Shame on MOKU officials for their lame officiating this past weekend in Hilo. At the completion of the Open Mix race
( keep in mind this was the last race of the day ) they, the officials upstairs in the official booth, decided to DQ Kai Opua open mix for " getting back on the race course " and not " going around the " small bouy while proceeding back to the club tent.
The officials stated that the AMA " re-entered " the race course which resulted in a DQ. Yes, THE AMA. Not the canoe, BUT the AMA. Our rig was at 68" between canoe and ama. Because of that, Kai Opua lost 11 points from that race and lost the regatta by 4 points for overall standings. How lame is that?
AND PLEASE do not tell me that the " officials " are volunteers, they don't get paid and we should be appreciative of them. I appreciate their kokua and all, but when I pay club dues at $120, put gas to drive 4hours round trip from Kona to Hilo and back to Kona, I do expect that our " race officials " will pride themselves in the " volunteer " work and not make lame calls for any of the 40 race events.
- Pay $120 club dues.... whatevas
- $60 gas for traveling.... whatevas
- $30 for water and snacks for kids to eat......whatevas
- Leaving my house 5am to be in Hilo to help rig by 7am.......whatevas
- Hold canoes in Bayfront water.......whatevas, but must rinse off good
- $40 to eat with my family at Ken's Pancake House after regatta........ ham and cheese omolette, killahs
- Racing regatta's........ PRICELESS
- MOKU officiating..... HOPELESS
HULO to Keaukaha on a great racing day. Very well rounded game plan!!
Submitted by edhay on Sun, 06/20/2010 - 7:34am
Beautiful day yesterday, THANK YOU officials for the rules and standards being upheld and applied to everyone. First to last.
aloha,
pog
#1 Sun, 06/20/2010 - 9:19am
Here we go again with the officials and their huge effects on race results. Let the paddlers paddle and keep the paddletics out of it.
Keep paddling!
#2 Sun, 06/20/2010 - 10:31am
@Eddie
As a member of the most penalized club in MOKU (who have raced more than 100 crews) this season, I understand your frustration. Believe me!
However, how would you have ruled on this had you been one of those unpaid volunteers? Several reminders/warnings/announcements were made throughout the day regarding returning onto the course while a race was still running, and a Puna crew only two events previous to the final event were DQed for that same infraction.
Given that, how would you have interpreted the rule? and what reasoning would you have used not to apply the rule equally to Kai Opua?
If there is a silver lining to this cloud, it is perhaps that more folks will participate in the rules change process at the end of this season.
Jonathan Grayson
President, MOKU O HAWAI'I
#3 Sun, 06/20/2010 - 10:48am
??
#4 Sun, 06/20/2010 - 12:00pm
Being a member of a club that wants to always operate within the rules and play nice (but seems to dq and get fined more than seems fair). I am confused by the ruling against Kai Opua in the final race of the day. If all the boats in the Open Mix race were past the finish line- the race was over and the race day was over! No illegal incursion into the race course. If boats were still racing and the course was cut- the rule was being reenforced and enforced all day then (so sorry) good call.
What really happened?
#5 Sun, 06/20/2010 - 12:10pm
konabeanman - I watched the race but did not see the infraction, I was watching Keaukaha celebrate. I did look up the times on the hcrapaddler web site, Kai Opua finished in lane 2 with a time of just under 3:50 and Na Wa'a Hanakahi finished in lane 11 with a time of 5:06 ( 1:16 later), so it is very likely that they were still on the course when Kai Opua's ama entered the course. It does not take long to get to the beach from lane 2.
It sucks to have a ruling like this go against you, it always feels personal.
#6 Sun, 06/20/2010 - 3:59pm
@Johanathan- Mahalo for today's discussion over the phone about DQ's and the importance to keep our island sport alive without the emotional calls which results to DQ's. For the OCpaddler readers, pleases excuse me for the ranting on this forum. My emotions got the best of me and using this forum to off load was a bad call.
I love my MOKU association, the clubs and paddlers we go against every weekend and the friends we meet along the way. In the long run..... we are all in for the same reason, to paddle with a passion of perpetuating.
Aloha
#7 Sun, 06/20/2010 - 10:02pm
re: edhay.........don't know what went down cuz i wasn't there, but rules are rules and the ama is considered part of the canoe. what is REALLY important is how you posted your apology for your rant. i give you huge props, respect, and aloha for doing that. i wish you the best of luck in the rest of the season, aloha!
#8 Sun, 06/20/2010 - 10:17pm
Occasionally, we all need to step back and take a deep breath and a good look- really seeing! We should be proud of the childrens programs of all our teams.
See the healthy way we spend our free time.
Look at the fellowship and unity our sport brings to all the islands.
The beauty of our sacred waters and 'aina.
The rest - small kine. Not really gold! most likely recalled radioactive metal from China.
Sorry now I'm ranting.
E alu like mai kakou (Let us work together)
E hana me ka ‘oia‘i‘o (Let us work with sincerity)
E hana me ka ha‘aha‘a (Let us work with humility)
E ‘olelo pono kakou (Let us speak at all times with goodness/righteousness)
Aloha, Craig A
#9 Mon, 06/21/2010 - 9:21am
Eddie, I think it was very big of you to apologize. I think a big thing is for everyone to let the club know about all the minor details of all the rules. I'm a new steersman and DQ'd my Open 4 crew b/c we didn't go around the red buoey...I had thought I just needed to go around the red flag and thought that was off the course. However, apparently we were warned about it a bunch that day and it was mentioned at the meeting. I take full responsibility and wish I would've asked or just stayed in the lane until it was pau, but I was caught up in the moment and thought we needed to go in quick to change out boats. It was my mistake and one I won't make again. I guess we all learn from this and keep doing what we love.
