Too many reports?
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11166
Printed Date: 15 Jul 25 at 8:43am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Too many reports?
Posted By: Clive Evans
Subject: Too many reports?
Date Posted: 24 Oct 13 at 10:48pm
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Y+Y is such a great site and living in australia where there isn't as good a site makes you appreciate how important it is for the dinghy and yacht world. But are there too many reports? open meetings with 4 boats, nationals with 7. Could (or should) there be some guidelines as to when it is appropriate to report on an event? after all 4 boats is not a event, most clubs have 5-6 lasers out every week. I remember there are guidelines for how many placings to include for opens, nationals etc
Maybe I'm stepping out of line and what we really need is guidelines as to what can be posted!  ------------- Spiral 816 |
Replies:
Posted By: iitick
Date Posted: 24 Oct 13 at 11:21pm
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That is an excellent point Clive. I have written a number of race reports over the years with small numbers of participants. I do it in order to publicise a class in an attempt to increase the number of future entrants, I have a particular bee in my bonnet. I think this is justified as they are genuinely open events and deserve publicity. Advertising of coming events seems ok as well. I have also used this site to advertise my sailing club's open day. Probably this is not justified nor are all the other spurious club events that pop up. Perhaps limiting it to National events would be a good idea? Do we really want to know about so and so's Christmas Pudding Race or Scum Bag's University WKD persuit?
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Posted By: Ruscoe
Date Posted: 24 Oct 13 at 11:28pm
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I don't think there are too many reports, I just click and view the classes that are of interest to me. It's a bit like saying there are too many pages in a newspaper! ------------- |
Posted By: Jeepers
Date Posted: 24 Oct 13 at 11:35pm
| I guess, perhaps, the site could segregate event reports along the lines of olympic, international, national, local, youth. And then further, previews, advertising, and general tittle tattle. Then split that between yachts, dinghies, windsurfers. Subdivided by Uk events, US events, Aussie events...and so on. I absolutely agree, there's a load of debris there...but one man's debris is another man's ...er...non-debris, I suppose! |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 24 Oct 13 at 11:40pm
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In the old days you had to hit the numbers for the mag, but the website was more open, but nowadays of course there's very little in the magazine anyway. But you know, pixels are cheap, and it takes very little effort to scroll past a front page item. And heck, even a 4 boat open report probably is of more interests to some people than the same wordcount in forum posts.
And you know, what's big enough? There was an event recently which got a lot of coverage in which there were what, was it only 4 competing boats, one of which hardly started any races and another was hopelessly uncompetitive. I'm personally less comfortable with the upcoming events pseudo adverts and the various trade pieces rather than reports for smaller events, amd I'm not also enthused about club only events being reported, (bottle races? honestly!) but other people think differently I guess. Also I suspect if there are minimum numbers of boats to get an event posted it would just mean that some classes might be a bit economical with the old actualité. |
Posted By: Clive Evans
Date Posted: 24 Oct 13 at 11:44pm
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I know what you mean, I thought of sending a nationals report for my class in australia but i thought really who would care in the uk - its not a class that exists here after all ------------- Spiral 816 |
Posted By: ex laser
Date Posted: 24 Oct 13 at 11:47pm
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+ 1 with jim c and russ on this one.
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Posted By: Clive Evans
Date Posted: 24 Oct 13 at 11:48pm
ha ha yes the old A Smith went hard right and used his new set of XXX championship winnings sails to good effect. He was able to hike especially hard using his YYY regatta hikers and had a 20 metre lead by the first mark  ------------- Spiral 816 |
Posted By: Jeepers
Date Posted: 24 Oct 13 at 11:51pm
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"...I know what you mean, I thought of sending a nationals report for my class in australia but i thought really who would care in the uk - its not a class that exists here after all"
The site is "international" and there's plenty in the UK and elsewhere that might be interested. I followed the Korsar event at Garda earlier this year. Lovely boats, great venue, something different. And if people aren't interested...carry on scrolling! |
Posted By: Jeepers
Date Posted: 24 Oct 13 at 11:54pm
| Just noticed I've become a "Groupie". Too much forum-ing. Off to get a life. |
Posted By: Clive Evans
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 12:25am
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SO HAVE I! oh god! ------------- Spiral 816 |
Posted By: alstorer
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 6:42am
there was endless coverage recently of an event with only two boats!  As for the trade pieces, they're paid for. ------------- -_ Al |
Posted By: Daniel Holman
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 8:26am
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Does this mean that match races are not worth reading / knowing about? Nobody can be arsed to travel to regattas, now nobody can be arsed to read reports because there aren't hundreds of protagonists. We aren't living we are merely existing! Why don't we all get lobotomies and be drones? |
Posted By: winging it
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 8:31am
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Don't forget that clubs need media such as this to draw attention to their existence. That's why I put up reports on open days etc. Clubs are having to compete to draw in members so need to be seen to be active and enthusiastic. The front page of this site makes it very easy to sift the news you want, just press the right buttons! ------------- the same, but different... |
Posted By: davidyacht
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 9:43am
| I write a weekly report of Salcombe club racing for Y&Y, it is also copied to the local rag. I have been surprised by how many people who live away from Salcombe thank me for helping them to keep in touch with what is going on. I also think that coverage in the rag and Y&Y is a bit of motivation for youngsters (and oldsters) as they come through. I go with the view that you can skim through the stuff that you don't wish to read. |
Posted By: iitick
