CYC Home
December 27, 2010
By Jerry Diercks
Fleet Captain Race
In an effort to bolster race participation and attract new members, CYC is going to experiment with some new racing policies and fee structures in the 2011 Sound Small Boat Evening Racing program.
In October, CYC’s Board formed an ad hoc committee of Sound Small Boat sailors and Board members asked to develop initiatives that might increase race participation, assist in Fleet building and increase Club membership.
The Board determined that the Sound Small Boat Evening program is the weakest of CYC’s programs.
As unfortunate as this sounds, the program offers a unique opportunity to experiment as it presents an opportunity to experiment where the potential financial risk is highly compartmentalized.
The Committee has considered a multitude of ideas. These were submitted in the form of specific proposals at the December 13 CYC Board meeting. The Board ratified the broad terms of the Committee’s proposals whilst leaving open some specifics in order to further develop the concepts presented.
A primary concern of the Committee was the level of cost and commitment required for new racers participating in CYC’s Evening Racing program.
1. The Board has agreed to adopt a three-fold strategy to address these issues through this experiment:
2. Open Sound Small Boat Evening Racing to non-Members.
Allow participation in evening racing on a drop-in basis. (i.e. one day registration as opposed to a 5-6 race series.)
3. Offer a tiered pricing structure to members based on the type of boat sailed, its expense and the number of people sailing that boat.
Through economic accessibility and scheduling, participation is anticipated to increase, leading to increased membership and revenue.
It was also suggested that CYC experiment with scheduling to determine if the commute to Shilshole on weekdays presents a measurable barrier to participation. For Spring 2011, the Sound Small Boat Evening Series will be moved to Sundays instead of the usual Thursday nights. The 2011 Interim, Summer and Fall series will remain on the traditional Thursday night schedule.
It is hoped that these experiments will lead to Club-wide policy changes that increase the value of membership and participation.