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Member
Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Who should make the final decision on whether a tournament day should be canceled, rescheduled, or should continue. Please share your thoughts.
You can vote for more than one option and you can add your own poll option. Play nice. |
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Posts: 1382
| And with the call also comes the liability. |
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Member
Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Zach,
You make a good point. Do you think that the waiver you sign has any legal merit? Is it legally binding? I know that we live in a sue happy society. I know that anyone can sue anyone at anytime. But we all sign a form that says we will not hold them liable. Is that a legal contract that holds up in a court of law? |
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| I agree with the liability!!! I think that the safety to our equipment and ourselves were put at risk, just my opinion. I believe the MWC lost alot of their credibility on this tournament due to their decision. They had a hard time filling the tournament up this year. What do you think it will happen next year. Alot of teams already told me they are not going to fish next year!!! |
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| I believe an advisory group of fisherman is a good idea. This way we would have some say in the matters. Decided by both commities and if a stalemate cannot be broken the fisherman would then vote to decide. |
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Member
Posts: 2567
Location: Manitowoc, WI | I've been involved in a few tournaments that were called and I believe in erring on the side of caution. I am not a big fan of allowing an advisory committee to make a decision unless the tournament has not started yet. Let me explain.
If you or a good friend/teammate/partner is on high the money list or possibly fishing for a shot at a major championship, and it's your decision as to whether a tournament goes out or not, your decision WILL be influenced by these possibilities.
Now if the event has not yet started, then I think allowing the advisory committee to be a part of a decision is a good thing. But in the end, the final decision will rest with the tournament director.
There isn't a good solution to this. I guarantee no matter what decision is made there will be someone or a group of people who will not be happy. That would be the cross the tournament director has to bear.
As I think back to the events which were shortened by these decisions (Dunkirk, Port Clinton, Bay de Noc, and Saginaw PWT's) I think the right decision was made in every case. At the time these decisions were made, I didn't think that way in each case. I guess I'm either getting older or wiser...:) (DEFINITELY OLDER!!!) |
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Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Jerry,
I agree with everything you say. All of us who have been there realize that “our” decision is made up of allot of emotion and we consider what is best for us. Like you when time goes by and I can reflect, I’m always happy that the decision was made to cancel. Unfortunately the heat of moment makes people say and do crazy things.
I hope that my memory is correct on the following. I hope others chime in if my memory is faulty. If I recall correctly, the best decision that I have encountered was made by Jim Coon during an MWS tournament. Conditions were iffy. Jim called a meeting and asked all tournament fishermen for input but made it perfectly clear that he was making the final call and he was (as always) concerned with out safety first. The tournament went on but he offered to refund the money of anyone who was uncomfortable with going out. You’d think that this would be a win/win decision BUT some people complained about this call too. They were disgruntled because they would make less money if they won and peopled pulled out. As I said in an earlier post, dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t. Jim made the best call possible that day (IMHO). Those of us who have fished in similar conditions in the past and felt confident in our abilities went out that day. Those with less experience and/or felt comfortable stayed on shore. Unfortunately, this most likely did not take him off the liability dilemma and some who should have stayed on shore did not. It’s always a tough call and people will always second guess whatever decision is made.
Limitout,
I agree with what you are saying too. If people are unhappy with the decisions being made with a tournament they should express their opinions with their pocket books. We all have the right to not enter and show them our disapproval by not entering the following year. Unfortunately human nature kicks in and after a long winter our passions take over and our strong emotions weaken. Many of us enter again and hope for the best. We are all prone to human nature.
I honor my fellow tournament fishermen feelings. In this case it is easy for me to sit back and try to be idealistic. You were there and your feelings are very strong at this moment. I honor and support your thoughts and feelings.
I hope that we can all learn from this.
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| I think the PWT used it's advisory council for aid in decisions like this. I wouls assume that the final say was in the hands of Charlie Moore, but they used them. I saw the show at Escanaba, and it showed the advisory council meeting with JK and Charlie. I think that is a good idea, but the director should have the final say. I know that Charlie Moore called off more than his fair share of tournament days. I mean that in a good way.
