WAHOO CHALENGE

[Captain Fred Archer]

Holly,

Well said and a logical explanation that sounds like it was fair for all. Sounds like you run a top-flight tournament and that everyone had a good, safe (but maybe kind of rough) time. Good luck with next year's event and please be sure to contact me in advance so we can provide some prizes.

[WAHOONBOX]

[quote=TheWahooChallenge;446913][quote=joeksr;442311]
The only problem I had with this tournament was thier decision to let small boats register right up till Saturday morning.
I understand the weather was Iffy but I don't agree with allowing boats to register after a fishing day has been completed. Pretty sure a late registration beat out our fish.

Let me start by saying thank you to you all for participating in the Wahoo Challenge - it sounds like everyone did have a good time. I know it may seem a little odd to change our registration and allow folks to continue to register up through Sat morning but this decision was made by the board because some of our participants were fishing out of other ports and would not be able to be in Morehead City wed night - especially since everyone was taking thurs as a lay day. The decision did make sense. I can tell you that all boats were registered by the end of the day thursday (only 3 boats registered after wed night) and no more boats registered on Friday or Sat morning. As for the small boat category I know that the weather was tough on you guys but I am glad that everyone got a good day in on Friday.
I appreciate any and all feedback from you and others so that we can continue to make this tournament better every year! Please don't hesitate to contact me with ideas or suggestions and I will be happy to pass those along to the board of directors.
Overall, I feel like it was a great turnout and am I can't say enough about how much fun and how friendly our fishing community is and that you all never lost sight of the goal being to raise money for the charities - and for that I thank you!!

Holly

HMMMMMMM..........

WELL.... THIS IS JUST ALL FINE AND DANDY HERE AIN'T IT.....ALL THIS BACK SLAPPING FOR THE CHALLENGE ........

BUT.....GEEZZ.....AND IN DEFENSE OF JOEKSR'S REPSONSE ABOVE, LET'S LOOK AT THIS LATE REGISTRATION RULE CHANGE FROM ANOTHER ANGLE...THAT WOULD BE THE WILD GOOSE'S ANGLE AND NOT FROM THE CHARITY VIEW OR RULES COMMITTEE VIEW ...I SPEND ABOUT 4 MONTHS OF EVERY YEAR ATTEMPTING TO RAISE MONEY FOR MY PERSONAL CHARITY: THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF NC ...SO I CAN CONFIDENTLY STATE I DON'T LOSE ANY SIGHT OF HELPING CHARITIES

WE, THE WILD GOOSE, REGISTERED ON WEDS EVENING OF REGISTRATION AND FOLLOWED ALL WRITTEN RULES....WE TURNED IN OUR LAYDAY SLIP ON WEDS NIGHT SAYING WE WOULD LAY ON THURSDAY THE FIRST LEGAL DAY OF FISHING.

NO ONE TOLD US AT THE TIME WE REGISTERED THAT WE COULD WAIT AND REGISTER ON THURSDAY AFTER WE WATCHED THE WEATHER..... IF THIS LATE REGISTRATION AFTER THE FACT IS SUCH A GREAT IDEA, THEN WHY NOT MAKE A PHONE CALL TO EVERY PARTICIPANT USING THE CONTACT NUMBERS PROVIDED TO THE TOURNY ON THE REGISTRATION FORM AND LET ALL BOATS HAVE THE SAME PRIVILEGE AS THE SANDBAGGING LATE THURSDAY REGISTRANTS HAD.........


MAYBE .........DUHHHH..... MAYBE THE CREW OF THE WILD GOOSE WOULD HAVE LIKED THE NEW FOUND PRIVILEGE OF WAITING AN EXTRA DAY BEFORE WE ENTERED JUST LIKE SOME OF THE OTHERS DID......BUT NO, WE FOLLOWED THE PRESCRIBED RULES SET FORTH IN THE BROCHURE AND PROPERLY REGISTERED ON WEDS EVE

IN THE PAST 150 PLUS TOURNYS I HAVE FISHED, I NEVER SEEN A RULE CHANGE SUCH AS THIS LATE REGISTRATION THING AFTER THE FINAL HOUR....

