Unofficial UK Slalom BBS

Another bug bear of mine is when paddlers get demoted when they have only done 2 or 3 races. If a div 2 paddler, for example, has done a race and scored in excess of 250 points, they should not be demoted. Anyone that has not done a minimum of 5 races should be considered as a special case and not automatically demoted to a lower division.

On my minimum points proposal, demotion points would be the same as promotion points for any paddler that is not short season. I don't know about Prem and div 1 but there are a lot of div 3s better than the div 2s. This minimum point / promotion / demotion would hopefully level the playing field and ensure the div 2 paddlers were consistently better than the div 3s.

I agree but it its hard to set something meaningful that is fair. I remember someone who had done 1 race getting demoted from div 1 with 800 points. If they had not raced they would not have been demoted (paddlers who don't race justarene't included in demotions and just apply for reinstatement).

Something like if you have raced less than 5 races and your average is > 4/10 of demotion then you don't get demoted.

so say demotion is 1000 points and you have raced 1 race and got 500 points. You wouldn't get demoted.

I agree Duncan. I don't think there is anything in the Year book about demotions though, is there?

I don't think there is anything in the Year book about demotions though, is there?

No, and never has been. It's a committee discretion thing, so that it can adapt to circumstances. But I would be very reluctant to demote a paddler with more points than a paddler who was not demoted having done less races.
The committee sometimes allows protected status to paddlers who couldn't do five races for a good reason (injury, military service) but really, really not just because they simply chose to do only two or three races.

There are plenty of races, if you choose not to race without good reason, you should be expected to be demoted.

oldandslow wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 13, 2018 9:34 pm

I don't know about Prem and div 1 but there are a lot of div 3s better than the div 2s. This minimum point / promotion / demotion would hopefully level the playing field and ensure the div 2 paddlers were consistently better than the div 3s.

Surely the playing field would be levelled by making more demotions and removing the not as good paddlers from the higher division?

Demotions are worked out by the committee each year, but you can guess roughly how many points you need to stay up and our unofficial statistician is adamant that paddlers who do 5 races in a year always make it out of the demotion zone, so it is actually pretty simple - do 5 races, and you will stay up. That is 2.5 doubles. If you are doing fewer events than that in a full season, are you really racing in the division?
Just enter div 2's in the special open category and never apply for ranking status... (is that allowed if you have been ranked? probably not)
Or get demoted and only enter PUs - if you are good enough to get re-promoted your PU points are portable anyway.

I believe the demotee should take their place numerically in the divisions ranking by scores obtained, 400 points puts them xx, zero points puts them at the end.

My reasoning is simple, most have strived hard all season the gain their low digit bib only to be knocked off the top by some who quite possibly may have actually given up the sport, kind of makes the number one bib a bit of a bib of shame, seeing as its not been earned.

Not actually looked to see how many demotees have shown up this year though sorry.


Nigel