Hello everyone, I want to open a discussion about the new format testing ongoing by classes and WS. This theme opens a huge discussion among the athletes about how fair is a championship to be decided in medal series (Like IQ Foil/Kite), do you have any experience, or opinions about this new formats?
Personally I personally tried the medal series for the IQ foil last year, I liked the format, and how it could be attractive for non-sailors spectators but I don't think that all the classes can fit in this format
IQ Foil: after the opening series the last day of racing top 8 sailor partecipate in the medal series trought quarter final- semi final- Final
49er/nacra: (used at the world championship) first stage, as a normal regatta Qualifying and final series. Second stage, last race umpired for the top 20 boat and then the top 4 boats advance to final race where who finish first win the gold.
I'm sure the ancient Greeks had equivalent concerns in their own time. The Romans of course could always toss in a couple lions and tigers to keep things interesting and keep them coming back for more in the colosseum.
There was a recent ILCA 7 test event where the winners were decided by just ONE race (not a series) in a very shifty venue. The guy who won (Finn Lynch, Ireland) felt that he really didn't deserve to win because there was a course change that wasn't obvious to the two winners, and since the guy who had the best record during the week (Mickey Beckett, UK) ended up coming in third. There could be concerns with other classes and events; this is the only one I'm familiar with.
The general feeling is that this format is akin to giving the NBA championship or basketball gold medal to the first team to score a basket as opposed to the team that can score the most baskets over 48 minutes. Or giving a Wimbledon title (tennis) to the first player to score a point, or the British Open title (golf) to the player who performs best on the first hole. In other words, it awards a title to those who do well in a small segment of play, rather than sustained performance over time.
The concern is that viewers won't see sailing contests as being fairly decided, and thus they'll lose interest. These videos provide more background:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPEpUkOjEnl/
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DO3SJXZjEvL/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPdiANBCLOc/
Hope this helps to explain.
PS .. it's a complaint akin to baseball changing the playoffs and World Series to the NFL's single elimination and single-game Super Bowl format.
Given the dynamics of our "field of play" .. those are good points.
I've often described our sport to non-sailors as ....
"Imagine you are bowling .. but the bowling alley is constantly moving and undulating and each time they give you a different size and weight ball to roll down the alley. That's racing sailboats."