What is your opinion of the WPA?

[greatdane]

I apologize if this has been discussed elsewhere & I am not doing this to bad-mouth the hard working folks at the WPA, but...

I have been hearing a lot this early season about race promotors dropping the WPA certification for their races.  In one case, it's saving the promotor $600 that he will instead put into take-home race jerseys and food after the race. 

As a racer, the last two seasons I tried to hit as many WPA races regionally as I could... trying to achieve a high ranking in the season-end results... But now I ask myself why?  My sponsors don't care, it's not advertised & I realize that I don't actually get anything out of it.  I want to go to races based on a cool venue, home made/quirky trophies, good food and fun atmosphere...

A recent non-scientific Facebook poll of most the top racers in the Pacific Northwest Region showed that not one cared one way or the other if a race was WPA and most are not re-upping on their memberships. 

Curious as to what other regions think...

[paddlestandingup]

How does this relate to WPA instructor certifications?  I have heard there was controversy around some instructor trainers basically certifying anyone who shows up.

[SURFnTURF]

I did that instructor thing with the ACA and really came to a similar conclusion.   If one is in the industry, its a set of initials by your name, and really does provide some good training for the instructors.    As far as races....   People that want to race and better themselves in their own eyes like to see their names in the rankings with an increasingly smaller number next to it.    For some this is the motivation they need to train harder, not unlike someone like me who's next personal goal is to break 2 hours for a 1/2 marathon.   
     The WPA seems like a bunch of established watermen trying to get organized.  If it works for you, go with it.
    Take into account this comes from a recreational paddler with limited race experience and mediocre finishes. 

[PonoBill]

It doesn't seem as though they've added enough value to make themselves indispensable. It's a tough thing to do, and I applaud them for trying, but it probably takes twenty years of not making any money to make any money at all as a certifying body. I think they're trying to get to stage two quickly. I doubt it will work. No one wants to really pay for this kind of thing.

I also think they made a mistake in not doing any technical work in choosing how to classify boards. everyone knows my thoughts on this, but they could have done more than simply copying the early status quo and therefore helping to solidify it. Certifying bodies are supposed to think about stuff like that. Again, it's a value add thing that I think they went very short on. Their rules seem arbitrary. The recommendation for fees is plain stupid. Obviously someone had a hair across their butt about it and they could get them to give it up. For them to try to limit fees to so skinny a level, and then try to collect real money at every race is monumentally dumb.

I've been racing stuff for about 50 years. All kinds of stuff. Sanctioning bodies that are relevant provide technical insight, pool insurance, and produce regulations that change as the sport changes to try to keep racing enjoyable. The SCCA is a good example. They make changes every few years that piss off about 40 percent of their members and cost them vast amounts of money. But it keeps the racing rational. No one likes them, but everyone that races cars in the US knows how vital they are to the sport.

I doubt the WPA has the insight, will, and dedication to pull off something like that.

[gorgebob]

I think the WPA shot them selves in foot. I tried to be a fan but the results were always late and messed up. The results from last year got you into the Hennessy only a week before the race. They did not qualify races that were WPA, you never new what you were going to get. They even canceled point from a race that didn't pay up.  This year with a poll of our own and  the higher rates we decided to drop the WPA, maybe next year.

[PonoBill]

If that's the general consensus there won't be a next year. It's a thankless job, but some idiot somewhere should try to do it better.

I got some flack for my "monumentally dumb" comment. Here's the "rule" from the WPA rulebook:

g) Race directors should keep entry fees at a valve and based on what the participant is being offered with their entry fee (permits, insurance, race timing, product, food, drinks, etc). The WPA recommends the following entry fees to get the best participation for all sanctioned events. Entry fees may be less as the WPA is trying to suggest lower entry fees to grow participation.
o Kids race- 12 under free.
o Short course race- $30-$50.
o Long race- $50 - $75.
o Prize Money race- $75 - $125.00.
o Offer two levels of entry fees in a prize money race, one for a competitor who just wants to race against the best paddlers and one for the paddlers who want to race for prize money.

h) Prize money should only come from sponsor money and not entry fees that would otherwise increase entry fees for all competitors.

