I haven't participated in either of your events but from everything I've heard you and Ron are outstanding race directors. Still, I imagine Mike and others have been lambasted by race directors who thought this was a capricious decision. My wife is our LMSC's sanction chair and has also been on the receiving end of tirades. Some race directors simply want a sanction rubber-stamped to get insurance and event exposure, and then want USMS to get out of the way. One local race director bristles at the suggestion that a safety plan is even necessary at all. If we think of this as a pendulum, prior to the Maui incident USMS may have granted sanctions to easily. Race directors might have looked at it as cheap insurance so why not get there race sanctioned. The insurance underwriter likely did a poor risk analysis. The pendulum was too far to the left. Now it's too far too the right, I'm guessing to a certain extent the Insurance firm may have priced for USMS to go away or eliminate these races with one size fits take it or leave it proposition, that again doesn't truly assess the risks.
In an earlier post I divided open water races into three categories based primarily on what kind of water craft were escorting the swimmers and the role of those water craft in the event. I would have placed the Maui Channel swim in Category 3, where the swimmers are primarily escorted by motorized water craft. But a further analysis would assess the risk far greater in the Maui event then a Catalina Island solo crossing. A typical Maui has 50 teams, six swimmers each and prior to the incident solo swimmers as well. That's at least 50 props. If some teams have relatively the same speed they may both be navigating a similar line etc. How many of the pilots for Maui channel swim were weekend warriors as opposed to professional boat captains? A Catalina swim will be escorted by recommended veteran professional pilot in additional there will be an observer and generally a crew all with eyes on the swimmer. Real requirements for real risks, yea maybe prop guards were needed for the Maui Channel swim but for many other swims there not needed. One size fits all just won't work.
So how does USMS move forward? do they want to move forward? Those representing USMS on this board haven't even proposed researching new solutions for the 2014 season and beyond. At the very least and as a USMS member what I'd like a hear from my organization is a formal apology, especially to those groups that really did work hard but lost there sanction. An acknowledgment that as it stands now is unacceptable for USMS open water swimming and finally that work is now in progress to bring smarter, safer (not imagined liability) and affordable solutions for the future.
Many ideas have been floated in this forum including OW swimmers carrying supplemental insurance like the DAN network for Scuba Divers. For categories 2 events there could be web based certification courses created for motorized boat pilots for what there roles are, swimmer awareness possibly a requirement for an safety observer in the boat in lieu of the expensive prop guards and additional insurance etc. Will USMS at least try?
I haven't participated in either of your events but from everything I've heard you and Ron are outstanding race directors. Still, I imagine Mike and others have been lambasted by race directors who thought this was a capricious decision. My wife is our LMSC's sanction chair and has also been on the receiving end of tirades. Some race directors simply want a sanction rubber-stamped to get insurance and event exposure, and then want USMS to get out of the way. One local race director bristles at the suggestion that a safety plan is even necessary at all. If we think of this as a pendulum, prior to the Maui incident USMS may have granted sanctions to easily. Race directors might have looked at it as cheap insurance so why not get there race sanctioned. The insurance underwriter likely did a poor risk analysis. The pendulum was too far to the left. Now it's too far too the right, I'm guessing to a certain extent the Insurance firm may have priced for USMS to go away or eliminate these races with one size fits take it or leave it proposition, that again doesn't truly assess the risks.
In an earlier post I divided open water races into three categories based primarily on what kind of water craft were escorting the swimmers and the role of those water craft in the event. I would have placed the Maui Channel swim in Category 3, where the swimmers are primarily escorted by motorized water craft. But a further analysis would assess the risk far greater in the Maui event then a Catalina Island solo crossing. A typical Maui has 50 teams, six swimmers each and prior to the incident solo swimmers as well. That's at least 50 props. If some teams have relatively the same speed they may both be navigating a similar line etc. How many of the pilots for Maui channel swim were weekend warriors as opposed to professional boat captains? A Catalina swim will be escorted by recommended veteran professional pilot in additional there will be an observer and generally a crew all with eyes on the swimmer. Real requirements for real risks, yea maybe prop guards were needed for the Maui Channel swim but for many other swims there not needed. One size fits all just won't work.
So how does USMS move forward? do they want to move forward? Those representing USMS on this board haven't even proposed researching new solutions for the 2014 season and beyond. At the very least and as a USMS member what I'd like a hear from my organization is a formal apology, especially to those groups that really did work hard but lost there sanction. An acknowledgment that as it stands now is unacceptable for USMS open water swimming and finally that work is now in progress to bring smarter, safer (not imagined liability) and affordable solutions for the future.
Many ideas have been floated in this forum including OW swimmers carrying supplemental insurance like the DAN network for Scuba Divers. For categories 2 events there could be web based certification courses created for motorized boat pilots for what there roles are, swimmer awareness possibly a requirement for an safety observer in the boat in lieu of the expensive prop guards and additional insurance etc. Will USMS at least try?
