British Schools' Modern Biathlon & World Schools Biathlon

Pentathlon GB organises a wide range of multi sport competitions each year in various combinations of the five disciplines that comprise the Modern Pentathlon;

• Modern Biathlon swim - run
• Biathle continuous run-swim-run
• Modern Triathlon swim - run - shoot
• Modern Tetrathlon swim - run - shoot (or combined run/shoot) - fence
• Modern Pentathlon swim - run - shoot (or combined run/shoot) - fence - ride

The Schools' Modern Biathlon (swim-run) comprises a 50m swim and 500m run for Year 5 to Year 7 pupils and Teachers and a 100m swim and 1000m run for Years 8 to 12/13. Points are awarded for each discipline and final positions are decided by the total number of points achieved after both disciplines. There is also a team element to the competition as the three top scoring individuals from a School in a class will count as a team. Schools may have more than one team in a class.

Pentathlon GB firmly believes the Schools' Modern Biathlon offers young people of all abilities a fantastic opportunity to participate in multi-sport in an enjoyable, safe and competitive environment. Because of the ever-increasing popularity of these events, we introduced a new format in 2011 which encouraged the involvement of 30% more athletes at 'grass root' level than in the previous year. We intend to continue with this format for the 2012-13 series of competitions but with a few improvements based upon our own experience and the results of our survey conducted at the Schools Finals.

The majority of respondents to the survey would like us to align the run and swim distances with our traditional competitions. This is a significant change and therefore a decision on this will be deferred until the 2013-14 season.

To see how the competition will run nex year click on the 2012-13 season tab.

British Schools' Modern Biathlon Series 2012-13

The following paragraphs set out the procedures for the 2012-13 season. If, after reading it thoroughly, you have any questions, please check the FAQ section of the website.

1. As in 2011-12 Schools/Clubs/Parents/Athletes/Coaches will be invited to submit validated run and swim times for school age athletes and teachers residing or attending a School in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for FREE inclusion to any one of three semi-final rankings lists. Times will be converted to points and rankings lists created for three Semi-Final Championships to be held in early 2013.
2. The website will take validated run and swim times from 1st September. The closing date for online submission of run and swim times is 16th November 2012.
3. Pentathlon Scotland will be organising their own Championships for athletes who attend schools in Scotland (visit www.pentathlon-scotland.org for details) and the results will be included on the rankings list for the British Championships. Athletes will be invited to compete in the British Championships on merit with no individual or teams qualifying by right.
4. Semi-Finals will take place at Crystal Palace (20th January, 2013), Millfield School (27th January, 2013) and Macclesfield Leisure Centre (27th January, 2013). The series will culminate in the British Championships at Crystal Palace on 24th March 2013.
5. Pentathlon GB Regional Officers will organise a number of events for athletes attending schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to obtain run and swim times which they can then submit to their chosen semi-finals rankings list. These events may take the form of a competition or a time trial and will be organised between 1st June and 11th November.
6. Schools and Clubs may enter one of the Pentathlon GB events or organise their own competition or time trials within the same time frame. Times can be achieved at an inter-schools or intra school competition or more informally during games/PE lessons or at 'after schools' clubs. Athletes may also ask their run and swim club to validate times on behalf of the school. Run and swim times do not have to be achieved on the same day.
7. Please ensure that the athlete submits times for the distances appropriate for the school year that they will be entering in September 2012. This will affect Year 7 pupils moving into Year 8 in September 2012.
8. All swim times must be achieved in either 25m or 50m pools. These will be converted by Pentathlon GB to the pool length of the semi-final competition.
9. Run times can be achieved on track or grass, however there should be every effort to ensure that the proposed run route is level and that the correct distance is measured. There will be no allowances made for runs completed on grass or weather conditions due to the huge variances of both.
10. Those wishing to submit times from an ASA licenced meet and attend a Pentathlon GB organised time trial to obtain a run time will be allowed to do so.
11. Please do not submit times that cannot be verified and please do not embarrass your child or your school by submitting unrealistic times. We reserve the right to check the validity of any time submitted.
12. Years 10 & 11 will be combined as will Years 12 & 13.
13. The concept of 'virtual' teams qualifying automatically from the initial rankings list was confusing to new entrants to the Schools' Biathlon programme, especially as this sometimes resulted in athletes further down the rankings list being selected for the next stage. Therefore the qualification process to the semi-finals will be simplified by accepting the top athletes (see below for the number of qualification places) from the times submitted for each age group, introducing the team element of qualification only for those qualifying from the semi-finals to the Championship final.
14. Once run and swim times have been achieved, Schools/Clubs/Parents/Athletes/Coaches will be required to enter athletes online, onto one of the three semi-final rankings lists. The website will be ready to take the entries from 1st September. To allow schools more time to organise permission slips for qualified athletes prior to the Christmas break, the closing date for entry to the semi-finals rankings lists has been brought forward to 16th November 2012.