Really? Then what is the higher price for the prize money race for?

No--I didn't type valve--that's what it says. Change that word to "value" and then figure out WTF they're trying to say. Write English, guys, it's your RULEBOOK. So you do a race, charge fifty bucks. Pay for permits, insurance, food, trophies, timing, etc. You get 50 people, thats $2500, take out all those expenses and you give the WPA $600???

I stand by my monumentally dumb characterization.

[TallDude]

I look at these associations a sort of a ponzi scheme. They tell you if you join and it cost $$. Once you are an exclusive member, you will get this piece of paper or plastic, a hat, and a sticker that says you are a member. You go to a race and pay what everyone else pays, but because you are an exclusive member you will get your name and finish results posted on a website (but so will all the non-members). You can show your friends, you're ranked number *_* in the association.  AND you are a member........ Coollll.....   Then they tell you your annual dues need to be paid, again.  Their annual fee is not in my personal budget this year. 

[peterp]

I don't have an opinion on the WPA ( I do, but DJ's mom once told him that if you don't have something nice to say, then rather don't say it)

But, I think it's important to have a national body looking after your sport. If done correctly it can help grow the sport and industry, ideally to the benefit of most, if not all, paddlers.

If SUP goes olympic you need to be organised, if SUP wants to tap into government grants for development, it needs to be organised etc. If it wants access to facilities and insurance, it's good to be organised.

So as long as your organisation is looking after those type of goals then it's good to be organised.

[Celeste]

To quote a t-shirt, "Well meaning clueless white people".  That last part is irrelevant but the first two I think are spot on and important.  Something new came along, they saw a need and an opportunity, thinking it was more similar to what they already did, they jumped before they had enough background for a clean landing.  the recovery is messy, seems like they are still trying to bend the sport to how they think it should be rather then molding  themselves to what the participants need and want.  will they recover or will they fall on their faces?  I don't know, but if they don't make changes soon, I say they will fall.

[Bean]

I've had nothing but positive experiences so far.  We'll see how it goes at the Stand up 4 SEALs paddle tomorrow. 

[pdxmike]

Too bad about the WPA.  Their murals were so good...

My experience with the WPA is limited to this---last year I was in a race that got WPA event status.  This year I was in the race and they skipped doing that.  The difference I saw as a casual racer was that last year, the event had to adhere to complicated, stupid drafting rules that required Karen Wrenn to paddle alone alongside a train of paddlers inferior to her, we all had colored tape on our boards so you could tell who you could draft behind and who you couldn't, etc.

This year you were free to draft anyone and it worked great. 

I also knew someone who was in a WPA series event (Hood River) last year, and in order to be eligible for series points, there was some weird restriction on how he could race that made little sense--had to enter as an open elite instead of over-50 I think, and maybe was also forced onto another board length, or something like that--the kind of bureaucracy I'm trying to escape from when I race.

[stoneaxe]

I can't comment on the benefits since I looked at it...even joined when it first came out of the gate...but decided it didn't fit the CCBC events. Expenses are something we try to keep in check...every dollar spent elsewhere is money that doesn't go to the kids and its already expensive enough. Then the thought of administering the WPA sanctioning rules for a race....we already have enough to do to make sure folks have a great time. We've tried to keep it simple.

[Strand Leper]

I think as a means of jump starting a moribund economy, it was a massive waste of money... But I like the neoclassical architecture of most WPA buildings, and maybe the non economic benefits of the structures over time have yielded positive benefits.

I read a pretty deep paper on the purely economic benefits of the WPA way back in undergrad (figuring out how to best model the benefits of natural gas pipeline market deregulation...  The paper used its data set in a very useful way [very exciting .topic... No, really]) and the results were not pretty.

I think a good and accessible work on this subject is Amity Schlaes' The Forgotten Man.  A clear headed review of the destructive impact of FDR's economic experimentation.

My two cents.

SL

[Weeble]

I am a casual racer, with chance of ever winning any single race, nevermind placing in events yearlong, so the WPA stuff has never been a consideration for me.  The more that I learn about them, and the actions of WPA members that I see down here....I find the whole thing to be a pathetic joke. 

