gouvernail
Super Opinionated and Always Correct
I don't like what we have set up this time. Whining is a waste of everybody's time and annoying.
The only way to get something done better is to work on improving the system.
Here is my basic starter proposal so we have a place to begin the discussion:
1. Our current NA Champ not only has dibs on the first available position but our paid staff will seek that champion out, find out PERSONALLY if our champion wants to attend and make certain ILCA knows that our champion must be included regarless of any protocol ILCA might have.
2. Consider similar treatment for the Canadian and US Masters champions and for any current world champions who live in North America.
3. Those who finished at the top of their age dividsions in most recent North American Championships should be able to claim a North American berth.
4. In cases like this year where the 2009 North American Masters will be sailed again before the 2009 worlds and after the 2009 world's registration period has closed, The NA Class should reserve spots for the Champion of each division so that our current "hot" sailors can qualify well after the entry operiod has closed..
5. Some positions should be made available by resume or NA-ILCA apointment. The criteria should be announced in advance for possible resume appointment but a system might be:
North America will assign spaces to applicants who haveindicated interest by applying before the ILCA deadline. NA-ILCA wsill make places availablke to certain sailors regardless of their order of submission of the applications based upon those sailors past performance. Some of the individual factors contributing to a resume would be:
a. Service to the ILCA as a fleet captain or district secretary
b. Previous performance in World competition (Won the younger division 10 years ago, has finished in the top five or ten)
c. Previous performance at the ILCA-NA Masters events
d. Previous performance generally...especially young guys who are now apprentices
e. General performance in any Laser Masters events
f. Stalwarts to the game ( has previously atended masters worlds, does the Florida Masters circuit every year, just plain sails lots of Laser regattas)
Maybe no one of the above gets a person to the head of the line but a pile of such factors, especially after all our champions have been granted berths, should be good enough to push an applicant onto the tail of the berths list. Certainly any of the above is more important than, " Did you hover over your computer at 8 AM England time and fill out a form before others."
I would not have any problem what so ever with 30 of our forty positions being locked up by previous qualification so that "entering at 8 am" was only a lottery for five sailors.
In fact, ESPECIALLY with limited berths, I don't see much point in having the first come first served as an entry / qualification system in there at all.
Time periods for entry make sense as a convenience. The entry period in 2008 was a contest in itself.
Our competitions should be limited to on the water play in Lasers. The ability to sign up fastest should not be a criteria.
The only way to get something done better is to work on improving the system.
Here is my basic starter proposal so we have a place to begin the discussion:
1. Our current NA Champ not only has dibs on the first available position but our paid staff will seek that champion out, find out PERSONALLY if our champion wants to attend and make certain ILCA knows that our champion must be included regarless of any protocol ILCA might have.
2. Consider similar treatment for the Canadian and US Masters champions and for any current world champions who live in North America.
3. Those who finished at the top of their age dividsions in most recent North American Championships should be able to claim a North American berth.
4. In cases like this year where the 2009 North American Masters will be sailed again before the 2009 worlds and after the 2009 world's registration period has closed, The NA Class should reserve spots for the Champion of each division so that our current "hot" sailors can qualify well after the entry operiod has closed..
5. Some positions should be made available by resume or NA-ILCA apointment. The criteria should be announced in advance for possible resume appointment but a system might be:
North America will assign spaces to applicants who haveindicated interest by applying before the ILCA deadline. NA-ILCA wsill make places availablke to certain sailors regardless of their order of submission of the applications based upon those sailors past performance. Some of the individual factors contributing to a resume would be:
a. Service to the ILCA as a fleet captain or district secretary
b. Previous performance in World competition (Won the younger division 10 years ago, has finished in the top five or ten)
c. Previous performance at the ILCA-NA Masters events
d. Previous performance generally...especially young guys who are now apprentices
e. General performance in any Laser Masters events
f. Stalwarts to the game ( has previously atended masters worlds, does the Florida Masters circuit every year, just plain sails lots of Laser regattas)
Maybe no one of the above gets a person to the head of the line but a pile of such factors, especially after all our champions have been granted berths, should be good enough to push an applicant onto the tail of the berths list. Certainly any of the above is more important than, " Did you hover over your computer at 8 AM England time and fill out a form before others."
I would not have any problem what so ever with 30 of our forty positions being locked up by previous qualification so that "entering at 8 am" was only a lottery for five sailors.
In fact, ESPECIALLY with limited berths, I don't see much point in having the first come first served as an entry / qualification system in there at all.
Time periods for entry make sense as a convenience. The entry period in 2008 was a contest in itself.
Our competitions should be limited to on the water play in Lasers. The ability to sign up fastest should not be a criteria.