Unofficial UK Slalom BBS

The organisers pack says I must send promoted Div 4 cards to bib officer. This I could do however it seems a little pointless as there is nothing useful on them, those from the online system contain no contact details and the others that were filled in on the day aren't much better.

All paddlers who were promoted got promotion certificates and year books.

What are the cards needed for?

Something I've often wondered myself - confirmation of promotion maybe, but that can be seen from results.

Yes - i wondered the same this year. If nothing else could get the rule changed at the ACM to ask the organiser to e-mail the promotions with e-mail addresses or home addresses.

Just a few months ago many people didn't think div 4 would use the online system so we shouldn't really be surprised that the card based requirements are still in place...

I think the reason for sending the cards is about good 'customer' relations, by sending the cards with contact details (organisers shouldn't accept them on the day until correctly filled in) it gives the bib officer the opportunity to make first contact if the paddler doesn't seem to have applied for a bib (stuff does very occasionally get lost in the mail) and it gives the committee a chance to register them as a slalom paddler and send a yearbook next year, which may be especially useful if promoted near the end of the season and not not planning to get apply for a bib until next year anyway.

Basically it means slalom can reach out to newcomers and encourage them to keep coming along, instead of sitting back and waiting for them to come back. Even when they get a promotion certificate, a lot of paddlers don't really know what to do next.

Except that the current cards do not collect postal addresses, so even if they enter with a fully filled in card, as opposed to online, we still cannot send a year book.

I also think it unlikely that Div 3 bib officers will be contacting those that have not applied for a bib.

Dee wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 27, 2018 12:53 pm

Except that the current cards do not collect postal addresses, so even if they enter with a fully filled in card, as opposed to online, we still cannot send a year book.

Hmm, I only have old cards with me, but I do remember they were simplified now you mention it...

Dee wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 27, 2018 12:53 pm

I also think it unlikely that Div 3 bib officers will be contacting those that have not applied for a bib.

Div 3 K1M bib officer is very pro-active, if she doesn't have paddlers details she will try to contact via club or other means - that's how I know!

JimW wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 27, 2018 2:20 pm

Div 3 K1M bib officer is very pro-active, if she doesn't have paddlers details she will try to contact via club or other means - that's how I know!

Excellent - I learn something new every day

I've just spent quite a lot of time this morning: sorting through nearly 400 cards from the weekend's event at Cardington to find those that need to be sent off, working out which ones need to be sent to which ranking officer, finding the relevant addresses for each one and going to the Post Office to get stamps to post them with. All this to satisfy page 10 of the Organisers Handbook which tells me cards for paddlers with temporary bib numbers (including scratch C2 crews) and Div 4 promotions need to be sent to the appropriate ranking officer. Having now reflected on this activity, it appears to have been pointless. Using the online entry system means that only the front of each card is completed and so the only extra information the card provides over the results sheet is the penalty detail which I can't see that the ranking officer needs. I'd really like to hear what use is made of the cards because it seems like something we could well do without.

The same section off the Organisers Handbook tells me I need to keep the cards until the end of the season, has anyone ever had to refer back to them? I would have thought they could be destroyed a couple of weeks after the event.

Patrick

Weirdly the timing team don't have to send cards in (because they operate cardless).

I think I'll be proposing none of us should have to. In essence most events run 'entry card less'. We just happen to use something that looks like a traditional card to display the runs rather than a slip of paper. AT Howsham Weir we asked paddlers entering on the weekend to fill in 2 cards, an entry card and a race card for GDPR purposes so we didn't put personal details on display.

I see pretty much no point sending them in. Paddlers are given promotion certificates and 99.99% will be affiliated to a club who will try and get them to continue. When did anyone last have an independent turn up for a Div 4? Any Div 2 crew interested in their ranking/points will get in touch with the ranking officer.