Are 'all inclusive' watercraft races good or bad?

[TallDude]

I saw the the 'Battle of the Bay' race in San Francisco includes: OC-1, OC-2, Surf Ski, Prone, SUP, Windsurf, and Kite Foil racing.
More participants and more sponsors ($$$$) for sure. But is it less focus on the individual sport craft? Maybe Kai will win the Kite and SUP divisions?

http://battleofthebay.com/

[Off-Shore]

In Hong Kong we have the Dragon Run www.dragonrun.com.hk which used to only include Surfski and Outrigger and then 4 years ago I helped introduce SUP to it. The thinking behind it was all the infrastructure was in place and there were a lot of international OC and Surfski racers who travelled with partners who would be sitting around during their partners races who could join the SUP races and we could build from there. It does not compare to, or compete with Hong Kong's stand alone International SUP Championships which happened last weekend and is pure SUP and brings in the big SUP names and has a local race series that feeds into it over the year.

So I think there is room for both types of events. Anyone who knows the effort required in pulling off an event and balancing a budget knows it is about right sizing and tight management. This can be achieved with a multi-sport event as well as a single sport event.

I also think that in a multi sport event there needs to be a lead discipline that attracts the top people. In the Dragon Run it's Surfski that dominates and this year we'll probably have 9 out of the top 10 paddlers in the world here since next year Hong Kong will host the 2017 ICF Ocean Racing World Championships on 25-26th Nov where approx 20 countries will be represented. It was last held in Tahiti in Oct 2015

[PonoBill]

Most of the races in Maui are multi--I like hanging out with the surfski/OC folks. I don't think the change in focus detracts from the event. I was glad to see that the Gorge Paddle Challenge has become inclusive though I don't think the word got out enough to add participants.

[surfcowboy]

My take is that "paddle sports" is not a bad designation. I can see the idea of dilution but the alternative might be smaller or less events. But I'm in an area with like 3 races a year.

[TallDude]

If it's blowing hard enough for a windsurf race, the stand up race conditions are probably going to suck. 

[covesurfer]

Not if it's a downwind race

[TallDude]

You 'One Direction' guys. There's no shuttle. You paddle back.

[surf4food]

There's room for both types.  The annual HanoHano has always been all types of paddle craft.  Plus I think the popularity of SUP will help grow one and two person OC. 

[Area 10]

My take is that "paddle sports" is not a bad designation. I can see the idea of dilution but the alternative might be smaller or less events. But I'm in an area with like 3 races a year.

In my area there have known to be 3 races in a single weekend. In fact there have been complaints amongst serious racers that there are too many races (ie. since it dilutes the pool). So although we do sometimes tag onto existing paddlesports races for some big (and much loved) events (but not necessarily racing alongside other craft, or at the same time or on the same course), it usually isn't required.

Some other paddlesports have invited SUP because they see us as a fairly pitiable discipline (eg. because we are slow and SUP is an inefficient mode of transport) and think that we would be a great recruiting ground. But, excepting an increased interest in OC amongst SUPers, this has largely not happened, and the numbers of SUPers at these mixed events now sometimes threatens to swamp the original host paddlesport.

[melini]

The Gorge Downwind Champs was inclusive of SUP, surfski, OC1 & 2, and prone.   It was my first and only race, so I have nothing to compare to, but I felt like my experience was enhanced by the presence of the other crafts. Everyone raced the same course, but the starts for the long course were staggered.  There was plenty of room for each craft.  I loved watching the other paddlers do their thing and talking with them about it at the many social events throughout the week.  The vibe was definitely that the event was about one community not 4 or 5 different ones. 

Also, as a poster upthread said, families and some big paddle clubs (Bellingham, Kelowna, Vancouver) came with various members racing different crafts.  The inclusion probably helped make their travel and participation possible.

[yugi]

The more the merrier.

Include everyone. Except snowboarders. For no special reason, other than they are so easy to mess with.


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[TallDude]

The Hanohano was my first race a long time ago. There were only maybe 30 SUP's racing and not a single 14' board. They didn't exist. A lot of my friends paddle prone, OC's and SurfSki's so it has always been a great event. As well as the entire SoCal Ocean Series. We are all paddler's. Adding Windsurfing and Kite Foil racing to the event changes the Ohana feel to me. Some of them are paddlers (I use to windsurf and race Hobie Cats) but it's a sailing sport not a paddling sport.