Nearly every race that I have been in, or gone to support my club at, seems to start with the same issue.  At the pre-race meeting, whatever rules of the WPA that the race organizer is going to utilize are announced, which then starts a huge amount of moaning, groaning, and arguing.  Then, the no drafting rules are changed to anyone can draft anyone, or vs versa....again, whatever rules the organizer decided to use get changed right before the race starts because of all the fighting.  I have seen very few race organizers hold their ground.  It makes me think...if the WPA is going to have rules, then it should be a standard set that has to be used, no exceptions.  Every so often, it would not hurt if a WPA official actually attended a race to represent the WPA and enforce the rules of the race.  If the WPA is going to charge 600 bucks to sanction an event, then they should be there to earn it.   If they are going to take money from suckers....err, members, who may attend a race because they want to earn their WPA points, and then the WPA will later not count those points because they did not get paid by the race organizer, or they did not like how the race was run in hindsight...then the WPA should be onsite to declare that they will not honor the race points and give WPA members a chance to get their money back.....haven't seen that happen yet.  But I have seen several club members bust their butts and get injured in races that were held in nasty conditions, only to find out that the WPA won't honor their points.

A few weeks ago at a big race down here, the WPA had a tent with 5 or 6 people working it trying to recruit new members.   The pre-race meeting was held and the basic WPA rules were announced, drafting only of same sex/ board class...no more than 5 strokes from the knees...etc.  In a rare moment, there was no fight about it.  So, the race takes off and the WPA packs up and leaves....they did not stay to officiate or observe, they just left.  The race was held in some pretty nasty conditions and anyone who finished at all...either the long or short race, is a hero in my book.  However, there was a TON of rule breaking, and in several cases, the rule breakers did not DQ themselves, and even when reported, some of those who should have been DQ'd were awarded medals.  I felt bad for WPA members (err suckers), as the WPA did nothing for them.  The WPA showed up to get their check from the race organizer and maybe a few checks from new members who signed up....and then, like a fart in the wind, they were gone.

I also see a lot of point/ hardware hunting down here.  There will up to three races if not more on any given weekend.  I like to listen to racers as they all try to find out who is racing where and what class/ distance they will do.  The funny things is that they are all lying.  If it works out for them, each ends up at different race where they have no competition, and they easily win, grab their hardware and WPA points.  It's funny though when they all do end up going to the same race and you see them look around and think, "shit, now I gotta' earn this one".  Or, if there is only one race that weekend, I'll see 4 or 5 of the local hot shots fighting it out, and later find out that two of the other hot shots, drove 5 hours to race in some race that no one ever heard of, but got their medals WPA points without having any competition.  If you had a nice travel budget, and time to spare, you could travel around and race in a ton of races that have no real competition and at the end of the year, you could end up with as many, if not more points that people who went head to head with the best every weekend.

Are the elite racers in the WPA?  Is Danny Ching or any of the others in the WPA?  I don't think so.  Here is where I find it funny.  The WPA wants to be the governing body of SUP and get it into the Olympics.  Let's say that tomorrow, the Olympic committee adds SUP and looks to the WPA for who qualifies.  WPA looks at it's lists, and see's a bunch of mid level racers that have attended the same races and gone head to head with the best for the past season.  Then they see the point leaders, who have managed to find out of the way races with no competition what so ever....and then, they reach out and invite all the non members that have always been above their foolish little group the entire time, like the Chings, Baxters, and Applebys and those folks go to Olympics without ever having paid a dime into the WPA pool....

I think if the WPA wants to be real, then they should not sanction any race until they have their check from the organizer and it has cleared.  They should then observe the race, and instead of denying all points to their members who paid to race, they should at least honor the points of members who earned them, and then ban the organizer from WPA approval for future races.  They should also only sanction so many races per day in regions.  That way, people who want their points, and want points that actually mean something, will have to go head to head with the best.    Sneaking around to races full of newbs and average racers and beating up on them is nothing to be proud of, or be awarded for.  If you want to be the best, then you have to race against the best.