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Laney Humphrey (laneyh@mbay.net)
Tue, 10 Dec 1996 09:20:37 -0800
Ron - thanks for your support of my "professional division" suggestion.
Let me add a story about the effects of large cash prizes on another
sport for everyone's consideration. It was related to me by my training
ride buddy who, in his teens (c. 1960) was a good enough ocean sailor to
crew on a number of TransPacific (CA to Hawaii) races as well as races up
and down the west coast (he says he often won). After being a low profile
sport for many years, money and publicity came to ocean racing during the
1960s-70s; wealthy people paid yacht designers to design boats using the
latest technology. These boats sailed circles around older boats but, in my
friend's opinion, AT THE COST OF THE SPORT. Here's what he said happened:
the boats were very expensive, the owners wanted to win, and the only people
who could sail the boats were professionals who needed to be paid for their
services so within a few years that type of race died out, going from
several races/month with lots of "amateur" participcants to just a few/year now.
Needless to say, my friend has very strong feelings about what money
can do to a sport but he did agree that a professional division might be a
way to control its effect on the rides most of us participate in.
Laney