Combined Club Teams’ Policy

Aim: To encourage all competitors to participate in team events at all carnivals, including the Victorian Championships.

Note: The purpose of allowing the entry of combined club teams into Victorian events in the first place is to provide additional participation opportunities to athletes that would not otherwise be available. Clubs should be aware that if an acceptable version of the Combined Club Teams’ Policy cannot be found then it will not continue at all, and combined club teams will no longer be allowed.

For all carnivals including the Victorian Junior, Senior, and Masters’ Lifesaving Championships, there are no restrictions to participation of clubs in combined teams. Clubs will be able to form combined teams on the day with randomisation of team members. Clubs should identify and present any competitors wanting to participate in a combined team to the area Marshall(s). The Marshall(s) will then randomly assign competitors to a team and enter them into SportApp.

Clubs are not able to form combined teams outside of the marshalling area and present as a team to the Marshall(s). To ensure fairness for all, the area Marshall(s) must randomly assign all competitors wanting to participate in a combined team. There is the possibility that there may be competitors remaining who are unable to be placed into a team.

This policy applies to the following events: Beach Relay, Wade Relay, Board Relay, Surf Teams, and Aquacameron Relay. Please note: this excludes the Board Rescue and Belt & Reel events.

Victorian State Championships

• Competitors from all clubs will be eligible to create combined teams at the Victorian Junior Lifesaving Championships.
• If a club has sufficient members in an age group/gender, they are required to form a club team. There will be no distinction between ‘beach’ and ‘water’ competitors.
• If a club has sufficient entries in an age group to make at least one team, then the extras can be put into a combined team.
• Once a combined team has been formed, no substitutions can be made (ie. competitors cannot be substituted from heats to finals).
• The carnival is a 3-day event. A competitor is registered for the entire carnival, irrespective of their attendance each day.
• Each competitor will represent their own club and wear their own club competition cap within their Combined Team. Failure to comply will result in loss of points and competitors/team being ineligible to receive medals.
• Points will be distributed accordingly. For example, in a 4-member team, if each member is from a different club, they will each receive 25% of the points allocated to the placing of the team.
• Combined teams are eligible to win medals.
• The Carnival Referee’s discretion can be employed if it is deemed that the Combined Clubs Team is not within the intention of this policy.

Youth specific details (This policy is applicable to the Victorian Senior Championships)

• All Youth competitors, regardless of their club’s placing at the previous year’s Victorian Senior Championships, are eligible to form a Combined Club Team if they have insufficient numbers entered in their area (water or beach) to form their own club team.
  – E.g. If 3 youth are entered in the individual board event then they can only form a club board relay team, not a Combined Club Team, and if 4 are entered in the individual swim then those same 4 must do the swim team – not enter a Combined Club Team.
  – E.g. If a club has members who are ONLY entered in beach events, then those members are not expected to compete in a club swim team nor board rescue/relay – but would be expected to do the run legs in the Cameron Relay.

The priority will always be to form a Club Team rather than a Combined Club Team.

If a club has individual competitors entered in events within the same discipline as the U15 team event, including competitors in the same age category, U15 or the age category directly below, U14, they must be utilised in the U15 club team.
ie. If you have 2 individual U14 board paddlers entered, plus 1 U15 individual board paddler, then these 3 must be the club team. The U15 Paddler can’t go and form a Combined Team.

Under 13 Competitors

Note: As per Sections 2.3.5 and 2.3.6 of the Surf Sports Manual, with the exception of March Past, the specific U13– U15 5-person R&R event, and U15 First Aid; U13 age competitors are eligible to compete in designated U13 and U14 team events only. They are not permitted to compete in U15 team events.

Surf Boat Combined Crew Policy

The Combined Club Team Policy will not apply to Surfboats. Combined teams will be permitted to enter and will be entitled to win medals.

Combined teams may not enter the Surf Boat Relay.

Restricted Events – First Aid & Patrol Competition

Combined club teams can enter these events and win medals, as per the above outlined policy.

However, the highest placed full club team at the Victorian Championships will be given the entry spot to Aussies, combined club teams cannot receive this spot.