Rowing Illustrated

Is anyone else disappointed in the way USRowing set up the summer championships this year? By eliminating the intermediate and senior categories and combining the open events with national team trials they have removed most opportunities for club athletes to race at the regatta (unless they want to enter trials). Is USRowing's opinion that after you turn 23 years old if you aren't trying to make the national team, you are done racing 2k?
I'm having trouble seeing how the new format grows the sport.

Aligning with World Rowing

If Masters goes to flights then they are on the same page as world rowing

If you win the National Championship you get to represent the USA in some events. Not a bad idea

lt.wolf wrote:Aligning with World Rowing

If Masters goes to flights then they are on the same page as world rowing

If you win the National Championship you get to represent the USA in some events. Not a bad idea

Once they did away with 2 out of 3 finals selection, it was just an extra race with extra expense. WIth a single final threshold, it's far easier to quarantine it from foreign entries and save the duplicated efforts. When you're nearly bankrupt, everything looks like a good cut. They're not wrong.

USRowing Entry Packet wrote:The following boat categories will be contested as U.S. National Team Trials Events (“Trials Events”). International competitors are NOT eligible to enter events classified as Trials Events.

M1x, W1x, LM1x, LW1x, LM2-, LW2 -, M2x, W2x, LM2x, LW2x, LM4x, LW4x, M2-, W2-, PR1M1x, PR1W1x, PR2W1x, PR2M1x, PR2Mixed2x, PR3M2-, PR3W2-, PR3Mixed2x

my interpretation was that entry into the "trials" event was still open to everyone, but that you'd only be a "trials participant" if you met the additional requirements (ecg, passport, anti-doping). even still, it doesn't bode well for club athletes. if I'm a older-than-23 men's single that goes ~7:15 in flat water, now there's a good chance I don't make it out of the time trial. if I'm going 7:30? forget about it. it's cool that winning a domestic championship awards a national team spot and we don't need a structure so that everyone has a chance at a medal. but people might enjoy, you know, actually being able to race.

I guess that means some non-trials participants will be racing trials events under trials rules...!

lt.wolf wrote:Aligning with World Rowing

If Masters goes to flights then they are on the same page as world rowing

If you win the National Championship you get to represent the USA in some events. Not a bad idea

I think that combining trials with the national championships is a good idea. It brings the best athletes to the championships, and winning has real significance. Where I think USRowing missed the mark is eliminating the intermediate and senior categories at the same time. In practice, for trials events, USRowing is holding national team trials in place of national championship. I suspect participation will be way down.

If USRowing Masters National Championships goes to flights, I'll be inconsolable. There's a reason the FISA event is called "World Rowing Masters Regatta" and not "World Rowing Masters Championships."

teo wrote:my interpretation was that entry into the "trials" event was still open to everyone, but that you'd only be a "trials participant" if you met the additional requirements (ecg, passport, anti-doping). even still, it doesn't bode well for club athletes. if I'm a older-than-23 men's single that goes ~7:15 in flat water, now there's a good chance I don't make it out of the time trial. if I'm going 7:30? forget about it. it's cool that winning a domestic championship awards a national team spot and we don't need a structure so that everyone has a chance at a medal. but people might enjoy, you know, actually being able to race.

I think the entry packet is ambiguous on this. I emailed USRowing to get clarification and never heard back. I'm not certain that USRowing thought through all the implications. Did they want to limit partication in the championships to people with current ECGs and passports? On the other hand, do they want people who aren't national team hopefuls potentially interfering with trials?

In any case, in the entry process, there's no way to indicate a desire to be a "trials participant."

Losing the in between categories really sucks. HRR does it right (and other regattas/major events) you can have club-intermediate-elite. Nobody is going to mistake winning Club 8s for winning the Grand, but it gives people/programs realistic goals to train for. Hopefully the other categories make it back in the future and this is just a COVID thing to make the event smaller.

bencoolb wrote:Is anyone else disappointed in the way USRowing set up the summer championships this year? By eliminating the intermediate and senior categories and combining the open events with national team trials they have removed most opportunities for club athletes to race at the regatta (unless they want to enter trials). Is USRowing's opinion that after you turn 23 years old if you aren't trying to make the national team, you are done racing 2k?
I'm having trouble seeing how the new format grows the sport.

