Funding To Get To Boston

[old] GeorgeD · Post by **[old] GeorgeD** » February 14th, 2005, 10:08 pm

Well thinking ahead I wondered what it would be like to go to Boston the year I turn 50 and 'wishing upon a star' I thought if I can stick with it I might be an ok erger by then So contacted C2 here to find out what time I would have to be capable of to get funding from them to go (maybe just the airfare would be nice) and was told to refer to the World Record and if I could match it that was the criteria Current world record for 50H male is 6:07.7 by Andy Ripley and has stood since 1998 and in doing so I would beat the NZ record by nearly 13secs.... I guess my shooting star just got a bit duller George ps I note that 6:20 would easily have won a medal this year and indeed the past 5 years, and in some cases won it

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » February 14th, 2005, 10:36 pm

George, It would be nice to go to Boston and have funding. The only equitable way to determine such funding would be comparison of performance across age, gender and weight class. The PAT tables give an equivalent comparison of these and would be easy for C2 to use. In lieu of this, most of the same people will likely continue to be given the trips, which makes it not worth the time and effort to row faster and then be out-selected by someone with a buddy at C2. For example, Rich Cureton broke the WR in qualifying two years ago, then his trip was given to someone who didn't even compete in the trials. I'm not sure of the cost from here but it is probably around $1000 for the flight, then whatever the lodging, food and transportation would be. More reasonable for me would be driving to one of the sites in California, or flying to Seattle.

[old] gw1 · Post by **[old] gw1** » February 14th, 2005, 10:55 pm

George, Your Team NZ had a strong showing on Sunday. If you break your National record, become National Champion, and/or meet whatever qualifying standards your Team NZ set, wouldn't your National Team offer partial or full sponsorship? If not, simply by full fulling one or all of the criteria mentioned above you would more than likely find a corperate sponsor. Hope you reach your goals! GW

[old] GeorgeD · Post by **[old] GeorgeD** » February 14th, 2005, 11:05 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(gw1 @ Feb 15 2005, 03:55 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>George, Your Team NZ had a strong showing on Sunday. If you break your National record, become National Champion, and/or meet whatever qualifying standards your Team NZ set, wouldn't your National Team offer partial or full sponsorship? If not, simply by full fulling one or all of the criteria mentioned above you would more than likely find a corperate sponsor. Hope you reach your goals! GW </td></tr></table> Interestingly enough the first I knew that there even was a Team NZ was when I saw the results. There was nothing on the Concept2 NZ site, nothing advertised at our Nationals or in the lead up, and I have never seen any criteria for selection - hence the question I asked. While I am nothing but inspired by their performances Graham Watt is the only participant out of those who competed that I have seen at a NZ Indoor rowing event in the past year (which is why I have the greatest respect for him). I guess this raises the issue of whether Indoor rowing is a sport in its own right as apart from 'traditional water rowing'. There is no doubt that the people like the Evers-Swindell sisters et al are great indoors and out, but they do not appear to support the Indoor sport through out the year because rightly so they have other priorities (like Olympic gold medals). Now I dont know who funded 'Team NZ' or to what level but if they are going to be selected and funded to compete at the Indoor rowing champs I would like to line up against them and get my arse kicked at various events thru the year as well. George

[old] Jim Barry · Post by **[old] Jim Barry** » February 14th, 2005, 11:34 pm

George, that is a harsh standard. It appears the European and US marketing "free trip" funding rowing standard is not as strick (at least to be in the pool of eligible rowers). <a href='http://www.concept2.com/rowing/racing/q ... gtimes.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.concept2.com/rowing/racing/q ... asp</a> Basically, it appears these time are just saying: do better than or equal to third place in last year's event in a satellite regatta (there are twenty here in the US). The stickler can be that each regatta event can only award 4 trips (some could get bumped). A 50-59 heavy needed 6:26.5 this past year and this year's results put that at 6:24.3. I'd pester c2 nz to follow the the US and Uk rules about just rowing for "expected podium". John, you'll have to see how it works out but if C2 follows their past record of setting the qualifying times for the CRASH-B trips, that puts the 55 to 59 lightweights with a qualifying time next year of just 7:37.8. In California you get four chances too (Long Beach, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Diego). I would not get too excited though. In the same logic, the 60 to 64 lightweights will be a set at 7:02.6 and it might not sit well to allow younger rowers to qualify with a significantly slower time.

