Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Eric's question is valid.  "Finish" and "finishing", as used in the AERC rules, do 
indeed have more than one meaning.  Using the same word to mean different things in 
an "official" document is always a mistake.  In this case, it is a mistake that the 
Rules Committee should address as soon as possible.

Showing for BC is limited to the "first ten finishing equines".  Common sense would 
dictate that if an equine doesn't receive a completion, then it can't be considered 
to have "finished" the race.  As extreme examples, suppose that the first ten equines 
to cross the finish line were all pulled post-ride.  Would it make sense that because 
on that particular ride there were 10 yahoos who grossly over-rode their equines the 
last 15 miles, the fast but responsible riders who finished 11-20 shouldn't be 
allowed to stand for BC?  Or suppose that 9 of the first 10 were pulled and while the 
remaining equine was in ok condition, the 11th place horse looked like a million 
bucks!  Should a barely eligible-to-stand-for-BC horse get the award when just behind 
him by mere minutes was a horse in superior condition, clearly ready to go out and do 
another 50 miles?  Clearly it was not AERC's intent that the BC award should be 
subject to HOW RIDERS NOT IN CONTENTION FOR THE AWARD RODE, but only to the condition 
of the first ten equines that finished and were not disqualified.

Unfortunately, while the above is just common sense, NOT ALL PEOPLE HAVE GOOD COMMON 
SENSE!  As proof, look at Truman's remark. "I have crossed the finish line in 11th 
place and had two horses in front of me pulled at the finish line but still could not 
stand for BC."  Here is an example of a Ride Manager who thought "to finish is to 
cross the finish line".  Truman also said that he thought the same thing, "The way I 
read it ("finishing") is 'across the finish line'".

Therefore, the rules committee needs to either a) include in rule 6 words to the 
effect that "No equine can be considered to have finished a ride if that equine does 
not receive a completion." or b) modify rule 9.3 to say, "9.3 Under the AERC system, 
all of the first ten equines to cross the finish line and receive a completion are 
eligible for consideration, whether ridden by Junior, Featherweight,
Lightweight, Middleweight or Heavyweight riders."  Including both changes might prove 
a sensible move as the word "finish" appears is other places in the rules and might 
at some point in the future cause a similar problem with interpretation.  After all, 
unless I am mistaken [a distinct possibility :)], way back when these rules were 
originally formulated, "to finish" DID mean to "cross the finish line" and there was 
no "post-finish-line check".


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=