Tournament Observers - point to ponder...

[Finders Keepers]

An interesting point to ponder was brought to our attention this summer by a friend who used to fish the Lake O tourney circuit but no longer does due to this and other personal factors:

 

Why are the observer swaps for the larger tournies (invitationals and pro-ams in particular) done prior to the captains meetings and not LIVE at the captains meetings? They are supposed to be "random" but over and over again the same boats are paired up.

 

I know there was a discussion a while back about why smaller boats were paired with smaller boats and larger with larger and to some degree I can see the reasoning (although weak and if asked, I don't think there is a single observer from our boat that has had a negative experience), but this does bring doubt into the integrity of the tournament if the same boats are always paired up. If we were often paired up with Apple Boy (for example), it would be possible for us to introduce foul play while adherring to the tourney rules. Not that we would, but the point is it allows for foul play - and there shouldn't be any room for foul play. Keeping the boat size (if it's that important) and female observers in mind, why not have all the boats with female observers put into a hat and drawn first, then boats 24' and under put in a hat and drawn, then 24'-29' put in a hat and drawn, and finally 30' and up drawn (or other groupings) all live at the captains meeting? If there are two sides to the port, then split those groups into east and west sides for the draw. This would be random, and eliminate any questions of foul play.

 

Now, we have not run a tourney with observers, so there may be logistics we (and the general population of anglers) don't know about that may require the swaps to be done ahead of time. If that is the case, then it would be great for the integrity of the tourneys (and piece of mind for those in doubt) to know those reasons for not doing a live draw. Just an interesting point to ponder and hear back from the tourney directors on...

[A-TOM-MIK]

For my event(s) I am pretty much the entire deal, I do it all, I make the rules, prepare it all, keep it all in line and also I partake. However from the beginning I have always looked for input from those teams only who are considering fishing my events. Whatever considerations are offered are looked at, this with what I feel a majority of (participants only) would agree upon. Over the last 8 years I occasionally hear of a request that 1 team or at times a single member would like addressed. I usually (by word of mouth) will bring this suggestion up to the many that I talk to (always a participant that I know participates) and deliberate accordingly. I have made changes in the past like adding lie detectors at times, changing original or normal Big Fish Friday rules to name a few. Like initially noted I am the whole deal for my Invitational, tweaking much takes considerable thought.

 

As far as changing the way I handle observer swaps this is the first request of this nature I have ever had brought to my attention. Quite frankly observer swaps are a nightmare, to add the extra prep work you have noted gives me a headache just to think about. Observer swaps work IMO but its hard enough to line everyone up with advance notice let alone at the last minute, it sounds easy to advise swapping east side vs west or women with women but as much as many teams in the past have had a huge concern with timely captains meetings this idea would only add to the cluster that already has to be dealt with.

 

My opinion is in response to the way I run my A-TOM-MIK Invitational only, no other event that I am involved with. I do not feel any integrity is lost by the way I swap observers currently, its been exactly flawless for 3 years dealing with about 150 swaps (to the best of my knowledge)

 

Any further suggestions will always be considered, concerning the events I run.

 

Tom

[rolmops]

One reason why on the east end observers end up on the same boat /team year after year is logistics. The Little Salmon river has very few participants and trucking in observers to and from Oswego at 4 in the morning is not a popular event.

On the west end in Wilson the observers are publicly drawn right in front of the Captains, but even there it all is based on good faith.

Edited September 4, 2014 by rolmops