I think combining the regatta with trials is a good idea. Win a national championship, go to worlds. Done.

To the bolder, they aren’t saying you’re done racing 2k. They’re saying you’re done winning national championships. Nobody said you can’t enter and race. It sounds like you’re a bit more upset you can’t enter and win.

I am a big believer we have way to many opportunities to be a “national champion” in the US. Anytime we can get closer to just crowning one I am happy.

Siding with Mango here.

For far too long, it has been too easy to earn a medal at a national championship.

There are other regattas all summer long. If you want to race, you have plenty of opportunities. If you want to win a national championship and truly conquer all, there is nothing stopping the deserving athletes from doing that.

FullSend wrote:Losing the in between categories really sucks. HRR does it right (and other regattas/major events) you can have club-intermediate-elite. Nobody is going to mistake winning Club 8s for winning the Grand, but it gives people/programs realistic goals to train for. Hopefully the other categories make it back in the future and this is just a COVID thing to make the event smaller.

Does USRowing think there is/was something broken with the intermediate/senior/elite?
If we get rid of club why not get rid of masters?

Beyond the competition part, i bet entries will be lower which = less income.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

sandor wrote:

FullSend wrote:Losing the in between categories really sucks. HRR does it right (and other regattas/major events) you can have club-intermediate-elite. Nobody is going to mistake winning Club 8s for winning the Grand, but it gives people/programs realistic goals to train for. Hopefully the other categories make it back in the future and this is just a COVID thing to make the event smaller.

Does USRowing think there is/was something broken with the intermediate/senior/elite?
If we get rid of club why not get rid of masters?

Beyond the competition part, i bet entries will be lower which = less income.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Money is from the juniors.

Intermediate and Senior racing was hogging valuable course time, and often filled out with juniors racing up anyway.

Fat lady finally sang.

bencoolb wrote:If USRowing Masters National Championships goes to flights, I'll be inconsolable. There's a reason the FISA event is called "World Rowing Masters Regatta" and not "World Rowing Masters Championships."

The fact that World Rowing does flights for masters rowing is such a shame. The whole way masters regattas are run is a travesty - enter 5-10 events over a week and "win" Worlds in one of ten flights for each event....

rowing wrote:

sandor wrote:

FullSend wrote:Losing the in between categories really sucks. HRR does it right (and other regattas/major events) you can have club-intermediate-elite. Nobody is going to mistake winning Club 8s for winning the Grand, but it gives people/programs realistic goals to train for. Hopefully the other categories make it back in the future and this is just a COVID thing to make the event smaller.

Does USRowing think there is/was something broken with the intermediate/senior/elite?
If we get rid of club why not get rid of masters?

Beyond the competition part, i bet entries will be lower which = less income.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Money is from the juniors.

Intermediate and Senior racing was hogging valuable course time, and often filled out with juniors racing up anyway.

Fat lady finally sang.

But the fees are similar, correct? (or they should be?)
Finite # of seats for racing, all the same price, whether they are juniors, intermediate, senior, elite, seems moot.

I guess the real money maker would be to keep the skill class & the age classes, charge everyone to enter the TT then have a 6-boat, heats, semis reps final progression.
Make money off the people who think they have a chance but end up DFL in the TT, run a more succinct regatta.

I don't know, cutting the skill classes for 2k racing doesn't seem to gain anything.

This is clearly the right move. There needs to be some actual merit to national championships in the US. Not only that, there are way too many events which dilutes the competition. Most of the individuals competing at NT selection events are not internationally competitive but there is no alternative competitive outlet. They're just strong amateur athletes. We need more competitive and high subscription events in the US and this should be a step in the right direction.