Theatre Style and Finals Day Format for 49er Racing

This video compliments a paper written by the 49er class that reviews the benefits and covers the perceived drawbacks of concluding 49er regattas in the theatre. Objective To run three, single-point, 10- to 12-minute races in Theatre Style on Finals Day . This competition format adds value because it: • Displays to fans and broadcast media the intensity, skill and beauty of 49er sailing. • Showcases the sport's best sailors in live action and still photography. • Creates new potential revenue streams in fan admissions and increased broadcasts of major world events. Assumptions • Live broadcasting is the best business model for sports , and it is the basis of the business model for the Olympics . • ISAF wants to maximize the appeal of sailing at the Olympics to a live audience while offering the fairest sailing possible. Theatre Style Complements the ISAF Agenda Differentiation ISAF's own Olympic Commission report, states: "Events should be sufficiently differentiated to be seen not to overlap one another. Top Olympic sailors support the three single point races on Finals Day. See video testimonials from: • Nathan Outteridge -- Gold, London Olympics; 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 49er World Champion, Helmsman Artemis, AC72 (http://youtu.be/89Rm7v0WkSQ) • Peter Burling -- Silver, London Olympics; 2013 49er World Champion; Red Bull Youth Americas Cup winner (http://youtu.be/89Rm7v0WkSQ) • Alex Maloney & Molly Meech -- Gold, 2013 49erFX World Championship (http://youtu.be/qsllOVYXJjI) • Allan Noregaard -- Bronze, London Olympics (http://youtu.be/HvlU92ZWRjs) • Ida Nielsen -- Gold, 2013 49erFX European Championship (http://youtu.be/M_OgPAx1lJw) Presentation Three short single-point races run in Theatre Style produces the ultimate sailing showcase because: • Lane boundaries will add value because fans will be able to get closer to the action by positioning their craft just outside the boundaries. In open course racing, it is not possible for fans or media to be anywhere near the sailors. o Overview -- fixed onshore on high points, instead of helicopter. o Camera boats -- RIBS can get close, replacing gyrostabilizer yachts with zooms. o Onboard the competition boats -- a shorter course means more dependable signal transmission. Race Management Running three Theatre Style races is not more complicated than one, double-point race. The Class has worked to streamline and make more efficient all aspects of race management. Particularly: Course Setup/Boundary Ropes - Race officials can manage the lane ropes in any situation without a negative impact on the regatta. Here is a video of how it's done, (http://youtu.be/nUeaw6lzGGs). If conditions are unsuitable, race officials may simply remove the lane ropes and run normal racing. Umpire Playbook -- The 49er Class has been working with umpires Doug Sloan , Bill O'Hara, Marianne Middelthon, and others to develop an umpiring playbook for Theatre Style.