishers in each division at Nationals qualify for the International. There are no alternates or ties for qualifying positions.
*2009 State pull a contestant pulled 4 feet or more farther than any other puller and only stopped by the constraints of the track, but because of a malfunction of the chain latch the distance was measured incorrectly. This is the obvious type of situation mentioned. This puller should be re-pulled to give fair opportunity (although not really fair after one huge effort to come right back), unless the puller makes the choice not to pull over. In this case that was the decision of the puller. Probably stopping a disqualification of the other puller for conduct by members of their party. Let us all understand there will be no misconduct on the parts of any contestant or member of their party, no member of a crew or puller is to be yelled at. We all know true champions show sportsmanship like the youngster choosing to accept second rather than have a dispute, being happy to qualify for Nationals, that is the proper spirit. It is okay to ask why or what a rule is, but not to rant and use inappropriate language, or dispute the intentions of a group that made it possible for any kids to go to Nationals. By the way there is a video that shows the box bounce back several times on the way down and the difference in the distances. No body tried to cheat it was an unfortunate accident of extreme power in an all out effort and if the strap had been on it would have been full much before the end of the track. We are very sorry there even needed to be a dispute, but I think this one was gong to happen regardless. Thank you to all the folks who came up afterward to support the second place girl.
