Class Politics Annual Meeting and YOU

gouvernail

Super Opinionated and Always Correct
Do you want to play a game run by your mommies or do you want to play a game run by sailors your own age??

IN the NEWS section, Tracy has been nice enough to remind all of us North American Laser sailors to think about and pitch in thoughts before the annual meeting is held.

So, what do you want from your class?

Or better yet, what are you willing and eager to do for the game and how would you like the Class organization to help you accomplish your great Laser sailing improvement idea?

Let me help a bit more:
There is no "THEY" who will do stuff for us. The guys and gals who already are doing officer jobs are already doing all the stuff they feel like doing. Most of them have been doing "responsible" stuff for a long time and most of them have already found how much of their time can be comfortably donated to babysitting the rest of us.
In fact, most of the officers, know full well that thier expoerience makes them better able to decide how to use their "contribution time" than you.

Yes..They are your mommies and daddies and they are still managing your play time for you.


So, if you actually want to see something new and better for Laser sailing. Think it over, decide how YOU can accomplish that better thing and then offer to be in charge.
Example:
You might want to be the:
Canadian regatta sitep rocurement person.
Chief of bumper sticker design
technical article editor for the website
photo archive organizer and historian
Major regatta Welcome Wagon ...for newbies who have never sailed another major event
Perpetual trophy manager
Hull color lobbyist to the builder...you do a survey and try to get our favorite colors in stock
Ross muzzle....Every time he brings up another of his nifty ideas. You become the official poo poo distributor...No checking for usefulness allowed.
Class apologist....Every political orgainzationhas them.
Officer evaluation committee chair...you get to play either the Simon or the Paula Abdul role.
regatta evening party orgainzer.

Mostly this is a challenge to the under 30 crowd. Just what part of the game would you like to run?

So, Believe it or not, the old farts don't really want to be in charge any more than you do. If you ever want the game to be played by other guys your own age, you need to take over some of the game and make it into a game your friends would like to play.

Or you can just invite them over to daddy and mommy's swing set.

if you don't take over, you are accepting a game run by old farts for old farts who hope that maybe some young guys will come join THEIR game.

But until you get involved, it will just be an old guys game adjusted to what those old guys think maybe you might want...unless they don't want it in which case you can forget it....because tehy are still running the show.

So...do you want to play a game run by your mommies or do you want to playing a game run by sailors your own age??

So what would you like to do about it??

PS: it is OK to go ask your mommy what you want but, at the NA Meeting, don't start off your campaign with."My daddy says we should....."
 
....Talk about a thundering "Who cares?"

I now believe the game would be best served in the long term if we simply banned all sailors under the age of 30 until they take over as the majority on the NA Class executive committee. Currently the under 30 crowd uses up all the world's berths, takes a lot of the trophies, eats way more than its share of the food and doesn't do a damn thing to earn any of it.

It is time for tough love. NO work? NO PLAY!!

No more age welfare!!

Let's throw the under 30 crowd out until they do their fair share.
 
You mean I'm not really 25?!? hmm....

If ILCA-NA stuff sounds boring, here is a good reason to attend the meeting: Ned Jones from Vanguard will be on hand to give a "builder's report." Part of that will include not only the status of testing of the composite upper for the Radial, but he will also have a spar on hand for people to inspect. In addition, he will recap the sale of Vanguard to PSE and what that means to those of in North America.

Now that should be interesting!
 
I don't know whether to be happy you mentioned me, or not...

when I get out of college and get a steady job, I would like to be on the tech/measurer committee and try and get some stuff done
 
sure i would like to attend the Meeting. But not if i have to travel to Hyannis, in the summer, and not race. i realize it's impossible to keep everyone happy or accommodate multiple schedules. summer time is really hard to make plans to attend meetings, juggle work, plan your actual vacation, etc.
isn't winter, combined with the mid-winter races a better time? it's just not appealing to just attend a meeting for a few hours, maybe at a boat show?
 
good call

and what about us on the west coast
awfully far way for us to go and not even be on the board
 
These meeting sites float around year to year. You'll get your chance to attend one on the WC I'm sure.
 
well yea if I get on the WC, but before that would be nice to lol
 
If I were at the annual meeting I would nominate Ross for NA Class VP.

Screw Ross's school excuse. The guy who has had the job for the last few years has been in school and holding down a full time job at the same time. The current guy has managed to keep his grades up and he has been doing so well in his job he now serves all 6 billion people instead of just the local 300 million.
The difference is Ross is young and full of endless enthusiasm.

Further, the old fart who is the current VP knows well what the class needs and knows the system and knows how and when to contribute. He won't stop knowing and caring if he is no longer "an official." He won't wander off and do less than he does for the Laser Class is he loses that oficial VP Title. We will still have a trained and ready back up if Tracy decides he wants a rest.
Train Ross as a VP and we will have two ready to go future Class Presidents.

