derekcjackson
Member
The attendance at the recent Int'l Masters (32 boats) and Midwinters (40 boats) surprised me. While I recognize our numbers have been dropping, this years' decline was significant.
Ignoring the decline is not going to cause the problem to go away. It has to be a matter of concern in the class. I am surprised nobody has brought it up for discussion. Silence is not the way to learn and implement change.
A few years ago regatta attendance was briefly discussed publicly here:
http://www.sunfishforum.com/regatta-attendance-t3068.html?t=3068
I know for myself, the regatta dates were a problem because of a new job, and family commitments. What were the factors that influenced the decision to attend or not attend for other people?
For those that were eligible for both events but only attended one, what was the reason? Historically we have tried to market the winter events as a package deal for those that are eligible.
I would guess for some of those that did not attend, travel costs were probably a consideration. Gas prices are obviously out of our direct control. There are things we can do to help reduce the costs. Would creating a ride and/or boat share board on the class website help this?
What else can we do to make these regattas more accessible and attractive to our current and potential new members?
Ignoring the decline is not going to cause the problem to go away. It has to be a matter of concern in the class. I am surprised nobody has brought it up for discussion. Silence is not the way to learn and implement change.
A few years ago regatta attendance was briefly discussed publicly here:
http://www.sunfishforum.com/regatta-attendance-t3068.html?t=3068
I know for myself, the regatta dates were a problem because of a new job, and family commitments. What were the factors that influenced the decision to attend or not attend for other people?
For those that were eligible for both events but only attended one, what was the reason? Historically we have tried to market the winter events as a package deal for those that are eligible.
I would guess for some of those that did not attend, travel costs were probably a consideration. Gas prices are obviously out of our direct control. There are things we can do to help reduce the costs. Would creating a ride and/or boat share board on the class website help this?
What else can we do to make these regattas more accessible and attractive to our current and potential new members?