At the seminar last weekend we were given a presentation about the interaction between the different Race Officials and how to gain an advantage with interacting better.
At any (major) event there are several Race official (groups) who need to cooperate to make it a success; Race Officer (committee), Judges and or Umpires and Measurers.
If you are a Judge or Umpire, what do you know of the responsibilities of the Measurer? If you are a Race Officer, when do you ask a Jury member if you have an issue. If you are a Measurer can you disqualify a boat without the Jury?
I must admit that I have a fairly good picture of what a Race Officer can and cannot do, but almost no idea about the obligations or rights of a Measurer. At the seminar we were asked to consider what we would need to know of the others to perform our own task better. Not only arriving at an event but well before. Not what you think "they" should know. But what you think you need from them....
It begins with having respect for each others work.
Then we all need knowledge about the responsibilities and rights of each group and knowledge about procedures the others follow.
Furthermore we need to check that the documents each group prepares don't have contradictions, like in the last Olympics. Each document must also be screened by the other groups to know the impact on each others work.
It is sometimes frustrating for a Race Officer to get a paper from the Jury on the first day amending several rules in the Sailing Instructions. It is equally frustrating to have to do protest after protest because the SI haven't been properly written. Do you always read the Class Rules before you go to an event?
ISAF has/will develop more interaction between the Race Officials using Internet. They already have streamlined and build consistency in the four groups, by making several requirements to become an international Race Official, general applicable. All four have a sub-committee which are guided by the Race Official Committee. All four must follow a code of conduct and all four represent ISAF. It will take some time, but it is on the agenda.
Perhaps it would beneficial to do an event helping in the group you are not familiar with? I wouldn't mind helping out a Measurement Team for an event to learn about there responsibilities.
How about you? Do you know enough?
.
I find this very timely. Last Thursday I was invited to Chair the PC for our State Laser Championships which took place last Saturday and Sunday. I had to work very fast and hard to get all of my responsiblities done in time, but, thanks to the fact that the PRO was a good friend of mine of thirty years, managed to get it all done in time, and had a very successful and enjoyable regatta, with no protests whatsoever!
ReplyDeleteSo these issues are very fresh in my mind. They are mostly dealt with in Chaps 5 and 6 of the Judges Manual.
Here are some comments on Jos' article.
At any (major) event there are several Race official (groups) who need to cooperate to make it a success; Race Officer (committee), Judges and or Umpires and Measurers.
Some are subject to the rules (OA, RC, PC/Umpires, maybe measurers, and can be parties to a request for redress.
Others are purely administrative and cannot be (directly) come before the PC in a request for redress (Carparking, ashore boat management, rescue services ?, canteen, media relations)
But of a boat requests redress for an improper action of the OA, RC or PC, then it’s largely up to them to show what the proper action should have been, and how the actual action was improper. They don’t have a right to expect that the PC will automatically know what everybody else is supposed to be doing.
If you are a Judge or Umpire, what do you know of the responsibilities of the Measurer?
I don’t need to know anything, except
1. that a Measurer or EI cannot protest a boat but may report any non-compliance to the RC (rules 43.1(c), 78.3), who then MUST protest the boat (rule 60.2 last para)
2. If in a hearing the PC is in doubt about the meaning of a measurement rule, the PC must refer its questions to the relevant measurement authority, who, for a regatta might conceivably be specified as an individual measurer, or might be the Class Measurement Committee or the Class Association Committee or whatever (but maybe the PC could dispel doubt by taking evidence from an individual Measurer).
3. If I can’t find a copy of the Class Rules, or am in doubt about the up to date status of Class Rules, the Measurer is probably the go-to guy.
I also need to know (and should find out from my Review of SI, and enquiry of the RC before the regatta) if the SI:
1. have scheduled (or the RC intends, without saying so expressly):
a. Systematic or random measurement, or
b. Systematic or random Equipment Checks or Crew Weighing
and what part the SI (or the RC, without having said so expressly) contemplate the PC playing in these activities.
2. have given any additional powers or responsibilities the Measurer, and how boats could break these SI
If you are a Race Officer, when do you ask a Jury member if you have an issue.
Anytime you want a friendly discussion to improve your knowledge.
Never if you want formal guidance, unless this has been specifically agreed in the pre-race negotiations about the scope of the PC/CJ/Member responsibility, and then normally through the PRO.
If you are a Measurer can you disqualify a boat without the Jury?
Nope: see above.
I must admit that I have a fairly good picture of what a Race Officer can and cannot do, but almost no idea about the obligations or rights of a Measurer.
A Measurer is usually independent of the RC, and there is no redress against any supposedly improper action of a Measurer.
SI might invest a measurer with powers or duties that would make the Measurer belong to the RC, in which case some actions of the Measurer could be improper actions of the RC.
If the OA controlled the measurer, for example where the OA was a Class Association and the Measurer was a Class Measurer appointed by the Class Association, an improper action by the Measurer could be an improper action of the OA.
But in that case, the PC might be prudent to find that it was in doubt about the meaning of a measurement rule and refer the matter to the measurement authority under rule 64.3(b). (grin).
Then we all need knowledge about the responsibilities and rights of each group and knowledge about procedures the others follow.
Well, of course we should take an intelligent interest. Your knowledge will build up over time.
In fact I personally believe that the separation of Race Officals Disciplines is a bad thing, and that every Judge should be qualified as a Race Officer and vice versa, and every Umpire should be qualified as a Judge. But not necessarily at the same level. And every Coach as a Judge, and if a MR or TR Coach as an Umpire, but don’t get me started.
But until a protest comes up you don’t need to have a detailed knowledge of procedures for a particular regatta.
Furthermore we need to check that the documents each group prepares don't have contradictions, like in the last Olympics. Each document must also be screened by the other groups to know the impact on each others work.
It is sometimes frustrating for a Race Officer to get a paper from the Jury on the first day amending several rules in the Sailing Instructions.
If the PC Chair is responsible for delaying his review of the SI and caused this, that is unprofessional and unforgivable. If OTOH, the RC has had the PC Chair’s review in plenty of time and has held it up before dealing with necessary SI amendments, then that’s the RC’s fault, although opening a direct line of communication (front-channel or back-channel) to the PRO can be a good idea: Working consultatively with the PRO on SI problems can be very fruitful: Often knowing why a SI has been written a certain way, will enable the PC Chair to make more constructive, helpful and acceptable suggestions.
It is equally frustrating to have to do protest after protest because the SI haven't been properly written.
Did you do your SI Review thoroughly?
Did you participate intelligently in the Pre-race conference? (Judges Manual 6.2)
Do you always read the Class Rules before you go to an event?
No. See my comments on detailed knowledge. That’s what I have an experienced member of the relevant class on or available to the PC for.
Some things, like age limits for Optis are common knowledge, aren’t they?
Perhaps it would beneficial to do an event helping in the group you are not familiar with?
See above. We should all cross qualify.
This is particularly important at Club Level. Where there are only one or two qualified Race Officials of any sort in a small Club, it will usually be sensible for the PRO to be on the PC (and fix the PC up later if there is a redress against the RC)
I wouldn't mind helping out a Measurement Team for an event to learn about there responsibilities.
I have my story about being sucked into the race management vacuum.
How about you? Do you know enough?
He He, I never know enough.