Ross would bring youthful life. Ross would be constantly coming up with wild and new ideas and that would force the rest of us to actually pay attention and sort.
Ten times a week, somebody would have to actually THINK and EXPLAIN the "why not" that would be required to slow or stop what Ross thinks up.

OR sometimes...Ross would be spot on and the class would leap foreword.

The game might even become more interesting for guys Ross's age.

Don't worry about Ross being too damn wild. There is so much rooted old fartism in the world of Lasers, even Ross will only make a small dent.

But...None of the old settled geezers and mommies who are running things now will ever be able to stir the cauldron like a Ross.

It is time the guys at the ILCA and the builders have a chance to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat wondering what the wild eyed NA officer is up to this time.

Elect Ross NA Laser Class VP!!!
 
My God Gov! that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me! thank you very much!!!


I really would like to run someday for a position, if you guys will vote for me as a write in, I will gladly represent, and stir the pot of course!
 
I will gladly ... stir the pot of course!


See? He already is bringing back the enthusiasm and youthful attitude similar to the Laser sailors in the seventies.


And the old farts are simultaneously interested and frightened...

Great!!!
 
What about composite top sections. Anything new from the builders forum@NA's?
Thanks,
Matt

This is the recap in the AGM minutes distributed to the District Secretaries (and to be posted on the web soon):

Jones then summarized the Radial composite mast section project. They are currently testing the third version of the part on a worldwide basis. The intention of the new technology would be to broaden the weight range of the competitive Radial sailor, particularly to the lighter weight sailor. The initial price range is for the part to be three times the cost of the current section with the idea that with proper care, only one section would need to be purchase and replacement needs would be minimal compared to the current non-composite product. Emily Billing asked how the test program was structured. Jones outlined that several coaches and team leaders in North American had been sent test sections for use with their groups. He outlined that a formal testing procedure was in place with multiple users in varying conditions and forms provided by Vanguard to be completed by the testing group. All feedback worldwide is expected to be collected and analyzed for a report to the ILCA World Council at their next meeting to be held in Spain in early October. At that time it is expected that a decision will be made with respect to forwarding the idea to ISAF for possible approval as Olympic class equipment for use beginning after the 2008 Olympics.

In line with the procedure for testing outlined above, we have two spars here in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are interested in seeing these spars first hand and live in the area let me know.

Tracy
 
This is the recap in the AGM minutes distributed to the District Secretaries (and to be posted on the web soon):

Jones then summarized the Radial composite mast section project. They are currently testing the third version of the part on a worldwide basis. The intention of the new technology would be to broaden the weight range of the competitive Radial sailor, particularly to the lighter weight sailor. The initial price range is for the part to be three times the cost of the current section with the idea that with proper care, only one section would need to be purchase and replacement needs would be minimal compared to the current non-composite product. Emily Billing asked how the test program was structured. Jones outlined that several coaches and team leaders in North American had been sent test sections for use with their groups. He outlined that a formal testing procedure was in place with multiple users in varying conditions and forms provided by Vanguard to be completed by the testing group. All feedback worldwide is expected to be collected and analyzed for a report to the ILCA World Council at their next meeting to be held in Spain in early October. At that time it is expected that a decision will be made with respect to forwarding the idea to ISAF for possible approval as Olympic class equipment for use beginning after the 2008 Olympics.

In line with the procedure for testing outlined above, we have two spars here in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are interested in seeing these spars first hand and live in the area let me know.

Tracy

Thanks for the update, Tracy.

Wow, that will be one expensive upper section! I realize that Laserites don't set prices, but can the Class ask the manufacturer(s) to be 'reasonable'? Tracy, how can we do that? Could we ask for an 'introductory' price?
I have read that carbon composites have gone up in price a lot lately, but I was hoping for the new composite upper to be approximately twice the price of the aluminum one. Whatever, radial sailors will have to start saving for 2009 (or later?)

 
Thanks for the update, Tracy.

Wow, that will be one expensive upper section! I realize that Laserites don't set prices, but can the Class ask the manufacturer(s) to be 'reasonable'? Tracy, how can we do that? Could we ask for an 'introductory' price?
I have read that carbon composites have gone up in price a lot lately, but I was hoping for the new composite upper to be approximately twice the price of the aluminum one. Whatever, radial sailors will have to start saving for 2009 (or later?)


I admit that I didn't notice the price estimate in the minutes - I think my eyes "saw" what they expected to see there... I certainly agree, 3x the cost of an upper ($180 at the first online site I ran into) is too much. My recollection was that the goal in 2003 was for it to retail at $300 which, as I recall, was just over 2x the cost of an aluminum upper. Twice the cost for a spar that won't develop a permanent bend or have the famous rivet failure mode (therefore should have a much longer lifetime if properly cared for) seems a reasonable trade off to me. A price 3x the current aluminum spar is going to have a very rough time getting past the WC, I'm pretty sure of that.

Also, I should add that the "From the Builder" column in the Summer 2006 TLS estimated 2.5x the price of an aluminum upper. I'm going to give Ned the benefit of the doubt and say he mis-spoke.
 

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