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 10:20am
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I wonder who won the Spiral 816 Nationals...........? |
Posted By: iansmithofotley
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 11:35am
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Hi everyone, Personally, I do not think that there are two many reports and I like to read them. There will never be too many for me. People can pick and choose whether or not they read them or not, it's personal choice. What I like to see is a reasonable summary of all of the racing at an event (not just the first race, which often happens), followed by a full list of the results. I like to see 'complete' results showing all of the boats that took part, the full names of the helms and crews (in dinghy racing), the clubs and sail numbers of all of the competitors. There are some things that I don't like such as the use of the annoying phrase 'a small but select fleet' which, to me, means that hardly anybody turned up and in any case who is to decide who is 'select'. If 'complete' results are shown then readers can see who and how many competitors took part. I think that it is important to use the full names of the helms and crew. I don't like to see just surnames being used or just the name of the helm. I like to see which clubs competitors belong to, so that I can see not only where they are from but, also, if people have changed clubs or joined others. It's nice to see sail numbers as it makes it easy to link crews with any photographs displayed. It is also nice to see who is sailing what boat, got a new boat or identify boats that you have owned, know or sailed against. I don't like to see reports where full names are not used in narratives or in results. Without full names, it means nothing to me that 'Janet and John made a good start in the first race' and 'David and Susan capsized at the windward mark', etc., if I do not know who these people are. To see results with 1st Janet and John, 2nd David and Susan, 3rd Sophie and Pete, etc., etc., is a complete turn off for me and I will probably not read the report. It can be a thankless task having to write a report, particularly if it is left to one of the competitors, typically the competitor who ended up 3rd overall (or whatever). In my view, it is impossible for a competitor to get an overall view of any race, and be able to remember it, when he/she is concentrating on their own race. I think that it is a good idea for event organisers to ask the Race Team (or club spectators) to make a few notes about each race so that a reasonable and balanced report can be compiled by whoever is tasked to do it - it makes the job easier. Everyone has different views on what should be contained in a report and the quantity of information provided. As mentioned previously, as in any magazine or forum, people can pick and choose what they want to read, providing the information is there. I like to read good reports as I like to see what is going on, not just in my own class but also in others. I suppose it depends on how keen people are on their chosen sport as to how much they read. Personally, I have little interest in yacht (big boat) racing or match racing so I tend not to read many reports covering these aspects of sailing. It is good to see photographs of races or events. Ian (Yorkshire Dales S.C.)
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Posted By: 2547
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 12:09pm
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The more reports the better ... Some previews are a bit lame though ...
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Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 12:26pm
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I'm far more likely to read a write up of something small and unusual than a big SMOD event. But then I'm likely to have written one, too. Small but select. Maybe that sums up the AC? Keep the write-ups coming, I say. Far better than no changes on the front page - that would soon have people not tuning in. ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: Clive Evans
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 1:16pm
Well if you are interested :) http://www.spiralsailing.org/files/Download/SpiralNationals2013RESULTS1.pdf ------------- Spiral 816 |
Posted By: iitick
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 2:44pm
| When I write reports I try to make them fairly general. I don't think that all this tack by tack is very interesting but each race usually has something interesting in it and worth reporting. I also use full names the first time I mention somebody and christian name thereafter. I have no idea who reads them other than the participants but then I also edit our club newsletter.....and no one reads that either. |
Posted By: laser4000
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 3:07pm
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this has to be the most ridiculous 'too many reports' report in recent memory http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/173071/Rydal-Penrhos-School-sailors-offered-places" rel="nofollow - http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/173071/Rydal-Penrhos-School-sailors-offered-places Kid goes to school, kid does some sailing at school, kid gets place in yet another squad.. If every school that did some sailing produced a report along the same lines that's all they'd ever be here...
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Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 3:16pm
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I've got no problem with that one - think about how those kids must feel about getting into the squad, and how it might inspire other kids who dabble in sailing at school to go on to do more if they read about it.
------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: gordon
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 3:33pm
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Here in Dublin I would always try and send a report when we have competitors from the UK - even from that bit that the British Olympic team forget when they talk about Team GB! ------------- Gordon |
Posted By: iitick
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 5:50pm
| Graduates had a nice day..........3 boats for an open. Mind you I read that and thought, are Grads past their peak of a few years ago? Has loosing their bandit status affected overall numbers? Perhaps that report was worth it because it made me think? |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 5:53pm
| I must admit if we were down to three boats for an open I might be tempted just to keep quiet! But the forecast was pretty nasty as I recall. I don't think there'll be many record turnouts at Opens this Sunday either... |
Posted By: iitick
Date Posted: 25 Oct 13 at 5:54pm
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I'm going riding in a minute......I was tempted to send a report, "iitick goes riding", but Mark may have spotted it. |