Starting an online session

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Starting an online session

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Who is the Starter?

The Starter is the 'owner' of the Online Rowing session. By default this is the person who created the session. However the Starter is automatically replaced by the next person in sequence if the Starter does not show up to start a session.

Functions of the Starter

The Starter:

Can edit the session.
Normally rows in the session.
Is responsible for starting the session:
Clicks Prepare to Start (and is the only person who can do that).
Clicks Start (and is the only person who can do that).

If you are not the Starter

If you are not the Starter you will need to:

Wait in Check-in for the Starter to click Prepare to Start (your own Prepare to Start button will be grayed out).
Wait again for the Starter to click Start (your own Start button will be grayed out).

The Check-In and Start Screen

The Check-In and Start Screen is a very important screen - it's the hub of the real-time activities leading up to the session start.

As the name suggests, the Check-In and Start Screen has two modes: Check-in, and Start.

Check-In

When you first arrive in the Check-In and Start screen the session is at the Check-In stage and your icon is set to Not Ready.  In this stage, the participants are gathering and the Concept2 PMs are in pre-session warm-up mode.  At this stage:

You can do a warm-up row.  Any warm-up rowing you do is treated as a Just Row on the Concept2 PM.
You can Chat.  Any Chat you send automatically goes to all other participants in the same session.

When you're ready to start, click the Ready button.  This will change your icon to Ready to show the Starter and the other participants that you're ready to start rowing the session.

Withdraw

If you find you can't row the session after all (for example you have gear failure or a sudden emergency) then you can click Withdraw to remove yourself from the session.

Any participant who Withdraws from the session will disappear from the participant list on the Check-In and Start screen, and the other participants will be shuffled to use the lane where the participant withdrew.

It is possible to rejoin the session again after you Withdraw, however this is only possible until the Starter clicks Prepare to Start.  Once this is clicked, the session is no longer listed in Session Setup / Online, so it is no longer possible to rejoin it.

Prepare to Start

If you're the Starter, when everyone shows they're Ready you click the Prepare to Start button.  This shifts the Check-In and Start screen on to the Start mode.  In this stage:

The participants strap in and pick up the handle to prepare to start the session.
The warm-up is removed and the session is set up on the Concept2 PMs.
The Start button is enabled for the Starter.
The participants' boats are positioned in the appropriate lanes in the 2D or 3D Display.
Each participant's Indoor Rower is actively monitored to check for flywheel movement, and if anyone's flywheel moves their icon changes to show a rotating flywheel  until they stop.
It is still possible to Chat.  This is useful to help anyone having difficulty preparing to start.
If anyone has a problem at this stage, they can signal this by clicking Not Ready and using Chat to inform others what's up.

Start

If for any reason you need to do a last-minute something before you row, you can click Not Ready to indicate that to the Starter and the other participants. Provided you're quick (you may need to use Chat to explain yourself) the Starter will wait till you click Ready again, however if you take too long the Starter may choose to start the race without you.

Ideally all participants will be present and ready when the Starter clicks Start, however the Starter can choose to go ahead anyway even if one or more participants are no-shows or are Not Ready.

Everyone else besides the Starter must wait until the Starter clicks the Start button. If there is an extended wait, participants can use Chat to find out what's going on.

The only thing the starter must wait for before clicking Start is for all flywheels to be still.  If Start is clicked while a flywheel is moving, this will immediately trigger a false start.

When ready, the Starter clicks Start and the start sequence begins.

Start sequence for PM5, PM4 or PM3

When the Starter clicks Start:

A voice says "Prepare for Start" (provided your PC is equipped for sound and you have set the volume appropriately).
The Check-In and Start Screen disappears.
A small message screen appears telling you to watch your Concept2 PM display.
The PM3 display moves through the following start sequence in a few seconds:

Sit Ready

You should be fully ready to pull the handle and start rowing.

Attention

You should now be actively waiting for the start.

Row!

Pull the handle! The race has begun!

Start sequence for PM2+

When the Starter clicks Start:

A voice says "Prepare for Start" (provided your PC is equipped for sound and you have set the volume appropriately).
The Check-In and Start Screen disappears.
A small message screen appears showing you a 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 countdown followed by Row!
The bottom right panel in the PM2+ and PM twin display also show the countdown.
When the word Row! appears on the RowPro display, pull the handle! The race has begun!

Start Delay

By default, the start sequence begins as soon as the Starter clicks Start.  If the Starter's PC is not next to their Indoor Rower, the Starter may need to click Start and then hurriedly sit down and strap in.

To cater for this, RowPro has a built-in Start Delay next to the Start button.  If this is set to a non-zero value, say 10 seconds, after the Starter clicks Start there will be a 10-second delay before the Online Rowing system processes the Start command.

This gives the Starter time to sit down, strap in and pick up the handle.

You can set a default value for the Start Delay in Control Center / User Settings.  This saves having to repeatedly set the same Start Delay at every session where you are the Starter. For details, see the User Settings Help Topic.

False start

From the moment the Start Sequence begins until the Row! message appears to signal the start of the race, any flywheel movements will result in a False Start, in which case the following will happen:

The Start Sequence will be terminated.
The Check-In and Start screen will re-appear and will show False Start!
The Participant Status of the person who false started will show a rotating orange flywheel.
After 20 seconds, the Check-In and Start screen will return to normal.
Once all flywheels have stopped moving, the Starter can restart the session the same way as before.

If you false start more than once, the Starter may choose to start the race without you.

Participant status indicators

Each participant has a status icon on the Check-In and Start screen.  These have the following meaning:

 

Icon

Meaning

Not checked in

Checked in and ready

Checked in and not ready

Starter ready

Typing Chat

Flywheel moving or false started

Withdrawn