To discard or not that is the question

I have just done a comparison on the effect on the GPS team challenge of the discard system (for Australian teams).
The placings are changed like this:
Top 6 no change
7/8 swap (Connewarre Cremasters gain)
14 goes to 11 ( the only significant change in the whole of the table, Burrum Heads gain)
I suggest discarding the discard system! After all the team challenge is about getting as many people on the water for as much of the time as possible! What do other GTCers think?
I have tried formatting the table below using spaces but it does not work.
first column rank with discard
3rd column points with discard
4th column points without discard
5th column position without discard
6th column * = change in position


1 The Pit Crew 158 202 1
2 Moreton Bay Mob 211 260 2
3 Mandurah Mob 231 278 3
4 Swan River Mob 250 314 4
5 SA Speed Demons 289 340 5
6 Tassie Speed Seekers 365 421 6
7 Pinnaroos 388 488 8 * +1
8 Connewarre Cremasters 405 468 7 * -1
9 FNQ Mob 410 492 9
10 Cockroaches 507 592 10
11 Perth Southsiders 548 656 12 *+1
12 Board Crazy Boys 632 746 13 *+1
13 Sunshine Coast Sailboards Vikings 680 776 14 *+1
14 Burrum Heads M.O.B. 717 621 11 * -3
15 The Southerly Busters 735 851 15
16 Mid-North Coast Marauders 774 882 16
17 Lake Macquarie 893 1017 18 * +1
18 The Wannabees 896 1016 17 *-1
19 ACT Gustbusters 923 1055 19
20 Bonno Blasters 963 1095 20
21 Double Demerits 1020 1158 21
22 WestozWind's Divas & Warriors 1042 1174 22
23 The Sailfish 1046 1171 23
24 Barmera Boardheads 1104 1242 24
24 Board Crazy Girls 1104 1242 24

we need to put a blanket ban on all dutch teams :)

Discard all discards - we were all conned - none required!!

I also had to respond to this, posted hopefully a reality check with ranking without discards which shows the real ranking.

Myself, I've always been against discards as it gets away from sailing all year round,

I'm another who believes a Handicap ranking (as an addition to the standard ranking) would be beneficial as it'll make it really difficult for the top teams to dominate and make the end of year tighter than a fishes freckle

We don't get the ice though most places in Australia have about six months without wind so it evens up a bit

Agree with your sentiments though. Have teams of all levels out there. I was out with a team mate yesterday who is better than me and we swapped gear with him giving me some pointers that helped me out. It doesn't really look good against teams with professionals. However on the other hand its great to have a competition that allows windsurfers of all abilities to compete against each other.

We are not competing for sheep stations, but more importantly for the glory of PBs. You are competing against yourself.

I too am not in favour of discards. In the end it doesn't really change the results that much, it gets away from the idea of sailing all year round and it makes scoring a bit more complex.

Part of the GPSTC is seeing where others are sailing. So it may not be windy or the water may be frozen where you are but we can see where people are sailing.

I do not look at GPSSS so had no idea of the other thread developing.

Discards or not is no huge issue to me, I just thought it was interesting how little it changed the Australian rankings.

The team and social aspect of the GTC has been a huge motivator for me sailing 50 times per year rather than 5 times per year as I was before. Add to that the ability to have a blog of my own escapades (for me to look at) and the table of my top 5 scores per division means I can track if I am improving.

got to go, I am off to the esuary to see if Pepe and other frineds I have met in the GTC are sailing, it is after all getting late: 6:01 am (no, before the GTC I would never have gone for a sail a this time).

I was wondering why you were up an atem so early ya ol bugger
Just heading over other side of Dam to see if its worth getting wet. Bet not to many of those bozo's up on the top half have "driven" 7000+ k's just to sail with some mates from the GPSTC now have they. They would think we are nuts doing that Same goes for the crew who drove West to East to play with the guys at Sandy Point. These are the guys who just like to sail and will drive huge distances just to get some TOW with mates from the East.
Now that’s!!! what the GPSTC is all about, no bragging, puffing out the chest, just sailing with your mates and GPSTC team competitors, that you may only get to sail once with them, in your sailing life time.

You Aussies disperately need an underarm rule!

To even up the comp & for an Aussie team to win, which i'm for,
the 4 discard months require certain level of performance to match the best 8 months, say the discard months require points 75% of the best months, if the performance level does not meet the worst 4 months, then there is a penalty on the best 8 months

Write the rules today & the JP mod can not win

Gotta agree, Mr Goin' Around the Block

Had a few sails & good yarn with Vando & 'Fast Phil' from Qld while we were all at Yamba.

See ya in Sydney, Mineral Man

Hardie i could be wrong but i reckon if srm recruited
dunkerbeck
maynard
albeau
and they sailed the swan river in 2010,
we still would of been beaten by the dutch mob!!
the dutch appear to be supermen.. how ever i suspect
gigantic,sponsored riders sailing in lots of wind and flat water
are going to allways have a 'slight' advantage
i would like to see them sail the same conditions we have
15 to 20 knots and knee to waist high chop

I agree with this sentiment, but we're only talking about 1 team here, who seems able to travel long distances mid week.
What about the other more human scale teams?
They are all going to be severely disadvantaged by less discards, it would be a pity to discourage several recreational teams because of our attitude to one professional team.

I think we should give the top team their due, they've worked hard to blast everybody else of the score board. They well and truly deserve to win!
We may not like their perceived attitude, but I think we should just accept their superiority. (this year)

If discards need to be changed, do it from the perspective of all teams that have extreme cold winters, not just one team.

Only way to have an equal playing field is to have every team sail in the same spot on the same day! this obviously ain't going to happen so it will never be a level playing field.
The JP/NP team come across as arogant(well one of them or may have been lost in translation) and the team should really finish off the season but everyone else is acting like a mob of sooks the rules are the rules, dont like them change them simple.
Another idea is get rid of the international teams!

+ 1 , Spot on Rexie

Maybe Divisions w different Discards for Divisions Elites 2 Discards Fun Division 4 Discards? How many Divisions? 2 or More?

Handicap may be a very good idea, certainly gives everyone a chance, 2 in 1 Open so we see what standards people can set, eg JPNP this year, and Handicap for everyone to have a chance. The Discard question remains, some consideration needs to be given to Northern Hemisphere teams that have ice snow and freezing temps

It's a team based handicap

Winner of the previous year is Baseline
90-95% of the difference between your team and the top team is your team handicap.

Any team which has missed a month has their handicap based on the scores of the the lowest team with a full 12 months of scores (provided that team had finished in front of them)

In theory it should bring every team within a p00fteenth of each other and make for an exciting finish to the year which literally anyone could win.

I would still have the "Au-natural" teams ranking operating as well

Individual handicaps are based on PEBBAB