[old] whp4 · Post by **[old] whp4** » February 15th, 2005, 1:00 am

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Jim Barry @ Feb 15 2005, 03:34 AM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>George, that is a harsh standard. It appears the European and US marketing "free trip" funding rowing standard is not as strick (at least to be in the pool of eligible rowers). <a href='http://www.concept2.com/rowing/racing/q ... gtimes.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.concept2.com/rowing/racing/q ... asp</a> Basically, it appears these time are just saying: do better than or equal to third place in last year's event in a satellite regatta (there are twenty here in the US). The stickler can be that each regatta event can only award 4 trips (some could get bumped). A 50-59 heavy needed 6:26.5 this past year and this year's results put that at 6:24.3. I'd pester c2 nz to follow the the US and Uk rules about just rowing for "expected podium". John, you'll have to see how it works out but if C2 follows their past record of setting the qualifying times for the CRASH-B trips, that puts the 55 to 59 lightweights with a qualifying time next year of just 7:37.8. In California you get four chances too (Long Beach, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Diego). I would not get too excited though. In the same logic, the 60 to 64 lightweights will be a set at 7:02.6 and it might not sit well to allow younger rowers to qualify with a significantly slower time. </td></tr></table> Given the general downward trend in times, I would be surprised if the qualifying time suddenly got "easy" just because an event might have had a thin entrant pool the year before. Last year there were 4 55-59 lwts under what the 3rd place finisher (of a field of 4!) got this year, and one of them rowed a time that would have handily beaten Rick's winning time this year, despite Rick rowing faster this year than last(way to fight off Father Time!). I would expect that next year's qualifying time for the 55-59 lwts will be about the same as this year's, even though as I look through past results, it appears that a qualifying time computed for the 55-59 lwts would have been either 7:3x or 7:04. If it turns out that for years to come, none of the 55-59 lwts can make the tough qualifying time, perhaps there isn't any need to subsidize the travel of a bunch of slow skinny guys who are probably in their peak earning years anyhow, and those tickets can go to rowers who are still pushing back the limits in their categories. At the Peninsula IRC, if more than 4 qualify, the 4 with the biggest margin under the qualifying times get the tickets, but I'm not sure if it is done as a percentage or just a time difference. To the extent that the same people get the tickets year after year, it reflects that they were the fastest rowers (relative to their category's qualifying time). That should not be confused with necessarily being the overall fastest rowers at a given qualifying regatta, as the fastest times I've seen in person have come from a guy who happens to row in the 30-39 heavyweight category, where a 6:03 and plane fare out of your own pocket will get you a trip to Boston. I can't speak to how any other regatta gives away the 4 tickets, but it is hard to imagine how the PIRC organizers could do what John describes as happening to ranger. That sounds more like something that could happen with the mysterious "US C2 Team" selection process for the European events. John, a jetBlue flight to Boston nonstop from Long Beach or San Jose should cost you maybe $150 in each direction if you don't buy the ticket the morning of the flight. Maybe Paul Flack would put you up with his collection of foreign heavyweights - you could try converting them to the 42 s/m 8 mps religion I don't understand the statement about it not being worth the effort to row faster, just because someone else might get a free ticket despite the effort? In the final analysis, the competitor I most want to beat is the one I see in the mirror!

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » February 15th, 2005, 2:04 am

It is personally worth the effort to row faster, but would not be worth the time and effort to take part in a trial that would have a biased and inequitable outcome. Where do you find these blue flights. Do they go from Canada to San Diego and back? If so I would like to get one right away. Thanks.

