Dan,
Right on!
All your comments regarding small teams certainly apply to us at SJC. For us
a very well attended practice is 4 or 5 boats. Getting enough out to practice
3-on-3 just wouldn't happen. And while we've, (so far), only been able to
attend
the MD 2-on-2, it is one of the most fun and eagerly anticipated regattas we go
to, (along with MAISA Club Champs, which OCC has done a really great job hosting
for quite a few years). And I think you have hit on the reason why precisely:
both the 2-on-2 and Club Champs are mainly sailed for fun, which is what our
club
is all about. Let's face it, we only practice 2 days a week, for about 1 1/2
hours
each day, if we're lucky. So if we can sail mid-fleet of the second tier, we're
pretty happy. Luckily, the last few years, we've been gifted with a few pretty
talented sailors who had a good bit of youth sailing experience, and they
brought
the level of the team up to closer to the top of the second tier. Many of them
are graduating this May, so I expect the next year or two will be a
team-rebuilding
effort. Be that as it may, they all seem to have fun, and regattas like the MD
2-on-2
are what keeps it that way.
Thanks so much for advocating for the club teams. It's very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Skip
--
L.C. (Skip) Kovacs
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] home tel: 301-392-9835
mail: 9825 Hope Acres Rd SJC work: 410-263-2371 ext.2008
White Plains, MD 20695 NRL work: 202-767-3013
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
While the top MAISA teams were sailing in the semis, there was another
regatta being sailed at the U.S. Military Academy. For nearly all of MAISA it was
pretty meaningless regatta. Rochester Institute of Technology failed to
qualify for the America and didn’t sail in the Grant. CNU made it to the America
and finished only 16th. The Royal Military College failed to make the America
and didn’t sail the Grant. Maryland finished 17th in the America. And, Army
placed 4th at the Grant. What a bunch of losers! So, how was it that many
there called this the most fun they had ever had in college racing?
If this had been a fleet race regatta the same teams would have been up
front and the same teams would have been at the back in every race. And just five
teams? The big guys will tell you that you don’t have an event worth
mentioning if you don’t have 18 teams. The more teams the better the regatta, right?
Ignore the fact that 20 seconds into the big events the fleet has already
divided in half with the usual caste of characters in each group. So, why was
the Army 2-on-2 such a good regatta as far as the competitors were concerned?
I suggest two reasons. First, there was nothing on the line, no
qualification, no bragging rights, no bitter rivalries. Second, it was the 2-on-2 format.
Every team had center stage in eight races. Every team won at least one race.
While the courses were not the best due to the difficulty in setting courses
in 80 feet of water, all the racing could be viewed from shore and nearly
every race was interesting.
I contend that the goals for MAISA should be two-fold. We want to win in the
name of MAISA and do all we can to make this so. But it is also the
obligation of MAISA to strive just as hard to make the collegiate sailing experience
meaningful and enjoyable for ALL participants. MAISA is run for the most part
by the coaches of the big teams whose attention and efforts have become more
and more centered on their quest for the nationals. Thus, MAISA tends to
legislate what is good for the big guys and often ignores what is good for the
little guys. But what is good for the big guys isn’t necessarily good for the
little guys. 3-on-3 team racing is a good example.
It is simply a fact that only the top few teams are going to be able to
field competitive 3-on-3 teams. Many can’t even get six boats out in a practice.
Just having three boats does not make a team. The complexity of 3-on-3 racing
also makes it hard for teams that may only practice one or two days a week.
The 2-on-2 concept was introduced to offer an alternative for the smaller
teams. Thus far it has had mixed success. I think this is only because many haven
’t even tried it and the number of opportunities has been limited. But the
2008 Army 2-on-2 illustrated what is possible. CNU, Maryland and Army are the
only teams who have offered these events, but Washington College has
expressed some interest. As one of the larger, more successful teams, their
involvement can be a major boost and as more schools give 2-on-2 a try I think we
will see it grow. Another plus for 2-on-2 racing is that a host doesn’t have to
have a large fleet of boats. There are only four boats in any race.
If 2-on-2 racing does grow there will have to be some restrictions. This can’
t be yet another opportunity for the 6th & 7th skippers from the big teams
to kick the little guys around and while some of the big teams do send
comparable sailors to the smaller events, others are only looking for another notch
in their belts. 2-on-2 racing can offer not just another racing format. It
may be just the kind of racing that will make collegiate sailing for the
smaller teams more appealing and, thus, boost participation by those teams. As we
approach scheduling for 2009, let’s give this discipline more attention.
Dan WintersCNU
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