Can't wait! Leave on the 26th sept and we are there til 17th October for more races.
Training once again in full swing!!
I also heard a rumor today that the distance race at BOP is now changed aswell, main class for men is 14ft and main class for women 12'6. This is great news!!
Looking forward it and can't wait :)
X Angie
angie pangi said...
I also heard a rumor today that the distance race at BOP is now changed aswell, main class for men is 14ft and main class for women 12'6. This is great news!!
So that's the same for the Hennessy WPA distance race. I imagine some of the women might be a little peeved to be outgunned by the men with board length.
Hey PT, yeh it's also the same for The Battle of the Bay race In San Fran.
Seems to be reoccurring trend over there now.
I think it's great as it puts all the elite guys in one class and all the elite girls in one class.
In the past it's been impossible for the girls that travel from so far away to take a 14 ft and 12'6.
This way it's all sorted. I don't mind doing 9mile races on a 12'6 but I'm sure some will not be happy.
X Angie
angie pangi said... I don't mind doing 9mile races on a 12'6 but I'm sure some will not be happy.
Yes, at home, I'd always prefer to paddle the longer distance races on a 14ft board ahead of a 12'6 as, being heavier than most/all of the other girls, i find my weight is less of a disadvantage on a 14.
BUT when it comes to big international races, I think its perfect that the girls elite class is 12'6 for the distance races as it makes it so much easier to travel with one board for all races. In the past, I know the Aussie girls who've gone to BOP and the Quiksilver race in Hawaii have been disappointed that they couldn't race up against the top overseas girls in the distance races as they didn't have access to bigger boards to be in the same class for the distance race, so this way works a lot better for us.
Sometimes practicality needs to take precedence over personal preference and I think the BOP organisers (and those organising the other races) have got it right!
I would say there could be some men peeved about having to travel with 2 boards to race in the elite class when the girls only need to travel with one!
It certainly starts to get frustrating when the necessity of overseas travel complications impact upon standards and formats for local events where travel is not a factor. I don't think there's any doubt that 99% of men would much prefer to be on a 14' board in a distance race (at least 14'). Personally, I prefer 14' for distance but I know I would be more competitive on 12'6" if everyone else had to paddle 12'6". But I also know there would be a mutiny on the beach if we made our local distance races 12'6" for the men.
So a question for all the women of Seabreeze: what would you say if we standardized all women's racing to 12'6"?
PTWoody said... So a question for all the women of Seabreeze: what would you say if we standardized all women's racing to 12'6"?
I wouldn't like it, as per my reason stated above, but if race organisers choose to limit all women's racing to 12'6 then whatever they say goes and I would compete regardless.
I just probably wouldn't have as much fun or be able to be as competitive.
Seems the trend is that future races will be mainly 14's - so lets see if the ladies division doesn't follow suit next year. We advise the ladies here to go on 14's - also from a resale point of view and it's working - everyone races same size board across divisions and can compare themselves.
12'6 For All !!
It would be extremely interesting to see the board designs, if it was 12'6 for all...
I have a two slightly radical board designs in my head.
But I think 14 is entrenched.
Where did the 14 footers originate from anyway!?
Who was first to produce a 14 footer?
serious dw ing and 12'6 dw racing is hard work, require lots of skill and best for strong intermediate, advanced and elite paddlers imo.
to get more people into it and learn how to dw easier, keep the 14' classes in there
The BOP will be huge this year and I will be there spectating. My two cents on 12'6"s vs 14's; We rarely have winds over 10 knots in SoCal, "downwind conditions" almost never happen and the benefits of 14's are mostly lost. As the sport grows and riders get younger and lighter, the added length is really no benefit. I paddle flatwater a lot and I never see a 14. Sure, I see a few in the ocean and racers have them, but for recreational riders they make no sense. SoCal is the driving force in US stand up, we're BOP crazy and we like 12'6"s.
Laceys Lane makes a great point, it takes more skill to ride a 12'6" in a distance / downwind race; shouldn't that be what elite racing is all about?
baddog said... The BOP will be huge this year and I will be there spectating. My two cents on 12'6"s vs 14's; We rarely have winds over 10 knots in SoCal, "downwind conditions" almost never happen and the benefits of 14's are mostly lost. As the sport grows and riders get younger and lighter, the added length is really no benefit. I paddle flatwater a lot and I never see a 14. Sure, I see a few in the ocean and racers have them, but for recreational riders they make no sense. SoCal is the driving force in US stand up, we're BOP crazy and we like 12'6"s.
Laceys Lane makes a great point, it takes more skill to ride a 12'6" in a distance / downwind race; shouldn't that be what elite racing is all about?
Great points. I'm all for women's 12'6ft classes
X Angie
baddog said...
Laceys Lane makes a great point, it takes more skill to ride a 12'6" in a distance / downwind race; shouldn't that be what elite racing is all about?
It takes a lot of skill to paddle a 14ft board fast in distance/downwind racing too, sure the elite few can paddle 12'6 fast in anything but what about the majority that would find longer boards more enjoyable, and sports that cater to the majority seem to grow and survive the best,
12'6 is great for technical/BOP racing in and out through the surf, 14 and above for the open ocean imo
baddog said...
Laceys Lane makes a great point, it takes more skill to ride a 12'6" in a distance / downwind race; shouldn't that be what elite racing is all about?
It takes a lot of skill to paddle a 14ft board fast in distance/downwind racing too, sure the elite few can paddle 12'6 fast in anything but what about the majority that would find longer boards more enjoyable, and sports that cater to the majority seem to grow and survive the best,
12'6 is great for technical/BOP racing in and out through the surf, 14 and above for the open ocean imo
Exact same argument going on over on the Zone. A point well made on that thread is that you can push elite categories and board lengths all you like but if the sport doesn't grow exponentially and become truly mainstream and attractive to media and well-resourced non-industry multi-national sponsors (Kelloggs, Coca Cola etc), then the elites will be racing in front of an empty beach, there will be no prize money, no acclaim, no interest and a dying sport. By establishing categories and board lengths that promotes inclusion for the largest number of participants, the sport grows, media takes an interest, sponsors step up, and at the end of the day, the elites prosper. So to the extent that the elites have an influence over these decisions, they need to ask themselves if they are happy to remain big fish in a small pond.
We have to reduce the number of classes and get more people racing against each other. To grow the sport we need to get more people involved, but if they have to buy two different length boards to stay competitive I don't think for most that would be possible. Certainly it helps to have the one size also for any traveling. We already have to carry at least two, maybe four boards to every race because we go as a family nearly everywhere. I would much prefer one class of 12'6 and for those longer races maybe the distance changes not the board length. Downwinders are still great run on a 12'6.
There are so few women as it is, why spread them out into more classes.
Some good points Mossie, although perhaps only pertinent to women when you talk about getting more people involved. The feedback I've experienced is that 12'6" for long distance racing would result in significant numbers of men choosing NOT to participate. If it can be shown that 12'6" as the only board length for women would not adversely impact the numbers of women participating, then the other benefits you mention become worth considering. But as I say, if we were to impose a 12'6" limit on men for distance races, that would be like the sport shooting itself in the foot.
Agree 100% PT, It was my wife speeking from her point of view on my phone, she just forgot to change the login. It is only the women that should maybe have one class until the numbers are enough to have more.
DJ
