Area C Qualifier is cancelled due to lack of interest

At least 5 boats are required for the qualifier to count with US sailing too.

That is depressing. Do we know why there is no interest?

There's lots of interest in the Finals, but the Qualifiers across the country are drawing fewer and fewer entries. I don't know what the answer is. I'd bet my favorite socks that there will be a flood of petitions for entry to the Championship next June here in California - who doesn't want to race on OPB, brand new F16s? I think we've come to rely too much on petitions, to the detriment of the regional events. A re-think is needed that balances encouragement with maintaining a high level of competition. The fleet was really good again this year...

I hope that re-think is open to the public. It's hard to get people on board with a new idea if they have no part in it.

The closed nature of USS would be my single biggest complaint.

I'd venture to say - overscheduling.

You had the Statue Race, then Rock Hall JO event (that drew a lot of Hobie parents), then the Barnegat Breezer regatta, then the Corsica River event last weekend.

Area C is pretty much Hobie 16 and 17 territory - they're not so much interested about winning a spot to compete in an event on a spin boat that's totally different than what they're used to sailing.

People who are used to racing singlehanded and those that have limited or no experience with spin boats (Hobie 16s).

Care to offer a solution?

Perhaps they should change the area C boundries, to include more fleets than just the H16 and H17 groups? I'm not familiar with Area C, what major cities/sailing areas are there in Area C?

OR...get Hobie to supply a bunch of new H16's or H17's for the next Alter Cup? After all, it IS named after that Hobie Alter guy.

There used to be a map on US Sailings website showing the Area's. I can't find it now....

Anyone care to post the link?

I think there are a bunch of different reasons why...

But, I'm not a US Sailing member, should be, but there are some reasons there also.....

Mike

Add in the decent sized Hobie 18 Fleet... again... a spin class event is not interesting or important to them.

The A cat fleet does not see the two man championship on spin boats as interesting or important.

The F16 fleet is primarily single handed in the region... again the championship is not interesting or important.

The Chesapeake Nacra 20 fleet does not travel, especially to a buoy race. (see NA attendance). Buoy races are not that interesting or important to these guys.

OVERSCHEDULED??? relative to the interest in attending the area championship... ABSOLUTELY....

We also had a conflict with Special Olympics this weekend and Wildwood (Hobie) and Bristol (A cats) the following weekends... (Our most dedicated racers also make the Special Olympics happen.)

Unless the one design classes agree to exchange one of their OD events for the Area Championships, we will be over scheduled.

By design.... each OD class is scheduling the number of events that they believe they (the OD class) can optimally support... Add one more event like the Area qualifier and you are over scheduled!

We need to restructure or punt on the championships in my region

(Area C includes Va Beach, Hampton, Annapolis, Washington DC, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia and up through North Jersey just south of New York City.)

US Sailing Areas:

The Championship is sailed on whatever boat the manufacturers or dealers are willing to provide at a discounted charter fee. Anyone who thinks

we

get to pick whatever boat

we

want is mistaken on that point... in the case of the last several years, two-up spinnaker boats are what has been available. I conclude that the manufacturers are providing the boats that they know they can sell after the events.

Please don't underestimate the level of support that Hobie USA or any other manufacturer has provided since the Alter Cup's inception. The small charter fee available from the Alter Cup committee does not offset a builder's costs to support the event. Nobody (including Rolex) has done more to support the Championship financially than the builders.

So what changes are you recommending?

Not likely, since the US Sailing Areas are for all sailors, not just multihulls. We've already made adjustments by combining Areas A and B, and splitting Area D - just for this event.

Since Hobie 17s are out of production, that's a moot suggestion.

Hobie 16s have been used (as recently as 2004) and were not well received by the top competitors, as evidenced by many area champions declining to race in the finals. There were a record number of petitions granted that year.

There was a plan to use Hobie 16s in 2009, but the deal fell through for a variety of reasons.

The Hobie 16 will be back as the Alter Cup boat - possibly in association with another major 16 event in 2012.

I have to agree with John .., and this is what I said from the very beginning of expanding to twenty teams, so all the “buds” could get in on the Championship.

Stick with the ladder system that way it started -- 10 areas, 10 qualifiers, and 10 for the duration of the round robin event.

The craze for more teams was created by the Californians who felt they had more high-caliber sailors than Iowa, Kansas, Texas, Florida, etc. However, the ladder was designed to take the BEST sailor for EACH area and compete. They lobbied that CA had 6 great sailors and they should ALL attend.

Hence the new system. I fought it from the very start and still feel it has created a mess.

And no mfg. is going to supply 20 boats, so consequently the convoluted round robin system had to be invented, leaving half the fleet going home early.

And yes, those usually are the Area Reps – they just got outsailed by the Rock Stars.
It is great to sail with the Rock Stars, but one should be from each area.

I think I know what my next editorial will be.., and I bet it won’t be gladly accepted.
Answer to the Problem is build stronger Areas and promote them more. Forget the invitations to the Elite.

We put in measures in the last several years to help promote the qualifiers. We changed the allocation for one of the AC event spots to be available to the largest area qualifier - that qualifier gets to send it's two top teams instead of one.

