Quoted from SA

Good ol' Tornados. We've gotta get Cats back in the Games.

Some people are working very hard to try and make this happen.

Now that the Olympics are over I believe that you will see ISAF filing a petition to the IOC for an eleventh event at Weymouth.

If that fails:

I think the host country has a certain number of add-on events at their descretion.

The question is…will it be darts, cricket, or Tornados?

Or Snooker...

Elbow Bending At The Local.

SWEET - so I could be an Olympian after all!

How will they designate classes? Gender or how fat my postieror is?

The issue that needs to be addressed is not the equipment, but the addition of an eleventh event. Until that happens, equipment is not an issue.

Tom

don't you think that the appeal to the IOC for an extra sport will necessarily be pitched as a catamaran event.

Consequently, I think that the multihull world can't aford a pissing contest on equipment selection while also trying to get a new class onboard with an Olympic schedule.

The only class organized and committed to Olympic is the Tornado. They have ousted Mike G already and Carolyn B is a nice pretty and FEMALE face. Seems to me that the Tornado and its new leadership is the only hope for a return from the dead in London 2008.

Tornado or nothing for now. No value in confusing the issue at hand.

Mark,

I agree with the fact that the Tornado is the class to choose right now. As far as the petition goes, it is my understanding that it is specifically to address the removal of multihulls as a discipline from the olympics.

Now guys and girls the only way you are going to get a cat back into the olympics in this PC orientated world of ours is to, well go PC. Now PC states that boys and girls are equals so in reality there is only one cat class that is already set up, has multiple builders and costs way less than a Tornado and where a "brace" ( thats a boy and a girl to the uninformed ) can compete on equal grounds. Now which formulae class can that be I wonder. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Tornado would be the most straightforward arrangement after the debacle that we're in.

Where does the requirement come in that multiple builders are required? Does multiple locations throughout the world count?

Mike

Are there any true "formulae" classes of boats in the olympics currently? I thought they were all one-designs, except for maybe the windsurfers...

Which sort of goes back to the whole problem with "locking in" a certain configuration within a Formulae class to avoid people showing up with foils, Chupacabras or Whompers and destroying the competition.

Last time I checked the Chupacabra destroyed the medal chances of the owning crew, not the competition.

Wouter

Correct, but I was thinking more of something else that would trounce future competition. We've seen these items show up at oportune times to try to get a technological edge, and that's what Formulae racing allows.

So unless you "freeze" a certain platform within a development class, you'd most likely end up with dissimilar boats on the start line, which would be the source of all kinds of controversy

Freezing a certain platform design within a formulae class further fractures the development class into "olympic" and "non-olympic" groups, which then may force DPN rating changes and PHRF style handicaps which never truley level the field.

Am I off base here?

Strict one design equipment is an attempt to equalize the sailing environment so the competition is more about the athletes and less about other variables. The problem is: one design humans are rare. Any fixed equipment will favor those who better match the equipment's requirements. Think ideal weight, height, age, technical skill, flexibility, etc. This contributes to the development of a tight range of sailors who happen to adapt well to said requirements, but contributes nothing to the development of the sport itself - and still lives many variables opened.

I would compare this to an equestrian event where only horses cloned from a "one design horse" would be allowed. Horses (like boats!) have a character and behave different with different people. In the end, the ideal athlete would be genetically modified to match the cloned horse's features - and then, why not? - that rider would be cloned as well!

It makes more sense to allow enough space within the equipment rules to adapt the boat to the diversity of physical, technical and tactical characteristics displayed by humans. This is the type of amplitude that allowed Paul Elvstrom to finish 4th in a Tornado Olympics when he was about 60.

For me the concept of strict one design equipment is associated to a futile search for an "ideal" sailor with pre-conceived ideas about how he should be, think and, very important, what type of sailing he should like. I believe all types of athletes have a place in the Olympics, old, young, heavy, light, tall, short, handicapped, etc. Sailing is one of the few sports suitable for a really wide range of people/athletes. Taking advantage of this would be the natural thing to do.

All the best,

And the other problem is that those at the top THINK that one design boats are cheaper, but they are not (Much). With my involvement with Nicj Dewhirst and the rest of the people trying to get the Catamaran back into the Ollies, we know how many lasers the teams go thru as they only stay "sweet" for a very short period of time. It's a silly game played by people who are so out-of-touch with sailing that it makes me want to scream, but we have to play it by their rules....... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

This is a difficult issue for many to understand. A Tornado can remain at a competitive peak for an 8-12 year time frame. The 12 year is pushing it and you are rebuilding the boat by replacing the beams and even reseating them. A laser may have a life span of 1-2 years during an intensive campaign. Has anyone ever been to a sorting party for lasers? This is were you look at 20-40 different hulls, and about 100 different masts, sails, rudders, daggerboards and so on. The variation between each peice of equipment is so great that the best sailors are looking for the best equipment. One of the reasons that Marstrom became the dominant builder in this class was that his boats were better constructed and faster platforms. Over time this became the standard in the class. It is a shame because when I first started sailing T's Reg White was the boat. There are a lot of people who chime in on this debate without a complete understanding of all of the resounding issues. I applaud Nick for all that he and you UKCRA members have done on behalf of multihulls and the Olympics. The initial IOC petition that Nick sent has helped to get this back on the board with ISAF. IT is too early to tell whether this will end in an 11th event for 2012 or just the switch to a five disciplines approach for 2016.

Competitive life of a Laser hull is around 3-4 months.

Less than I thought.