Wow, there is a lot in to consider in that post with proposed rule change and rationale. Unfortunately, I think some of the basic assumptions need to be reassessed before rules are changed. (I will not address all of the assumptions that I see as problems)
“• ‘Ideal Weight’ for an Ensign team is somewhere between 600 and 800 pounds. Both ‘light’ and ‘heavy’ teams have won the National Championship.”
If both ‘Light’ and ‘Heavy” teams have won the National Championship, then the logical conclusion from that statement is that weight is not a determining factor or put another weight does not give one boat an advantage over another boat.
Next, we have
“• Weight Limits - The weighing of teams is a hassle and can be a personal intrusion at registrations. Other classes have experienced drop-offs in participation after weight limits were imposed. However, imposing a weight limit would maintain the fairness of competition.”
IMHO (In my humble opinion), this assumption is very much understated and incorrect. First, if other classes have seen a drop off after imposing weight restrictions, can we afford a drop off in participation? Second, and equally important is “weighing teams . . . can be a personal intrusion.” Again, IMHO, “weighing crew at competitions” is not just a hassle, it is an extreme intrusion into the individual’s privacy. As to the rest of the statement, finally, if it does not matter how does it “maintain the fairness of competition.”
In law school, we frequently took issues to the extreme in order to test the validity of an assumption.
Here is perhaps an equally valid consideration as weight.
Assumption: No all women crews have won the Nationals; all male crews have won the Nationals; mixed sex teams have won the Nationals.
Perhaps we should consider mandating mixed sex crews “to maintain fairness in competition.” In order to enforce the rule, we can check the genitalia of crew at competitions. (I am told they do that at the Olympics, “gender verification”). We could make a similar argument regarding the total age of the crews. Remember, both heavy and light, mixed and men, young and old have won so, all of this is pretty much irrelevant.
For those that think the sex and/or age argument is absurd, you are correct but so is weight. We all know that adding a fat sailor on a heavy day may flatten the boat, and thus, perhaps give the overweight sailor’s boat an advantage in heavy air. Do we think that a 40-year-old fit male crew member (who is a good sailor) will give a boat an advantage over another boat where, all other things are equal, instead of the 40-year-old fit male crew it has a 70-year-old fat woman crew (who is also good sailor)? Of course, we do. Again, we could always legislate age and sex as well as weight in order “to maintain fairness in competition.” The question is –should we!
This nearly 70-year-old overweight woman votes NO to weight. Now you know my approximate age and my sex, I am not showing you my driver’s license or pulling up my skirt to prove it; and, gentlemen, I am not getting on scales to compete.
But wait! the problem that brought all of this up is not the weight but the number of crew and request for a waiver from the current rule. Well, address the problem of number of crew and request for waiver, don’t create another problem.
Finally, we don’t weigh boats presumably because we think light boats do not have an advantage, yet we want to weigh sailors?
My 2 cents!