I CAN'T SIT BY IDLE AND SPEECHLESS HERE AFTER READING THE OCCALADES BEING GIVEN TO THE CHALLENGE COMMITTEE....I OWE IT TO MY CREW TO SPEAK OUT ON THIER BEHALF! AND I AM JUST VOICING MY DISCONTENT HERE AND NOT BITCHING...IF I HAD WANTED TO REALLY ***** ABOUT THIS I WOULD HAVE DONE IT ON SATURDAY EVENING PRIOR THE AWARDS CEREMONY....IN FACT, I WAS NOT GOING TO SAY ONE SINGLE WORD HERE ABOUT THIS WHOLE SHINDIG AFFAIR....BUT SINCE ACCOLADES ARE BEING PASSED OUT TO THE CALCUTTA TOURNAMENT BY SOME HERE AND DONNA HAS QUOTED ONE OF MY CREW MEMBERS ....I FEEL I AM ENTITLED NOW TO HAVE MY SAY AND EXPRESS MY DISCONTENT HERE ON HOW THIS "REGISTER-ANY-DAY-YOU-WISH THING" WAS HANDLED....



AND I KNOW CHANGES WERE MADE FOR THE SAKE OF MAKING MORE MONEY FOR THE TOURNY CHARITIES......BUT ...EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED WHO HAD ENTERED THE TOURNY BY THE ORIGINAL RULES.... AND GIVEN THE SAME OPTION OF A LATE ENTRY REGISTRATION.....


WHAT'S FAIR FOR ONE SHOULD BE FAIR FOR ALL.....

I DON'T CARE IF THE 3RD PLACE CHECK AMOUNT WAS ONE CENT OR ONE MILLION BUCKS......IF YOU ROB A FEDERAL BANK OF ONE COPPER PENNY YOU WILL GO TO JAIL.

AND THE LATE THURSDAY ENTRANTS DID NOT HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF TURNING IN A LAY DAY SLIP ON WEDS EITHER............WHAT IF I FORGOT TO TUREN IN MY LAYDAY SLIP FOR THURSDAY? WOULD A RULE CHANGE BE MADE FOR THIS AND CLEMENCY GRANTED TO ME?

THE WAHOO OF THE WILD GOOSE WEIGHED IN AT 29.90LBS AND WAS A MERE 3/4 OF A POUND LESS THAN THE 3RD PLACE SMALL BOAT WAHOO WINNER......AND I BET IT IS A VERY FREAKING SAFE BET THAT AT LEAST ONE OF THE 1ST,2ND, OR 3RD PLACE SMALL BOAT WAHOO WINNERS WERE REGISTERED ON LATE THURSDAY WHICH WAS LEGALLY THE FIRST DAY OF FISHING......

LET'S FORGET THAT EVERY BOAT LAID ON THURSDAY.....THAT IS IRRELAVANT HERE. IF ONE OF THE TOP THREE SMALL BOATS WERE A LATE REGISTRANT, THEN THAT BOAT PROBABLY BUMPED THE "WILD GOOSE" OUT OF THE MONEY.....ONE CENT OR A MILLION...I DON'T CARE.....NOW IF ALL THREE OF THE TOP THREE SMALL BOAT WINNERS REGISTERED ON LATE THURSDAY, THEN QUITE POSSIBLY THE WILD GOOSE FISH WOULD HAVE MADE 1ST OR AT LEAST IN THE MONEY....AND I DON'T CARE HOW SMALL OF A CHECK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EITHER .....WE FISHED TO WIN BIG OR SMALL RIGHT IS RIGHT AND WRONG IS WRONG!!!

I BET IF THIS SAME SITUATION HERE HAPPENED BETWEEN THE LARGER BOATS THE SHIT WOULD HAVE HIT THE FAN ABOUT THIS....YOU KNOW IT...I KNOW IT........BUT ...BEING IT HAPPENED TO A 23 FOOTER....THE SMALLEST BOAT IN THE TOURNY......NO ONE REALLY GIVES A CRAP.


