Re: Regatta capacity (English and Welsh bias)

I suspect that it is a combination of factors.

Most Juniors, whilst they may no longer be Novice, will have 0 points

In the Thames Valley, which accounts for 41% of Registered members, the
standard of the top Junior crews is such that they are likely to be
competitive even at S2

This means that the senior novice, having won his novice pot finds
himself facing crews who have three or four years of racing under their
belts. For some adults, the concept of being soundly beaten by J16's or
full juniors is enough to drive them out of the sport.

The other factor is training inflation. As has been discussed in other
threads, the commitment requirements necessary to win at S2 level and
above are such that many look for an alternative activity that does not
demand 15hours of training a week.

One solution might be to amend the qualifying rule. Perhaps a S3 event
should be qualifying when there are three crews and S2 this should be
moved up to four etc.

With many more and more crews racing in multi lane regattas, another
way to look at the problem might be to grade the number of points you
get on the basis of the crews that you beat. A win in a six lane final
with out heats = 1 point. In an event with more than seven entries, ie
heats and finals = 2 points for the winner and 1 for second place. This
would apply to open and S1 events only.

.

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