Forum: Rules 2 and 69

Basic Principals: Sportsmanship and the Rules ; Fundamental Rules: Rule 2

P
Peter Gerard
Nationality: United States
Certifications:
  • National Judge
  • Regional Race Officer
Perhaps we should get back to basics. Sailing, per the Basic Principals: Sportsmansip and the Rule “… A fundimental principal of sportsmanship is that when a boat breaks a rule and is not exonerated she will promptly take an appropriate penalty…” In other works a basic principal of sailing is that it is a self policing sport.

Rule 2 states that a “boat and her owner shall compete in compliance with the recognized principals of sportsmanship……and may be penalized only if it is clearly established that these principals have been violated…”

1. At least one of the “recognized” principal's of sportsmanship for sailing is defined in the Basic Principals of the RRS.
2. Based on the original scenario presented, Boat A acknowledged that they broke a rule and knew it; and did not “promptly take an appropriate penalty”.



The bigger issue is do we want to continue to be a self policing sport - or do we want to eventually end up with referees in every race, where you did not break a rule unless caught. I do a fair amount of rule 42 judging at Opti events, and we are seeing more young sailing who clearly break a rule (such as running up over the stern oof another boat) waiting to see the other boats response before taking a penalty turn. I am concerned that these young sailers are, at leaast in some cases., being coached to “wait and see” approach to taking penalties. If they are being taught this approach when the at 10 years old, how will they respond when they are adults? 

 
Created: 24-Feb-22 14:57

Comments

P
Angelo Guarino
Certifications:
  • Regional Judge
  • Fleet Measurer
1
Peter since you think the issue sits at the feet of coaches in youth programs, what ideas do you have that could/would be effective?
Created: 24-Feb-23 01:24
P
Angelo Guarino
Certifications:
  • Regional Judge
  • Fleet Measurer
0
OK … we are getting crickets here, so how about this howitzer-shot to get ideas flowing?  

US sailing accredits instructors/coaches. How about requiring instructors/coaches to complete an online Rule 2/Basic Principles refresher and sign a pledge each year that they will instill and support those principles in their students/athletes?  And, that if they witness one of their student/athletes break an unexonerated rule without taking a penalty on the water, that they pledge to discuss the incident with them and if appropriate (verify it is unexonerated) encourage them to retire?
Created: 24-Feb-25 13:40
P
Peter Gerard
Nationality: United States
Certifications:
  • National Judge
  • Regional Race Officer
0
A start would be to make the concept of taking a penalty when you break a rule a fundamental part of introductory and youth  sailboat racing courses. A stated commitment to the Basic Principals by race officials and race organizers (perhaps even calling the competitors attention to this rule in the NORs) would also encourage compliance. This includes pointing out where sailors have not followed the Basic Rule at an event, making the commitment to self policing part of the competitors and coaches meeting talk,  and perhaps even encouraging competitors to protests perpetrators.    Most racing sailers compete for the fun of the sport, I believe that adherence to the Basic Principals will help insure that it continues to be fun. 
Created: 24-Feb-25 14:35
P
John Allan
Certifications:
  • National Judge
  • Regional Race Officer
0
I don't agree that any more effort should be given to emphasising competitors in 'self-policing' themselves, in fact I would quite like to see it de-emphasised.

I think it is possible to differentiate between:
  • the sport being self-policing, through the protest process, and
  • individual competitors self-policing, or self-censoring their own behaviour.
 
It's certainly a principle on which the whole RRS rules set is based that competitors themselves are expected to enforce the rules through the protest process, although we have Match Racing, Team Racing, and Olympic Medal races, watched by thousands, that are fully chipping away at the principle.
 
There's quite a good argument to be made that RRS 44 'a boat may take a penalty ...' confers a right or entitlement, and as a canon of statutory construction it's just completely impermissible to transform a right or entitlement into an obligation 
 
While, since 1989, the rules have evolved to say that it is a principle that competitors will take a penalty, IMHO this is not necessary for the rules to work or to be 'self-enforcing'
 
In fact the 'fundamental principle is problematical:
 
  1. has to be read down to read 'knowingly break', otherwise it is patently unfair and unreasonable.
  2. with the introduction of Appendix T PRP, and the ability of a boat to retire at any time, the word 'promptly' needs to be very elastically interpreted.
  3. it is designed to be enforced via RRS 2, but to enforce it via RRS 2, absent boastful admissions the protestee, it may be extremely difficult to get evidence to 'clearly establish' the mental element of knowingness, and the time that this mental state arises.
 
I believe that the notions of 'sportsmanlike' and 'gentlemanlike' are often conflated. Gentlemanlike behaviour is a social or cultural norm, that is by no means universal and does not affect the fairness of competition.  The difference between gentlemanlike and sportsmanlike may be aligned with the separate phrases 'breach of good manners', and 'breach of good sportsmanship' in RRS 69.1.
 
The function of the RRS is to enable athletic competition, it is not to teach or train competitors in moral or gentlemanlike behaviour, while this may or may not be a secondary outcome.
 
While there are good logistical reasons for the self-policing principle in sailing, a large majority of sports and junior sports successfully run on a 'play to the whistle' basis.  The only particular virtue in self policing seems to be, in the physically complex and difficult environment of sailing racing, it removes the need for umpiring resources on the field of play.
 
That is to say, self-policing is not a virtue in itself, but a 'cost saving' or practicality measure.
 
I think the fundamental principle could well be amended for the better to read
 
when a boat breaks a rule and is not exonerated she will promptly take or accept an appropriate penalty…”
 
Otherwise a case saying expressly that, at least, RRS 44 penalties (except for retirement for injury, serious damage or significant advantage) are at the discretion of the boat (may  take a ...), and a boat cannot be protested or penalised for failing to take a penalty in accordance with RRs 44.
Created: 24-Feb-25 20:36
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