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nutonthetiller
Newbie Joined: 17 Aug 08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 30 |
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Topic: Medal Race Posted: 09 Aug 12 at 2:36pm |
How about changing the Medal Race format to a pursuit, with the boats starting based on performance in the series? That way the first boat to finish would win the gold.
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David Villiers
Newbie Joined: 14 Jan 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 16 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 12 at 11:28am |
So its the price we pay for getting money into our sport, why then with all this cash washing about are fleets generally world wide getting smaller?
Is all this cash just going on the few?
I would give zero points for a race win.
Revert to proper length races (at least 1.5 hours) which would take the pressure off the starts which are currently far too important.
Revert to the old style Olympic course Long beat, reach, reach beat run repeated and finishing on a final beat.
Do away with turns and just sail and race clean, or pay the ultimate penalty.
All races to count.
Certainly ditch the medal race which isn't even more televisual just shorter so it fits between ad' breaks on the telly!
Run all races in an area with no land influence on tide or wind.
Fingers crossed that today's 470 medal races are not effected as the Stars and Finns were.
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David Villiers-Child
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Bootscooter
Really should get out more Joined: 15 May 07 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1094 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 12 at 11:34am |
*Stands and applauds*
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JimC
Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6649 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 12 at 12:21pm |
So back to the "good" old days of two hour tows out to the racecourse. What fun...
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Bootscooter
Really should get out more Joined: 15 May 07 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1094 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 12 at 12:35pm |
There's not been 2hr tows to the race areas at Weymouth.
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JimC
Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6649 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 12 at 12:51pm |
I'd hesitate to describe Weymouth Bay as being out of the influence of the land - especially in a breeze with any north in... Edited by JimC - 10 Aug 12 at 1:02pm |
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Bootscooter
Really should get out more Joined: 15 May 07 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1094 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 10 Aug 12 at 1:31pm |
Thats fair, but I think the context of the discussion in in regards to the Nothe course.
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Chris 249
Really should get out more Joined: 10 May 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2041 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 11 Aug 12 at 12:00am |
Dump the penalty turns so that you spend four years and hundreds of ks and lose it all on one mis-judged cross? Harsh! What's wrong with penalty turns and why create more situations where the sailor who is better 99.99% of the time comes away with no medal? Why increase the difference between club sailors and the others?
It could be said that racing in confined waters is making the Olympic sailing more relevant to rank-and-file sailors, compared to the old clinical style of big courses in open waters where speed apparently ruled.
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gordon
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Sep 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1037 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 11 Aug 12 at 11:22am |
Most of thecontestants in the medal races are sailing full time. Their lifestyle (which may not be that luxurious) is financed by the funds provided by sponsors and grant authorities (including, for the GBR sailors, Lottery money).
That money is only available because the public are fed images, both moving and still, of the sailors in action. Full time sailing depends upon obtaining media time. If racing on a shifty, tidebound course is what is required to get the media attention (remember the real story of the Weymouth medal races was the crowds on th Nothe) then, unfortunately, the sailors will have to live with it. |
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Gordon
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Medway Maniac
Really should get out more Joined: 13 May 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 2788 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 11 Aug 12 at 11:32am |
Which raises the question of whether we need or want full-time sailors racing at the Olympics? Whatever happened to the Corinthian spirit?!
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