[old] whp4 · Post by **[old] whp4** » February 15th, 2005, 12:45 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(John Rupp @ Feb 15 2005, 06:04 AM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>It is personally worth the effort to row faster, but would not be worth the time and effort to take part in a trial that would have a biased and inequitable outcome. Where do you find these blue flights. Do they go from Canada to San Diego and back? If so I would like to get one right away. Thanks. </td></tr></table> Now you're claiming the CRASH-B regatta and its qualifiers are biased and inequitable? Well, yeah, I sure thought so - they let all these other guys who row faster than I do enter my race! Not only that, we had to use those awful Model D ergs, and no medals were given for the best watts/kg ratio! But despite these glaring deficiencies, you really ought to drive up (or take the coast route on Amtrak) for next year's PIRC. I'll be easy to find, I'll be the only other guy there as short as you are JetBlue flights can be investigated on their website at <a href='http://www.jetblue.com' target='_blank'>http://www.jetblue.com</a> Other inexpensive travel arrangements (including lodging and car rental) can often be made (or researched) at <a href='http://www.travelocity.com' target='_blank'>http://www.travelocity.com</a> <a href='http://www.orbitz.com' target='_blank'>http://www.orbitz.com</a> <a href='http://www.hotwire.com' target='_blank'>http://www.hotwire.com</a> <a href='http://www.priceline.com' target='_blank'>http://www.priceline.com</a> to name but a few. Toronto (it's in Canada, eh) to San Diego r/t can be had for about $325 on a number of airlines.

[old] CAROLE MAC · Post by **[old] CAROLE MAC** » February 15th, 2005, 12:57 pm

the Brits paid for themselves this year I believe.... the Europeans were sponsored though but only for the people who won at Birc and not all took the offer up .

[old] Rocket Roy · Post by **[old] Rocket Roy** » February 15th, 2005, 1:16 pm

I guess it'd cost a lot from NZ, but if you can get here (Boston) then share a room with 2 other guys it makes it so much cheaper. For me and my 2 mates the flight from London was £250 and the hotel worked out at £128 so a basic total of £378 then food and drink. Money well spent I feel. We all had a great time , a lot of fun , apart from the last 450m of the race!

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » February 15th, 2005, 5:09 pm

Whp4 (Paul?), Now you're scaring me. Are you sure it's safe to come to PIRC, with you being there??? Thanks for the links. I will check them out. Canada in this case is the vicinity north of Victoria. I checked Orbitz last night and their lowest was $622 U.S. r/t. If I could find $325, that would be fantastic!!! Thanks again.

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » February 15th, 2005, 5:10 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Rocket Roy @ Feb 15 2005, 09:16 AM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>For me and my 2 mates the flight from London was £250 and the hotel worked out at £128 so a basic total of £378 then food and drink. </td></tr></table> Wow, I am very impressed! Maybe it is the time period that I selected, the end of March.

[old] Canoeist · Post by **[old] Canoeist** » February 16th, 2005, 10:45 am

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(GeorgeD @ Feb 15 2005, 02:08 AM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Well thinking ahead I wondered what it would be like to go to Boston the year I turn 50 and 'wishing upon a star' I thought if I can stick with it I might be an ok erger by then George </td></tr></table> George, If you make the trip, you are welcome to free room, food, and transportation at our house in Boston. We like to have international guests. You don't have to wait until you are 50 either. You can visit next CRASH-B if you wish. In the mean time, get yourself a copy of RowPro and I will help you get in shape for a second place finish when you turn 50. (I will be 52, and defending my title! ) Cheers, Paul Flack

[old] GeorgeD · Post by **[old] GeorgeD** » February 16th, 2005, 3:04 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Canoeist @ Feb 17 2005, 03:45 AM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>If you make the trip, you are welcome to free room, food, and transportation at our house in Boston. We like to have international guests. You don't have to wait until you are 50 either. You can visit next CRASH-B if you wish. </td></tr></table> Really appreciate that Paul <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>In the mean time, get yourself a copy of RowPro and I will help you get in shape for a second place finish when you turn 50. (I will be 52, and defending my title! ) Cheers, Paul Flack </td></tr></table> Tks again Paul, I had been struggling for motivation but you have been a big help - to be honest looking at the talent around it could be a very strong division in 4 -5 years as there is some quick people in their middle to late 40's yourself included. I think it will take me all of the 3 years to even get in the picture. regds George

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » February 16th, 2005, 6:21 pm

JetBlue has good rates but primarily goes from coast to coast. There are good rates Seattle to San Diego r/t from $260 up, but the lowest I've found from Vancouver Island is $662.

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