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Team Racing for the Olympics |
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JohnJack
Far too distracted from work Joined: 12 Mar 13 Online Status: Offline Posts: 246 |
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Topic: Team Racing for the Olympics Posted: 07 May 13 at 1:49pm |
With a weekend of frantic, close to shore, exciting action at West Kirby in the Wilson Trophy. Is't it time that Team Racing was considered for the Olympics?
I didn't get down there this year but have been to watch it the past few years, it is something that is very watchable, full of edge of the seat action. Fleet racing and Match racing can be a bit boring for the non sailor, I know, I live with one. However team racing is fast and frenetic where the result can be decided in a second. It can close to sure (West Kirby Marine Lake), even inland, is easier to cover on TV, is eaiser to have mixed teams, involves more athletes, is relatively cheap. Everyone always comments about how exciting watching Ainsle sail Schiebt out of a Gold was, and personally I think that's the best Olympic sailing I have seen to date So then, why not? |
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Quagers
Far too distracted from work Joined: 24 Oct 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 279 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 May 13 at 5:50pm |
It comes down to the fact that IOC sets a maximum number of medals and athletes a sport is allowed to hand out. As team racing teams are 6, this would severely limit either the number of countries that could enter or would require fewer classes.< id="adlesse_unifier_magic_element_id" style="display:none;">
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Rupert
Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 May 13 at 7:39pm |
Other team sports seem to manage this, so if the will was there, I'm sure it could be worked out. However, I suspect it is all too radical for the powers that be, and to be fair, isn't a mainstream activity outside of uni. Mind, skiff sailing is hardly mainstream, is it?
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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Presuming Ed
Really should get out more Joined: 26 Feb 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 641 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 May 13 at 9:28pm |
Can you imagine trying to explain a mark trap to non-sailors?
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alstorer
Really should get out more Joined: 02 Aug 07 Location: Cambridge Online Status: Offline Posts: 2899 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 May 13 at 10:20pm |
"it's a bit like an offside trap" I know it isn't at all like that, but there's the opening gambit. |
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Al |
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Quagers
Far too distracted from work Joined: 24 Oct 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 279 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 May 13 at 10:23pm |
Thats because for other team sports the team is integral to the sport, I can't think of any sports in the Olympics with as many disciples as sailing and also has large team competitions. It also depends on how important IOC deems the sport to be how many medals it gets.< id="adlesse_unifier_magic_element_id" style="display:none;">
Also Ed has a point, for a sport where the fine details of the rules are so important explaining it to a non sailor would be a nightmare.
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Rupert
Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 08 May 13 at 8:48am |
Gymnastics? Cycling? Both have team medals for various bits of it, but not a Goodies bike in sight!
As for the rules, if we went the route of only allowing sports where the rules are easily understood by an outsider, then we would lose half the sports in there. Golf and Rugby 7's are in for 2016 - hardly obvious in the detail, are they? "That unknown bloke has just been disqualified for moving his ball 2 inches, but Tiger Woods over there is a big crowd draw, so he has been docked 2 shots for moving his to a totally different place and then lying about how many times he has hit the ball with his stick." |
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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JohnJack
Far too distracted from work Joined: 12 Mar 13 Online Status: Offline Posts: 246 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 08 May 13 at 9:00am |
I don't think it is that complicated, the basic rules aren't impossible to grasp, not beyond some snazzy animated graphics and a good commentator, rather than some everysport commentator sitting next to an expert as sailing usually gets.
Its no more complicated than Rugby or some of the Marshall arts Just think the current fleet racing gets a bit dull where the best action is usually at the start or at mark rounding if boats are close together. Usually its a little processional at the front. There seems to be an obsession with speed in sailing as a whole (Americas Cup (not the series) is an example). I don't think it makes for a good sport to watch. Match racing, very technical when the boats are close together, but the never were and frankly very dull over the hour+ a single race took. As far as medals are concerned, Sailing has no where near as many as some sports (Rowing has Singles,Doubles,Pairs,Quads,Coxless Fours & Eights both male and female so that is 14, 48 athletes in all at each colour) |
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pondmonkey
Really should get out more Joined: 12 Aug 11 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2202 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 08 May 13 at 9:48am |
The big problem is you risk alienating the one genuine audience sailing does have... sailors. Many sailors have never team raced, the concept is totally alien whereas they can at least relate to the fleet race.
I used to team race at uni- loved it, thought it was far better than fleet racing and I always believed it would be a far better discipline for 'joe public' to watch. Of course what I hadn't appreciated was that of course I enjoyed watching it- they were my friends and competitors, and seeing who/how/what happened in another race could influence who we would be sailing next. Throw in a good dose of camraderie from 'representing a university' or a 'youth team' and it's a great way to continue sailing through those years. Now when I watch team racing I don't find it so interesting. In fact, the slight changes in the rules/interpretations since I last competed in a team race (c.2002/3 as an 'old boy') mean that I find the tactics difficult to follow. Maybe it's even changed again. For all the knocking of the commentator, I thought the coverage of the Olympic regatta was pretty awesome last year. I thought the racing was, in the main, exciting to watch- especially the Finns, 470s and Star and frankly, any further deviation from a classic regatta format risks turning the olympic sport into a bit of joke. That would be the risk of introducing team racing into this mix. The match racing went down so well it can canned from Rio before it had even had a chance to showcase itself in Weymouth- and tbh, it really wasn't as good to watch as I had hoped, only slightly more interesting than the 49er...
Edited by pondmonkey - 08 May 13 at 9:51am |
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gordon
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Sep 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1037 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 08 May 13 at 12:06pm |
The Olymics can run using 24 Fireflies.
Big rig (the Americans have extended the mast and fitted a gnav) Men's 2 handed and heavy-weight single-handed event Normal rig Womens 2 handed and light-weight men's single handed Storm sails women's single-handed. All sailors (one reserve) then compete in a team racing event over 2 days. 8 proper sailing events leaving a few medals spares for the air-rowers KISS |
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Gordon
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