Medal Race

Nah - that's not how it works in club racing, in junior champs, national champs or anywhere.  The medal race is ultimately sh*te because it's contrived bolleaux that was meant to make thing easier to understand, but accidentally promoted defensive match racing.  Scrap it and if you must, have a non-discardable finals race.  Anything else is just meddling (lets make the dressage event more exciting, by buring a number of anti-personnel mines slightly off-line - miss your mark and there's dog food everywhere!). 

Originally posted by Medway Maniac Originally posted by fudheid   To see percy and simpson sail the last leg on the port side when the fleet went right* was madness. They had the best speed they just made the wrong tactical decision in the medal race instead of relying on their skill and boatspeed. That simply illustrates my point: that even the best cannot predict the wind correctly every time.  Percy & Simpson had proved over the course of the week (to my satisfaction, at least) that they were on balance the fastest sailors, yet in a single race, things can go wrong.

Originally posted by Medway Maniac Originally posted by ASok Its that media friendliness and commerce that keeps funding pushed into the sport. Unfortunately its something you've just got to deal with. I've just got to deal with?  Just what does that funding do for me or the sport?   Does anyone enjoy doing it more because of the funding than Elvstrom and Co. did years ago?  I very much doubt it.   More likely if anything they just feel more pressure.  OK, the funding makes it all seem 'bigger' and more show-biz, but what does that have to do with the participants enjoying their sport?   Money invariably corrupts anything it's connected with.

Originally posted by Bootscooter   A proper champion is the one that comes out to in a variety of conditions, over a champ series. No need to change this.  If you're going to mess with sailing just for the olympics, why not have Reaching Races? Far more spectacular and fast?

Edited by Medway Maniac - 07 Aug 12 at 1:56pm

So what about a no discard series, that would be interesting. With the proviso that if someone breaks something and cannot finish the race then the race is abondoned and re-started. Similar to the way the rower who broke his seat got a restart.