#10 Tue, 06/22/2010 - 9:49am
Hey Michelle- Mahalo for your thoughts and sorry about your race. The one thing that gets me the most is in the last 4 regattas that were held in Kona, race officials had made announcements that if any canoe after the completion of their event do not proceed back to their club tent or to I.D check would be disqualified. The intent was to speed up the day. And by this, the regatta events were finishing up by 4:30 or no later than 5pm from the previous years of 6:00 or 6:30 pm ( huge success ). Now we shift to Hilo for the remianing of the regatta season and the ruling that was put into place in Kona... changes.
For Kona, I do understand that the race course is located behind the paddlers when they finish and heading straight back to your club or ID check as soon is race is over makes sense. But, for Hilo... that is where it gets tricky. Majority of all the clubs are east of the finishing line.
The good that has come from this is allowing me to hear and to better understand what the officials think and at the same time it allows the officials to hear and better understand me from a paddlers perspective of how " we " think.
Big Mahalo to Johnathan G., Bill R. and Mike Atwood for the long conversations and ways to help better our racing weekends so NO ONE gets disqualified.
And yes, I will be part of the rule change when that time comes. I want to be part of the solution and not the problem.
#11 Wed, 06/23/2010 - 9:36am
Edhay,
Your apology was good but you're starting to rant again. Its NOT a new rule, its been in place for years now. Its the coachs and clubs job to inform the paddlers about the rules, THE KIDS CREWS ALL KNOW THE RULE AND FOLLOW IT. What are we teaching our kids, that when an adult makes a mistake we change the rules. Canoes have been going around that bouy for years without anyone complaining about it. Don't put blame on the officials or the moku because your steersperson was either unaware of the rule or was not informed about the rule by her coach I know for a fact that steersperson has been racing in hilo for years. Its an honest mistake. Educate your club so they don't make the same mistake.
#12 Wed, 06/23/2010 - 9:24pm
Michelle,
To clarify the rule for you...had you "just stayed in the lane until it was pau", would have put your crew at risk of disqualification. The rule requires that once the canoe crosses the finish line, it must continuously move back to your respective club on the beach via the most direct route or be disqualified, depending whether the race is still if effect (green flag flying on official boat) or if the race has concluded (green flag lowered on official boat). If the green flag was still up when you finished your race, you must proceed, without stopping, to your club by turning left and staying behind the finish row of flags, steer clear of other canoes crossing the finish line, and round the orange buoy 40' mauka of the red lane 1 flag. If the green flag had been lowered, signifying the race was over, you must then cut across the course (via the most direct route) to proceed back to your club.
If your boat holders choose not to be picked up by the pick-up boat and stay behind the finish line to wait for their crew to finish, that canoe must not stop to pick them up without risking disqualification. Stopping to pick up boat holders delays the day. Especially when boat holders don't line themselves up with the finishing canoe to make a quick mounting and continuous movement back to their respective club on the beach.
The intent of this rule is to expedite the day so all may return home at a decent hour, especially those who have a 2-hour drive across the island. This rule has been in effect for many years.
#13 Thu, 06/24/2010 - 7:45am
Eddie,
I might also suggest renaming this thread or deleting it if you are sorry.
#14 Sat, 06/26/2010 - 6:20am
KJ- I am not that techi with the computer, so how do I go about to delete?
Mahalo
#15 Sat, 06/26/2010 - 11:03pm
on this message board i think the only thing that will delete it is white out on your screen...
or an admin of course
#16 Sun, 06/27/2010 - 12:04pm
So Bill...I have a question. We're not supposed to pick up our boat holders after the race, even if they're lined up for us to pick them up???? Sorry, it just gets very confusing and with the way Hilo Bay is set up. I don't want to make a mistake again that could DQ our crew which doesn't have to do with the race. Could you please clarify for me and also so I can let the club know...b/c I don't think that's common knowledge. I could be wrong, but just trying make sure. Thank you!
#17 Mon, 06/28/2010 - 10:28am
Let's start with the rule: "Immediately upon crossing the finish line, crews shall continuously move their canoes in the direction of their respective clubs on shore via the most direct route available, depending on the race being in progress or completed. Failure to do so will result in disqualification." I explained above how crews are expected to adhere.
There is always a 'pick-up' boat available to pick up boat holders once the race has started. Holders who opt not to be picked up by the boat, choose to stay at the risk of getting their crew disqualified if they do not make an immediate mounting (like a long-distance water change) without the canoe coming to a stop. To avoid such DQ, holders need to line themselves up with the canoe, within a canoes length of the finish line, as it approaches the finish line so this quick mounting can be accomplished.
Many holders wait off to the side, and with the inertia of the canoe as it crosses, holders and canoes get separated, causing the crew to stop the canoe while the holders swim to it. This is the recipe for disqualification.
If the holders are lined up and make a quick mounting while negligibly stopping the canoe, and the paddlers continue paddling, I will not disqualify you.
Please keep in mind, this rule benefits all....the regatta is run expeditiously and we all go home at a reasonable time.
#18 Mon, 06/28/2010 - 3:51pm
Thanks Bill...makes sense now :)
#19 Wed, 06/30/2010 - 9:07am