3 year olds can not qualify for state until they are 4.
12 year olds can not turn 13 on or before National day 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. Both hands on the steering wheel at all times.
B. The child may not place one or both feet on the ground to push the tractor forward. Both feet must stay on the pedals.
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 four 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 (National Rules currently). International is not being held at present.
A sanctioned pull that is public can not deny the right of any child to participate regardless of state of residence. A legally qualified child can not be denied the right to participate at the Missouri State Pedal Pull regardless of state of residence if they qualify at a legally sanctioned pull in the State of Missouri.
It is the National that also sets the no passing down rule for pre-qualifiers in other states (not us). If they are legally qualified we must let them pull.
10. In the event of ties at distance our preferred method is to run the tied individuals again at the same weight to break the tie. If the tie is Full Pulls then weight should be added to break the tie. Some states use slightly different rules: such as always adding weight.
A side note Lineville IA is actually on both sides of the border and there fore not really out of state.
