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Re: [RC] elevator ride thoughts - heidiHowever, on weight division points, a rider isn't IN the top 10 necessarily. There have been a few times when the top HW was 11th when the field was bunched up. It is feasible for any rider to place well back in the pack and still get bonus points in her/his weight division (I usually count on that!). No, but the same reasoning applies. I may not be riding for first HW--I may be riding for 2nd or 3rd HW, and may take my time and finish an hour later than I might have otherwise, simply because I know that the next HW is WAAAY back there. And how I ride might not even influence my placing on the 50, if there is a big gap between me and the riders ahead of me. But if I have to ride against the CLOCK because a couple of HWs "might" elevate from the LD and knock me back a couple of weight division places, that changes things. There is no way I can ride against THEM specifically, because they are on a different time-table. So I may well be 30th in the overall placing, but still riding "competitively" for division points, and still be in a position to be influenced by placing of riders that I don't even know are on my distance. However, your second reason brings to mind the very reason we discourage "racing" in the LD division. In the elevator rides, if a rider isn't for sure about the horse, they have no business "racing" and should be discouraged from doing so. Amen to that one. I guess not awarding bonus points is a way of discouraging riders from elevating as a habit. The elevator ride is to incourage a rider to move up and see if the horse (and rider) is in condition to do the longer distance. Once the horse and rider have done the longer distance, they would enter that distance the next time. Yes, that's exactly the point. The rider trying to decide whether to expand his or her horizons and reach for a new mileage challenge is not in the points hunt anyway. If that rider has been an LD rider, the LD placings don't count toward division points either--so it is not a matter of "missing out" on something that one was already doing. And if it is early in the season, and the rider decides to continue on doing the longer distance and go for division points, those mileage points still count. So it isn't like they are having anything taken away. But the elevator concept SHOULD be used for the very reason mentioned here--as a stairstep to the higher distance, not as a way to play mind-games with other riders over points. Louise gives real nice plaques for first time 50 milers at her Movin On Up ride. That's an excellent way to award someone for her/his accomplishment! That's the sort of encouraging thing that RMs can do to encourage folks reach for more--good for Louise for doing this, and kudos to all managers who have similar incentives. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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