AGAIN I WISH TO RE-ITERATE THAT I NEVER PLANNED TO SAY ANYTHING PUBLIC ABOUT THIS, IN FACT, I JUST TOLD MYSELF IT WOULD NOT BE WORTH THE EFFORT TO FIGHT THIS NOR GRIPE ABOUT IT....

BUT AFTER READING DONNA'S RESPONSE AND SEEING SHE QUOTED JOE AND AVOIDING THE REAL GIST OF HIS DIS-PLEASURE AND THEN RECEIVING PRAISE FROM OTHERS HERE ...... I CAN'T STAND BY IDLE TO SEE ALL THESE HIGH FIVES BEING GIVEN TO THE TOURNY WHEN I FEEL MY CREW WAS POSSIBLY GIVEN THE SHORT END OF THE STICK HERE....THIS THING IS NOT A WINE AND ROSES THING AS SOME PEOPLE MAY THINK.

NOW,.... IF NONE OF THE 3 SMALL BOAT WINNERS WERE A LATE REGISTRANT, THEN ALL IS WELL WITH ME AND MY CREW AND I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE .......




I WONDER HOW MANY BOATS WERE ENTERED IN THE SMALL BOAT CATEGORY? ....DONNA, HOW ABOUT MAKING THAT REGISTRATION INFO PUBLIC, TIME AND DATE OF REGISTRATION OF SMALL BOAT WINNERS......PROVE ME WRONG HERE AND I WILL SHUT UP AND GO TO MY ROOM WITH NO TV AND NO COMPUTER FOR A WEEK



AND SINCE YOU ASKED ABOVE FOR ADVICE ON MAKING THE TOURNY BETTER FOR NEXT YEAR:

1. NO MATTER HOW SMALL THE WINNERS CHECK IS/WAS IN THE SMALL BOAT CATEGORY....WHY NOT POST THE WINNING CHECK AMOUNT ON YOUR WEBSITE LIKE YOU DID IN EVERY OTHER LEVEL....I EVEN SEE THE BACKPACK AWARDS MADE IT TO THE FINAL STANDINGS BUT THE SMALL BOAT CHECK AMOUNTS WERE LEFT OUT.

2.....ALL TOURNAMENT WEBSITES SHOULD BE UPDATED AFTER EACH AND EVERY DAY OF LEGAL FISHING....REMEMBER TOURNAMENT WEBMASTERS, THE WORLD IS WATCHING, READING......AND THAT IS HOW A TOURNAMENT GROWS. KEEPING THE VIEWING MASSES INFORMED WITH DAILY UPDATES WIOL HELP KEEPTHE INTEREST UP IN SAID FUTURE TOURNYS......

3......I ALSO THINK ALL TOURNYS SHOULD MAKE AVAILABLE (LIKE THE WMO AND MID ATL DOES) ...MAKE AVAILABLE A LIST A OF ALL BOATS ENTERED AND WHAT LEVELS THEY ENTERED......THIS WAY AN ENTRANT KNOWS WHAT AND WHO HE IS FISHING AGAINST EACH DAY.....THIS GIVES YOU HOPE IF YOU ARE LAGGING BEHIND!!!

4. DO NOT MAKE RULE CHANGES AFTER THE ENTRY DEADLINE.



ANYWAY.....I HAVE A SHORT CLIP OF OUR ONE AND ONLY WAHOO WITH THE CREW .....THANKS TO ALL MY MANY FRIENDS WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE WILD GOOSE TO PLAY.

[WAHOONBOX]

..........................

Video Player

[TheWahooChallenge]

Marty,

I am sorry you feel that way.

Holly

[joeksr]

Let me start by saying thank you to you all for participating in the Wahoo Challenge - it sounds like everyone did have a good time. I know it may seem a little odd to change our registration and allow folks to continue to register up through Sat morning but this decision was made by the board because some of our participants were fishing out of other ports and would not be able to be in Morehead City wed night - especially since everyone was taking thurs as a lay day. The decision did make sense. I can tell you that all boats were registered by the end of the day thursday (only 3 boats registered after wed night) and no more boats registered on Friday or Sat morning.

