Boat Performance Index

Originally posted by Woodburner I always found the term 'National Champion' a bit lame if the event had less than 100 competitors from all parts of the country,

Slightly off topic, however there is (In my opinion) only one summer handicap race.....The Lord Birkett.  If that is not a celebration of the British Handicap racing dinghy scene, then I don't know what is!   

One year I'll do the Birkett, probably when the kids have left home, the way it is going.

Chris, I understand that cycling has recognized disciplines and the like - it was just the "One National Champion" I was referring to in that post. I could as easily have used athletics. Is dinghy sailing like the long jump, say, and sailing as a whole like athletics - so dinghies the long jump, yachts the shot put, windsurfing the 400m, or is each dinghy like an athletics event?

If the former, then we don't have a champ. If the latter, then we have a champ for each disipline, just like athletics does.

Anyway, not sure why I'm arguing against the oddity of National Champions. For me, being Class Champion is far more sensible. Just takes a change of a word and a huge change in mind set. National Champions would then come from a revamped National Classes list and from the International classes, if they have a big enough showing in the UK. Or maybe simply from classes that have a 5 year rolling average of 50+ at the Nationals.

So, I am Minisail Class Champion, not Minisail National Champion, which clearly gives far too much kudos to such a small event.

The Y&Y tables would need to be split, of course. In fact, I could see Y&Y being the leader in this change of outlook. Events would need to brand themselves Class Championships, not National, and it would take some Y&Y editing of events publicity to make this happen!

Originally posted by Rupert One year I'll do the Birkett, probably when the kids have left home, the way it is going. Chris, I understand that cycling has recognized disciplines and the like - it was just the "One National Champion" I was referring to in that post. I could as easily have used athletics. Is dinghy sailing like the long jump, say, and sailing as a whole like athletics - so dinghies the long jump, yachts the shot put, windsurfing the 400m, or is each dinghy like an athletics event? If the former, then we don't have a champ. If the latter, then we have a champ for each disipline, just like athletics does. Anyway, not sure why I'm arguing against the oddity of National Champions. For me, being Class Champion is far more sensible. Just takes a change of a word and a huge change in mind set. National Champions would then come from a revamped National Classes list and from the International classes, if they have a big enough showing in the UK. Or maybe simply from classes that have a 5 year rolling average of 50+ at the Nationals. So, I am Minisail Class Champion, not Minisail National Champion, which clearly gives far too much kudos to such a small event. The Y&Y tables would need to be split, of course. In fact, I could see Y&Y being the leader in this change of outlook. Events would need to brand themselves Class Championships, not National, and it would take some Y&Y editing of events publicity to make this happen!

Well afaik there are only 11 National Classes adopted or allegedly administered by the RYA, they haven't taken a new one on in donkeys years, by my guess the Scorpion is the youngest but I could be wrong they're mostly before even my windsurfing time.