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News THOUGHTS ON SPORTSMANSHIP. The subject of sportsmanship in sailing is a frequent topic at post race discussions these days. There has also been a lot written about sportsmanship problems recently. Read More... |
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THOUGHTS ON SPORTSMANSHIP
Courtesy of Seahorse magazine, Boats.com - Europe and Scuttlebutt
The subject of sportsmanship in sailing is a frequent topic at post race discussions these days. There has also been a lot written about sportsmanship problems recently. Sailors are concerned about illegal kinetics, lying, unfair tactics and un-protested infractions, to name a few.
We agree that there are some problems. But instead of focusing on the negatives, we'd rather look at what we can do about the situation. So we have made a list of actions that any sailor can take to make our sport a little more pleasant for us all.
Compliment your competitors when they make a good move. A few weeks ago during one frostbite race, two interclubs rounded the weather mark, one with a pretty good lead over the next boat. "Nice weather leg," we heard from the second place boat. At which point the leader smiled a bit and said, "Thanks." Another natural time for compliments is after the race.
It's easy to say, "Good going" to the top couple of boats, but they'll hear that from almost everyone. It's more of a challenge to notice what someone in the middle or back of the fleet did well, and appreciate that. "Hey, George," you might say, "I know you didn't end up so well, but it looked like you played the shifts almost perfectly on the second beat." I'd feel pretty good if someone said that to me.
Make it part of your goal to play by the rules. It's clear that winning is a major objective of sailboat racing. Unfortunately, some people seem willing to use almost any means to get to this end. But that only makes for a hollow victory. If your goal is to play fair and square, you may not win as many races, but we guarantee that the respect you get from your competitors will be much greater. And this will certainly be the best strategy in the long run. Pretend for a minute, that you're leading the race and you hit the last leeward mark. No one sees this except you and your crew. Do you keep going and win the race, or re-round the mark and lose a few boats? Either choice is possible; it depends on what you value. If winning is not your only goal on the race course, you'll certainly be happier more of the time.
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