Poll: What organizations do you pay for?

I pay for the following.

Club Membership
F18 Class Membership
Taipan / Capricorn Class Membership
Tornado Class Membership
Yachting Australia (Plus ISAF) Membership

In OZ, Yachting Australia membership has for as long as I remember, been mandatory for all racing. I am thankful for the YA's support in Multies during this time...... There support may not have been there however, if we did not have a Bundy and Ashby, like many other countries.

Even if we did not get their support with the Olympics, we still get support from both the YA and ISAF from assistance and financial support in shipping of boats internationally, international juries, to class web hosting, club insurance packages, junior development (mostly in monos but many cat sailors come from monos)..... and a lot more I have not though about.

I am very disappointed with the Olympic situation, but don't think it is a good idea to alienate ourselves from our national bodies or ISAF.... Unless we seriously have our $hit together and can do all this and more ourselves.

Agree.

I wonder if the American opposition to mandatory membership stems from America's roots of trying to get away from ruling monarchs, whereas in Australia we kind of expect to belong to a national association. Probably seeing as YA membership comes with yacht club membership makes it ia less painful and invisible, (only have to sign one check instead of two).

Whew! Good thing you don't write polls for a living!

Mark!?! After I got half way through answering every question I realized that maybe you want an answer to only ONE?

Is this correct?

Is there still time to edit/preface your poll?

Local Club and one National Class member

Simon,
I think a large number of americans think that their individual interest trumps the collective interest.

We celebrate the brave cowboy.. These individuals tamed the west, killed the indians, drove the cattle etc etc).
Its one of those ideal stories we grow up with.

Sailboat racing requires everyone to agree on how the game will be played...thus the club, regional, national and class levels. The game was created with the ideal that you played by the rules and called your own fouls. Very different then a refereed game... where you play the ref as much as your opponenent. If you mix the two cultures...you loose.

Your individual choice in rejecting USSA or your class association allows you to freeload on those that do the work and pay the dues.

USSA screwed up and used the concept mandatory... Not only does it inflame the rugged individualist in americans but it also neutered the fundamentals of Corinthian sailing that sport is based on.

Hi John

Yeah, I have no clue how to make an effective poll and I did not think this through.

My thought was to answer each question independently.

so far I am not surprised:

1/3 don't belong to their Class Association

1/2 don't belong to USSA.

Since its our colleagues who volunteer in these organizations... the question is WHY DON'T WE SUPPORT THEM?

Seems to me, you have no voice if you are not a member.

either you support the volunteers who step forward and lead... Or you join the organization, figure out what needs changing and do it.

Otherwise you freeload on the volunteers who need your support.

Mark

Well said, Mark. I am 1/2 Australian (and 1/2 yankee with bloodlines back to the Mayflower) but I was dumbstruck with my Aussi cousins conversation over the past 3 weeks. Everything seems to be moving in Australia to a Socialistic (Big Government / Council) model. My cousins didn't seem to notice or mind that

the Council

decides much of what goes on and who pays for it. Maybe that is why this signing on to a national presence in order to sail and race is not such a stretch for them? For me, (and only me) the actions of the Olympic Committee and US Sailing make it unlikely that I will ever race again except on an informal basis. I think you have it exactly right that this country is based on the individual. I read a theory awhile back that explained that most of the immigrants that came here took HUGE risks to do so and those qualities lead their children to be entreprenuers and risk-takers themselves. For people like that, the best thing you can do is keep government and regulation out of their way..... IMHO.

Fair winds,
Greg

I think most of us race on an

informal basis

, as I know only a few who are chasing pickle platters in order to land a paid (or sponsored) position on a boat.

Give me a brag flag and some good race stories, and I'll call my day complete...

I think this is the survey you meant to write....

Sailing International Governing Body (ISAF)
Yes
No

Sailing National Governing Body (e.g. USSAiling)
3+
2
1
None

Sailing Regional Governing Body
3+
2
1
None

Class Association National (e.g. Hobie NA)
3+
2
1
None

Class Association Local (Fleet)
3+
2
1
None

Yacht Club Membership
3+
2
1
None

Local Sailing Club or Organization
3+
2
1
None

How many different classes of boats do you race annually?
3+
2
1
None

What is the most you would willingly pay to the association you like best (excluding YCs and Clubs) to participate in structured sailing? (e.g. Hobie class etc)
60+
50-59
40-49
30-39
20-29

What is the name of that association?____________________

Check this box if you prefer to race only where possible, without paying any additional fees other than entry fees.

Incidentally, I just figured out how to join the Nacra class association. Dear god that website needs to be overhauled.

Hi Mark,

That was what I was trying to get at. I wasn't being critical at all. Just comparing the Australian attitude to the American one and trying to find a reason for it. Hell, when we were asked if we would like an australian to be head of state we collective said

no thanks, some lady on the other side of the planet who has no relevance to most australians will do

. I could never imagine that happening in the US.

You should both read about zero sum games and non-zero sum games.

Zero sum games are those where one player wins exactly what the other player looses, and vice-versa. It is a

kill or die

situation, entirely competitive strategies are required from the players.

Non-zero sum games are those where both players may win and loose different quantities, they can both win together, loose together, etc. It is a situation where the collective outcome can be maximized, something impossible in a zero sum game.

So: non-zero sum games require cooperation to achieve the best outcome, while zero sum games require competition to survive.

Cooperative strategies and competitive strategies aren't

right

or

wrong

, each one is appropriate for its type of game.

It is usually possible to identify a situation as a zero-sum game or not and adjust the behavior (strategy) accordingly. Regardless the opponent, in the case of a competitive strategy. In the case of a cooperative strategy, only when both players are aware of the game's nature and act accordingly. The decision to cooperate is consequently more complex than the decision to compete.

Most religions defend cooperation as a rule and competition as an exception, implying a vision that life itself is mostly a non-zero sum game. If one lives in a desert, however, life is mostly a zero sum game so this explains...

Well, I guess this is enough deviation from the subject. Let's go back to the subject:

I pay only the local club (USD 8.00 /month, about USD 100.00 /year).

The club is ISAF's MNA. There is also a federation created by the government and supposedly receives government funds. The federation's only

asset

is the IOC conexion, but only one local sailor ever made it to the Olympics, so who cares?