The Publisher
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May 14, 2010, 11:51 AM
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Competitive imbalance in college sailing
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When qualifications for the 2010 College National Dinghy Championship (June 1-3) was completed, the dominance of the Mid-Atlantic and New England districts was evident. Among the seven districts that comprise the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), the MAISA and the NEISA held 15 of the 18 available entry slots. This is the second year of a new qualifying system that provides each district with berths to the Semi-Final Championship, but then only the top 18 from the Semi-Finals advance to the Finals. Here is some commentary on this imbalance:
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* From John Glynn:
With the new qualification ladder for the ICSA National Dinghy Championship, the end result is that three of seven districts are not represented at the championship. I find this unfortunate. Yes, I understand that sometimes the fifth best team in NEISA or MAISA might be better than the second best team in the Midwest district. But it appears that this year the Nationals will be pretty much an all New England vs Mid-Atlantic affair.
It used to be that each district had a certain number of qualifiers to the Nationals, based on strength of region. This worked well for years. To have three districts not even represented seems odd. As a Midwest college sailor who did “ok” (and had a great/ fun experience) at the Nationals way back in the stone ages, I am a little disappointed not to see any representation.
One thing for sure, the new qualifying system will shift the balance of power in sailing even further toward the Eastern schools, recruiting-wise. The top three schools at the High School Dinghy Nationals this year were all from California, yet where are those kids going to go to college? No longer might a high school kid with aspirations to college sailing and a good education look at a Midwest or West Coast or Southern school as a backup if they don’t get into Brown, Harvard, Yale (or similar). Advantage Roger Williams, Salve Regina, UVM, and the like. Also, funny that the district that’s hosting Nationals does not have a qualifier.
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* From Mitch Brindley, ICSA President:
Yes it is a clear observation that the only one non-East coast team made it to the final round of the ICSA National Dinghy Championships.
It is important to remember that the Semi-Final events in Seattle and Charleston were the first round of the ICSA National Dinghy Championships. When a team qualifies for the ICSA National Championship Semifinals, that team has qualified for the ICSA Championship. And every team has the opportunity to sail their way into the Finals. This is very similar to other collegiate sports.
I think everyone would agree that it would be best if the Semi-Finals could take place immediately before the Finals at the venue, like we do for the Team Race and now Women's. However it is not functionally possible given the field of teams and the limited time frame of the hosts and most importantly, the students (some schools are still in session).
Starting in 2011, the Semi-Finals are being consolidated at one venue or two venues in close proximity. This should help raise the stature of the event. Last year in Boston we had both fleets of 18 teams together and it was great.
The more important question is what can ICSA do to further develop the competitive depth of the districts in the Northwest, Pacific Coast, Southeast, and Midwest? Clearly great juniors are coming from these locales, but that is nothing new.
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