Online entry process for submission of run and swim times to the semi-final rankings lists

1. The entry process will be simplified so that anyone can enter one or more athletes for consideration for the semi-final competitions. Entry will not be limited to school contacts.
2. The entry process will be simple and consistent for all entrants regardless of whether they attend an event organised by Pentathlon GB or gain their times at another event. Any individual would;
   1. Register and create a login (or just login if they already have a login)
   2. Select the school to be represented
   3. Select the semi-final for which the entries are to be considered
   4. Enter the following data:
      1. First Name
      2. Surname
      3. Date of Birth
      4. Gender
      5. email address (of competitor)
      6. Class
      7. Swim time
      8. Pool length
      9. Run time
3. On submission, the following will happen:
   1. A check for the existence of the competitor in our database will be made, based on first name, surname, DoB, gender. Please do your utmost to spell names correctly and provide correct dates of birth. For those identified, the membership number will be retrieved and the form populated. For those not identified a new 'First Steps' membership will be created for that individual.
   2. Run and swim times will be validated based on a range of 'reasonable' values held for each class.

Confirmed dates for the Pentathlon GB organised competitions or time trials that you may enter in order to gain run and swim times for submission to one of the semi-finals rankings lists can be found on the calendar page of the website. If you are organising a time trial of your own and would like to invite other Schools, Clubs to take part, please let Sue Hyde have details so they can be posted on the website.

The run and swim times submitted together with the results from the semi-finals and finals will be sent for inclusion on the World Schools' Biathlon Rankings List maintained by UIPM. The results for 2011 can be accessed here.

Qualification for the Semi-Final Championships

The closing date for submission of entries to the Semi-Finals rankings lists is 16th November 2012. The rankings lists will be published on the rankings tab of this page on 23rd November 2012 and entries to the Semi-Finals Championships will be accepted online from 26th November 2012. The closing date for those invited to compete in each of the Semi-Final Championships is 5th January 2013. Athletes who have qualified to compete in the Semi-Final Championships will be listed online - we will not be sending out email confirmation.

1. The following number of athletes in each class will be invited from the Ranking Lists to compete in their pre-selected Semi-Final Championship:
   1. 72 athletes in Year 5, Year 6, Year 7 & Year 8
   2. 48 athletes in Year 9
   3. 40 athletes in Years 10/11 & Years 12/13
   4. 8 teachers
2. Those who qualify for a Semi-Final Championship will have to formally enter the competition online and pay the appropriate entry fee. Payment will be by card online or by cheque and cheques should be made payable to Pentathlon GB.
3. If a qualified individual is not able to enter the Semi-Final Championships for whatever reason, the next ranked individual may be invited to participate in their place.
4. In the Semi-Final and British Championships, the three top scoring individuals from a School in a class will create a team. A school may have more than one team in a class.
5. When compiling the rankings list, adjustments will be made to take account of swim times achieved in 25m and 50m swimming pools as below:

Qualification for the British Championships

1. In each class of the Semi-Final Championships the first 6 placed individuals and top team will qualify by right.
2. A ranking list will be produced following the completion of the three Semi-Final Championships and the remaining team places will be allocated from the Team Rankings list to make up the total number of teams in each class to:
   1. Seven teams in Year 5, Year 6, Year 7 & Year 8
   2. Five teams in Year 9
   3. Four teams in Year 10/11 & Year 12/13
3. The remaining places for British Championships will be allocated from the individual ranking list to make up the total number of athletes in each class to:
   1. 72 athletes in Year 5, Year 6, Year 7 & Year 8
   2. 48 athletes in Year 9
   3. 40 athletes in Year 10/11 & Year 12/13
   4. 8 Teachers
4. In all competitions, the three top scoring individuals from a School in a class will count as a team. This means that if the School has more than three qualifying individuals in a class, the team members may change from the semi-final championships.
5. If a qualified individual or team is not able to enter the British Championships for whatever reason, the next ranked individual or team may be invited to participate in their place.
6. When compiling the rankings list, adjustments will be made to take account of swim times achieved in 25m and 50m swimming pools as per the table above.

A copy of the revised Schools' Modern Biathlon Rules 2012 will be available from the resources section of the website with effect from 1st June 2012.

The Rules contain important information including competition dates, points tables and qualification criteria. You are strongly recommended to download and read these Rules before entering the competition.

Cancellation

Unfortunately, due to adverse weather conditions, Pentathlon GB had to cancel two semi-final competitions in 2011-12. As this decision was made for reasons beyond our control and for the safety of all concerned, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions there was no refund of entry fees. T-shirts were posted to those who had pre-ordered them.

Further consideration was given to insuring the semi-finals and Championships against cancellation. Unfortunately, quotations were prohibitively expensive and would have resulted in Pentathlon GB having to almost double the entry fee to make the schools series break even financially. Increasing the entry fees would be detrimental to the whole schools programme, so the same Terms and Conditions will apply for the 2012-13 series. If Schools are concerned about this, we suggest that they consider insuring themselves against loss in the event of cancellation.

Rearranging competitions in such circumstances is impossible as venues and officials are simply not available at such short notice. As a result of this, the submitted run and swim times for those entered into both of the cancelled competitions were added to those of Bath and Macclesfield to produce the rankings list for the British Championships.

Pentathlon GB is conducting an analysis of run and swim times submitted for the semi-final rankings lists and those actually achieved at the semi-finals and British Championships to establish if it is possible to incorporate an adjustment which would be applied to submitted times in the event of a competition having to be cancelled. These adjusted times would be used along with results from competitions that did go ahead to produce the rankings list for the British Championships.

If you have any questions, please check the FAQ section of this page. If this does not resolve your query please do not hesitate to contact our headquarters in Bath on 01225 386808.

Schools' Biathlon Calendar

Schools' Biathlon Rules

The rules for the Schools' Biathlon 2012-13 season of events will be available from the Resources page from the beginning of June.

In summary, the principles of the competition is as follows:

• each school year group competes separately apart from Years 10 and 11 which, from next season, will compete as a single age group and Years 12 and 13 who also compete together.
• the run and swim are completed separately, ie it is not a continuous run/swim
• distances vary depending on year group, but Years 5,6 and 7 and Teachers run 500m and swim 50m, remaining year groups run 1000m and swim 100m.
• scoring is based on run and swim times being converted to points. Each year group has to acheive a target time to gain 1000 points. Times faster or slower than the target time result in an increase or decrease in points. See the rule book on the Resources page for the details.

The rules are detailed and should be read and understood before competing.

Schools' Biathlon - competition entries

Competition entries will appear on this page as they are submitted.

Please see the Season 2012-13 page for details of the process and timetable for the submission of swim and run times for this coming season.

Schools' Biathlon Championships - Ranking Lists

The ranking lists for the 2012-13 season will appear on this page in due course.

Please see the Season 2012-13 page for details of the process and timetable for the submission of swim and run times for this coming season.