Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Sammons LJKF
so we moved to Kate Sessions and it has gone much smoother. Sorry if you think this "sucks" but everyone is playing by the same rules, so just plan accordingly.
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Jim, it's your show, you can do it however you want. But I know the majority of people I have talked to all thoroughly dislike the weigh in procedure. It may run smoother for the organizers, but certainly not for many of the contestants. Honestly, one of the worst things about one day tournaments for me in general is the need to constantly watch the clock and try to calculate if I could make it in on time. If the weigh in is at the beach at least I know I can roughly calculate based on paddling speed. Throw in the need to load, drive, park, and dash and it is that much trickier and more stressful.
It also adds an unfair element. I usually have my wife on standby at the beach should I need to land and go, leaving her to watch the yak. Last year Tyler lent me his wheels and saved my butt since I would never have made the scales otherwise. Others may not have that kind of option.
Personally, I'd like to see all the tournaments go to a "lines in" to "lines out" approach, with a requirement that fish be radioed in, similar to many boater tournaments. Then the weigh in deadline can be relaxed to allow for plenty of time to land and get to wherever the scales are. This obviates any need to have people taking potential risks in the surf or on the roads trying to get a last minute fish in and also completely levels the playing field.