The event itself also NEEDS 20 teams to be able to afford all of the expenses of the event - maybe the 20 team effort was started so all the

buds

could compete, but today it's necessary to put on a quality event. Even with 20 teams, the entry fee is pretty high...with only 10, it would be higher or the regatta benefits - that we've all become accustomed to at week-long events - would be reduced or eliminated and would probably be to the detriment of the attendance event.

I'm personally in favor of reducing the number of petition slots available...but it's hard to get the people that are nominated or even in some cases, qualify, to attend the championship. To reduce the dedicated petition slots may be pointless as you're going to have to draw from the petition pool to fill the slots that others have left vacant.

PS - we don't use a round robin format anymore...it's promotion relegation and everyone sails to the last round. In the three years I helped with the event, I only heard minor complaints about specific details of the rotation (number of throw-outs, etc.) - my impression (myself included) people like the promo-rele system.

Why can't you just

run what you brung

?

Because then EVERYONE bitches about the ratings, some people will dust off and sail rating beaters, and nobody feels like you had a true championship.

If you run classes, and designate each winner as the

USS Class Champion

there is no handicap. Simultaneously you can designate the

Alter Cup Champion

from a particular class.

Example: registration on Monday, Class races Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Alter cup Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Any of these races could be run on privately owned boats or chartered from the builder.

In my particular case, I'd come for the class racing and stick around to watch THE AC.

The event was named for Hobie Alter because he once promoted the one-design aspect of a regatta. The Alter Cup is based on the premise that a round-robin rotation on provided boats where tuning is restricted is more fair and equal than

run what you brung.

I would contend that it is more fair and equal than any other one-design event. Even for the Hobie 16 events where boats are provided, there are those that

know

how to tune a boat. The Alter Cup tries to get at those who

know

how to sail it.

I'm not making any judgement about other events here! I'm just stating what is different about Alter Cup.

OMG, you're not recommending Gerrymandering?

Run the AC just as it is now. Run an expanded format to boost attendance.

Offering USS Class Championships might draw more attendance, particularly if the results were used to establish the Portsmouth number.

As it is now, the Portsmouth handicap has little credibility. IF you run a regatta specifically to establish the handicap numbers, folks might try a little harder.

Attendance and format for the Finals isn't the problem. There are plenty of people that want to go every year. Boosting attendance at the Regional events is the issue... and the Regional ladder events are already

run-what-you-brung.

If the final is not a problem, why does it rely on petitions to fill up?

Membership in USS is a problem. Most cat sailors don't see any value in it. IF you designated class championships, that might change. It is certain that if you don't try no one will ever know for certain.

Maybe people really, realy don't like portsmouth racing and that's why they don't show up for regionals!

Can you start a list of classes that want US SAILING involved in their Class championships? This shouldn't take long.

Pete, in order to

try

something, you first have to have an effective understanding of the problem. The Finals have a big draw of interested participants, the ladder events do not... I think that framing the Finals as the root of the problem is not the best way to approach it. Or are you suggesting that there be 10 ladder events, all designated as Class championships?

It's also worth noting that there are selections that do come from various class championships throughout the country. Both Nacra and Hobie get to send a selected team (who is urged to be a champion of one of their classes) and (I believe) the manufacturer that is supplying boats gets to send a team. In addition to that, a rotating class (which has most recently been the formula classes that don't have a single manufacturer) is selected each year to send it's national champ (or down to 3rd place)...so class championships are represented.

As John said, how do you get people to the qualifier. Why are the qualifiers low in attendance? In area D, we have consistently had pretty good turnout at both the Dn and the Ds and we usually duke it out to be the area with the largest qualifier in the country. What are we doing differently? Personally, I enjoy the event and racing on handicap is a somewhat unusual challenge for me since I mostly race within a class. The guys we sail with are tough too and it's freakin fun working out how far ahead you have to be or behind you can be to beat someone...lots of great conversation. AND the qualifier results help add to the portsmouth results for more accurate ratings.

For you guys that don't go to your qualifiers - why does it get a low priority on your regatta list?

Firstly, I understand the problem very well. The Alter Cup is dying and nothing is being done to prevent it.

A good part of the reason is USS's lack of credibility within the catamaran community. The rank and file do not feel represented. If you don't value the organization, why would you value their championship?

USS's Portsmouth numbers are not respected. The reporting is spotty at best. Why would a serious sailor compete in a system which he does not find credible?

Lastly, not everyone agrees that

no tuning

is the best way to determine a true champion. I am one of them. I would give much greater credence to a champion who brings a boat on which he is thorougly familiar and is set up to his, or her, best advantage.

USS has the opportunity to solve all three of these problems with a single event.

There is an old saying,

If you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep getting what you've been getting.

A significant change is in order, imo.

I disagree with just about every bit of that post and I've competed in three and managed three AC Championships. NOTHING is more fair than sailors sailing boats that are setup identically. Nothing pits sailor skill against sailor skill in the same way. It's a different, and IMHO, the most humbling and pure way to compete. How you setup your diamond wires does not make you a better or more deserving sailor. How you use your mind and skill to use the wind, the water, and your competition does.

Interest and participation in the championship is actually up. It's the area qualifiers, as evident by the subject matter of this post, that are suffering.

Disagree all you like but in doing so you must believe there is no problem with the handicap system, there is approval of USS in general, and that no one disagrees with the

no tuning

aspect of the AC.

Does any other class determine it's champion by swapping boats? Or disallowing individual tuning?