Overall, I feel like it was a great turnout and am I can't say enough about how much fun and how friendly our fishing community is and that you all never lost sight of the goal being to raise money for the charities - and for that I thank you!!

Holly[/QUOTE]


Thank you for your reply. I understand that this was a tournament to raise money for a charity and I hope you met your goals. Friday was a great day and made the trip worthwhile.
But.
It was a tournament.
Cap't terry and I fish out of Indian River Delaware. I'd say that qualifies as an other port. Do you have mail in registration ? Knowing tournament rules we made the 8 hour drive the day before registration to be there on time. I have to say that we all agonized over weather we should enter at all in a 23' boat with the weather being what it was and knowing that once entered we were in weather we got to fish or not. We decided to go for it on Wed night, the registration day, knowing we may have just paid an entry fee and may not be able to fish, You pay your nickle and you take your chances. Thats the way tournaments work. Trust me, this is not about winning money, there was not enough involved to change my lifestyle.
Can you imagine the White Marlin Open or any other tournament changing the rules like this?
Respectfully, Changing the rules of a tournament at the last minute does not make sense to me.
Again, I hope you met your goals and I had a ball in the tournament.

Joe

[reelreturn]

Changing the rules after registration does seem to be unfair. Would you also extend the weigh in time for fish? Every tournament I've ever fished had fixed dates and times for registration and weigh-in. If you didn't make the dates or times- tough. Set the format of the tournament and stick with it!!!

[weekender]

looks like one would need to practice leads, follow through and other things that aid in hitting a moving target in the Whaoo Chanellenge. Changing rules in the middle of the game? What's up with that?

[Phat Mann]

Just an outside opinion (did have 2.5 shares interest for disclosure).

The thing to do is learn from "issues" to make a tourney better. Especially Charity events. Sounds like this is the goal here.

However:

One should never forget that even though an event benefits Charity, it is still a tournament with rules to follow and money at risk.

When making rule changes, they should effect all parties equally and not put any entrant at a disadvantage. Otherwise, don't change the rule.

I think PCBGT, WMO, MA 500 all state a specific limit on Registration for those delayed by wx or breakdown but I think that's like 9 am or the time your lay lay day form is due on day 1. That's fair since you would have no knowledge of the fishing results for day one.

Example- If you hadn't entered the PCBGT but still could after the first day fishing, and the 1228 lb bm was caught on day one, do you think you would have entered? While this example doesn't match the wahoo challenge circumstances exactly, it does explain how decisions to fish or not to fish might be made.

At close of registration there are X # of boats. If a tourney changes the rules to allow more entries after the fact and that "new entrant wins" those that played by the "original" rules were negatively impacted. Yet had the new entrant not placed, that was more money for all to share including the charity. The decision to change the rules should never be made based upon the change only effecting a "few entrants unless each of those entrants were consulted by the rules committee and ALL effected entrants agreed to the change.

A similar thing happened this year at the Dare County Boat Builders Challenge. Three day tourney with captains choice of which three days to fish. Day three was looking marginal at entry time but 5 or 6 boats still layed on day one knowing this fact for a number of reasons. (Yes we were one of them)

After day two fishing was complete with a tropical storm coming up the coast, still many miles away but "forcasted" to effect at least the southern boundary, Sundays fishing was cancelled "by the Board" without consulting the half dozen boats with a day left to fish.(Even though this was designated a Captain's Choice tournament) Some definately in contention.and yes this was a "Charity Event".

The storm went offshore and Sunday morning was definately fishable.

Moral of the story. Don't change the rules after the tourney starts or at least have unanamous consent from those effected.

It is tough for those running tourneys. Improving on rules issues each year based upon entrant suggestions are how tourney's improve.

Making sure rules are printed and "correct" are critical and NEVER miss a captain's meeting since that is your chance to ask questions and rules interpretations.

Monday quarterbacking is so much easier than playing the game!