Here Here |
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Location: Rhinelander | If the Tournament Director feels it is unsafe out there, the event should be called. Asking an advisory panel for opinion generally lends support to the decision, and is a good move politically, but if the USCG says it's going to be unsafe or flood conditions that cause high current and dangerous conditions exist, if lightning is an issue, or any other unsafe condition exists and it's just plain dangerous to send anglers out, the Director has the say. That person should make the call, and bear the consequences.
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Posts: 1195
Location: Orland Park, IL | I dont get it. Corp of Engineers says its ugly. DNR says its ugly. How many people have to say its ugly before an option is considered? I bet the old federal waterway vs non federal waterway may have a play in this. |
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Posts: 54
| Knowing that this was a tournament, i was just wondering Everybody has a mind of their own if you didn't think it was safe why did you launch? You didn't have too. I think I would have asked for a refund on my entry fee or a free entry into the next scheduled tournament. Just because they say you can launch doesn't mean you have to. just looking at the pics tells me no way no how would I launch. So suck it up cowboy and learn your lesson.  |
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| Get a refund or credit from the MWC because you don't want to launch? Go ahead and give that a whirl and let me know how it works out for ya. |
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Location: Rhinelander | It wouldn't work out too well with any circuit. If the Director says "Launch, we are going out", you almost have to try it if you want a shot at the brass rings the circuit offers. The Championship is almost out if you decide to stay on the bank. So is Team of the Year.
No refunds, that's for sure, and $700.00 is a pretty significant amount of dough. |
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Member
Posts: 538
| I did not fish this tourney nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express.
If I were in the mix, I likely would have been in the mix doing the same calculation that the rest of the boaters did. 1 or 2 fish could mean big bucks.
Lets face it; given the chance, most of us fish under miserable conditions that most folks would not venture into on dry land.
Take care,
Jim O |
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Member
Posts: 82
| Also consider that the Walleye Madness was in effect too.
Those in that part of the MWC paid and additional amount to compete for that title, its confusing...but, they were paired in a bracket and had to compete each day to go from 64 to 16 I think....so they just bumped them by their seed.
Now that would be a tought pill to swallow...I think it costs an extra 600 bucks to enter the walleye madness. I hope I am right, to lazy to look it up. |
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Member
Posts: 54
| Thats right when there's money on the line guys WILL fish no matter the conditions . So why all of the bellyaching? |
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Location: Rhinelander | They won't fish if the event is called off and rescheduled or eliminated. Some folks think that is what should have happened, and the reasons for that line of thinking have been stated pretty clearly.
Some folks think this went off just fine. We need to hear that too, if that's a common conception. |
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| this tournament has been held in the past with flood waters but not to this extreme!!!!!!!!!!!!! safety is always first!!!!!!!!!!! should have been cacled or canceled. no if ands or buts about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 |
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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Don't fish tournaments any more. Won't post my feelings about this one. But remember and fished the first PWT on Saginaw Bay, back when many of you were still crappen green. On the morning of day 2 of the 2 day event, the field launched in the middle of a thunderstorm. Lightening strikes were numerous. I asked the director if we would be disqualified if we waited for the storm to pass before we launched. He said no, as long as our boat was checked before departure. We launched 2 hours after everybody else. Caught 20 walleyes by 1:00pm and was back at the weigh in 1 hour before everybody else. Unfortunetly, we skunked out on day 1 with a wrong decision to fish deep, finished in the teens somewhere and cashed a check for place and our day 2 comback weight.
I know this example isn't the same as flood waters, that are not going to get any better in a few hours. But serves as an example as to how things have or have not changed in all these years when it comes to competitive angling.
What I do now (charter fishing) is kinda like tournament fishing. Except I get to cash a check everytime I leave the dock no matter what the results. But there still exsists in my own fellowship ranks (and always will) two types of fishermen. Charter Captains that will take you out no matter what the conditions are for the check. And the ones that weigh both the conditions and the odds for success, and then make the call for both your fishing enjoyment and safety. I'm happy to say I'll always be the latter and understand little about the former. |
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Tournament Safety Decisions