FCC

[Mrs H]

I see the format of the FCC has been changed this year and there will be no final, the champions will be decided on their best 5 (I think) scores.

I don't really have an opinion on this although I always thought the chance of an outsider getting to the final and having a blinder which got them to JWOC as being a rather exciting and attractive element of the series - you know like they make films about outsiders winning the day Maybe that's what the change is trying to stop happening - but will people still travel the length and breadth of the country if they know it no longer rests on the last throw of the dice?

Anyway - anyone got any proper thoughts on the matter?

[Scott]

There is quite a lot of background to this, but basically the decision not to have an FCC Final this year was a consequence of the decision not use the Final as a selection race. However, this hasn't set a precedent for future years, and the whole thing is going to be looked at as part of the (ongoing) competitions review anyway.

Edit - see these minutes.

FCC Final 2010

There has recently been considerable discussion as a result of the decision not to make the 2010 FCC Final a selection race. As a result the FCC in 2010 will now operate as series of races with no final event.

GC emphasised that this was a decision based purely on the circumstances for 2010 e.g. uncertainty around the organisation of the final at the time the selection races needed to be decided and the proposed timing relative to other key events. It didn’t set a precedent for future years, which would be looked at on a case by case basis. GC made it clear that he sees the FCC having an important role to play in the development of junior athletes and that athletes should be encouraged to race in the whole series, not just those events chosen as selection races.

GC added that he was intending to work with Dave Peel in his new Events Management role to develop the FCC and the competition structure as a whole to provide the best domestic basis possible for the World Class Programme.

[Mrs H]

It's an interesting decision - I know some youngsters made getting to the final itself a goal and anything that keeps that particular age group active in the sport should surely be encouraged.

On the whole I'd say not having an FCC final was therefore A Bad Thing

[andypat]

Thats a very good point Mrs H. Its a bit like tennis - you can shout as loud as you like for a Wimbledon champion, but if youve noone actually qualifying other than wild cards then youve no chance. You have to incentivise everybody not just the current elite.

[Scott]

To clarify that a bit, it was felt that if the FCC Final wasn't going to be used for selection (for the reasons given above), it wouldn't be fair to ask volunteers to put time into organising it, since there was no guarantee that many of the juniors who qualified for the Final would actually travel to the event (it was scheduled to be held in the Scottish Borders).

And lots of parents might not have been too keen on travelling for a non-selection Final, particularly given that the other selection races require travelling to (at least two out of) the Trossachs, North Devon and the Lakes all within a three-week period....