Post
by TOG » Fri Sep 02, 2005 11:17 pm
As a longstanding competitor at the few events in this region, and others, I'm a little disturbed by some of the comments posted about the most recent Fairnilee event.
Criticism has been levelled at the organisation of certain aspects of the event, though I'm heartened to see that correspondents enjoyed the racing itself. For my own part, I was most unhappy that younger, fitter, lighter people paddling better equipment were generally quicker than me. Much of this is to do with lack of water and I plan to take this up with the organisers of the event......
Despite the fact that the event was very well supported - 7/8 competitors in 2C1, which sadly is usually inquorate - only 17 entries were received on time. By Saturday 50+ entries were being dealt with and final Div 2 results alone account for 26 K1M, 13 K1W and 7C1. Even allowing for multiple entries, this implies a considerable number of entries arriving late from paddlers who should know better. The whole point of entering on time is to allow the organisers to organise, based on the level of entries received. This is exactly what they did.
While it's perfectly true that late fees aren't charged to Div 3/4 competitors, this isn't a get-out clause: in my experience many club 3/4 paddlers, especially juniors, are accompanied/taken to events by higher ranked paddlers/coaches who have experience of events over the years and are aware of the vagaries of the situation. Again, they ought to be assisting organisers by getting entries in on time - it's called teaching good habits - without reference to whether or not penalties will be imposed. The organiser's discretion has always seemed to me reasonable in the sense that it encourages a few last-minute entries where perhaps minds/arrangements have not been made up until late in the day, rather than a blanket it's-ok-not-to-bother-entering-on-time-cos-it's-only-lower-divs.
I witnessed the efforts the organisers had to make on Saturday to try and provide toilets for the unexpected, un-entered numbers. This involved the unheralded re-emergence of the famous Fairnilee Toilet Tent and a lot of amount of dashing around in a car picking up chemicals. I do think it rather unfair to lay blame at the door of the organising club: whilst appreciating the annoyance /frustration felt by those who'd entered in time, I think we really have to look towards the large numbers of people who didn't.
Lastly, not everyone who attends Fairnilee in August is heading towards Grandtully the following weekend. Fairnilee is an event in its own right, not just a stopover; it ought to be celebrated as such.