I'm Tired of Handicapping System Complaints.
There have been a couple of discussions in the sailing community lately which force me to respond.
First, there are a lot of complaints, claims, and counter claims about various handicapping systems. In fact people have been complaining about PHRF, IMS and various "golf" handicap systems for years. It never changes. I get a little tired of it actually, but it's pretty easy to ignore.
When the loud mouth with nothing but his own intrests at heart, and who cannot possibly imagine that somebody else could be a better sailor, or even that it really doesn't matter who won, comes up to me in the clubhouse after the race and starts bitching about how he lost because the (PHRF, IMS, Golf, you name it) system is unfair to his boat, and that's why he lost and that's why he is quiting sailing, I just turn him off. Who cares if he is right or not about the rating, he's missing the point. Club racing (see my wingssail blog) is supposed to be fun. It's a recreation. It is not war. Your success or lack of it on the club race course does not establish your manhood, your value to humanity, your place in society, or your wealth. In club racing you go out and you try to do the best you can. If you and your crew do a great job you have fun and feel good. If you do a lousy job, you feel bad and then you say, "Oh Well, we'll have to work on that for next time, let's have a drink." You know who your competition is, and if he wins and you think it is the rating...so what. Go over to him and say "Congratulations, you guys were really fast today" When you see the big smile on his face it will make you feel good. Just don't mention the rating issue. You'll have more fun, have more friends, and you'll enjoy sailing a lot more.
What about those guys who supposedly buy the trophy with the hottest sails, equipment, pro crews, etc etc? Well, so what? You know they can out gun you, and you expect them to win. What you do then is, you try to get closer this week than you did last week. You know how you are doing, and that's what matters. And one of these days that guy is going to get bored and move off to some other venue.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I like to win, and I play the game alright. When we got to Hong Kong I told the handicapper a long tale of woe about how our boat wasn't fast anymore because of all the cruising equipment, and I gave a bunch of valid, but carefully selected statistics about how we compared to other boats, and it was all in fun, and he knew it, and we took the rating we got and we haven't complained. Now we've gotten to know the area and we've won a few races, and our rating is changing. Maybe we won't win so often. Do I care? Actually, it will be fine, I've won my share, I don't need to prove anything to these folks, and actually, it is much more important to me that the other guys have a good time too, because I need them to keep coming out so I can sail against them.
You know, I like it when another guy wins, then I get to make him feel good and then he's going to come back next week
Fred Roswold, SV WINGS, Hong Kong
First, there are a lot of complaints, claims, and counter claims about various handicapping systems. In fact people have been complaining about PHRF, IMS and various "golf" handicap systems for years. It never changes. I get a little tired of it actually, but it's pretty easy to ignore.
When the loud mouth with nothing but his own intrests at heart, and who cannot possibly imagine that somebody else could be a better sailor, or even that it really doesn't matter who won, comes up to me in the clubhouse after the race and starts bitching about how he lost because the (PHRF, IMS, Golf, you name it) system is unfair to his boat, and that's why he lost and that's why he is quiting sailing, I just turn him off. Who cares if he is right or not about the rating, he's missing the point. Club racing (see my wingssail blog) is supposed to be fun. It's a recreation. It is not war. Your success or lack of it on the club race course does not establish your manhood, your value to humanity, your place in society, or your wealth. In club racing you go out and you try to do the best you can. If you and your crew do a great job you have fun and feel good. If you do a lousy job, you feel bad and then you say, "Oh Well, we'll have to work on that for next time, let's have a drink." You know who your competition is, and if he wins and you think it is the rating...so what. Go over to him and say "Congratulations, you guys were really fast today" When you see the big smile on his face it will make you feel good. Just don't mention the rating issue. You'll have more fun, have more friends, and you'll enjoy sailing a lot more.
What about those guys who supposedly buy the trophy with the hottest sails, equipment, pro crews, etc etc? Well, so what? You know they can out gun you, and you expect them to win. What you do then is, you try to get closer this week than you did last week. You know how you are doing, and that's what matters. And one of these days that guy is going to get bored and move off to some other venue.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I like to win, and I play the game alright. When we got to Hong Kong I told the handicapper a long tale of woe about how our boat wasn't fast anymore because of all the cruising equipment, and I gave a bunch of valid, but carefully selected statistics about how we compared to other boats, and it was all in fun, and he knew it, and we took the rating we got and we haven't complained. Now we've gotten to know the area and we've won a few races, and our rating is changing. Maybe we won't win so often. Do I care? Actually, it will be fine, I've won my share, I don't need to prove anything to these folks, and actually, it is much more important to me that the other guys have a good time too, because I need them to keep coming out so I can sail against them.
You know, I like it when another guy wins, then I get to make him feel good and then he's going to come back next week
Fred Roswold, SV WINGS, Hong Kong
posted by wingssail at 12:15 AM
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