Xs24-7
02-25-2006, 05:25 PM
As some of you will know, I have always been a strong advocate of using a trials process to select our teams for International events. I have long lobbied for this change, and was excited when I was approached to be apart of a committee to set the process for trials. After months of debate and compromise, the FCA has begun the process to approve a trials format to begin use immediatly. As I have been apart of the committee, I have restricted my comments on the trials process to the meetings. After months of debate, there were many issues that I gave up on, and were included in the trials document. As more archers have become aware of the process, I am hearing a growing debate within the organisation regarding the format as approved by the HPC. Many of the issues that are being brought up are the same issues I raised in committee, but was unable to have addressed in a satisfactory manner. If you have been apart of the FCA beaurocracy for any period of time, you know that in most cases all policy put forth by the HPC gets a rubber stamp of approval and becomes FCA policy. This is where I am asking the membership of the FCA to act. I ask that you read the trials process document that is being curculated. You will find that the process ignores the archers scores, and ranks archers 100% based on won vs. loss. An archer can shoot a 118 match and loose, while another archer can shoot a 112 match and win. While this makes for good theatre at our match play events, I do not believe that it makes the best process to select who our best archers are. Also, the process is heavily weighted towards day 4. So much so as to overshadow any archers performance on the first 3 days of the event. Numerous stastical analysis have proven this to be the case, but were largely ignored by some who were dead set on placing 100% importance on match wins rather than high scores. While 9 out of 10 times it wont matter, and our best archers will still make the team, this process opens the door for an archer to miss out on making our National teams purely due to the inefficiencies within this process.
I was torn on how to deal with this, as I have had my say in committee. I had resigned myself to the fact that we were going to have this process, and that there was little/nothing else that could be done. I was going to simply give up, but I was taken to task by a friend, and have come to realize that if we as members dont fight bad policy, who will. For the longest time those of us who spoke out were termed "The vocal minority", and largely ignored. I am asking all members who read this to take the time to read the trials process. If you agree with it, please let you elected officials know. If you disagree with it, then let your voice be heard. We can no longer give those on the HPC our vote by proxy by sitting silent until it is to late to fix what they screw up. We need to let those who have the power/positon to affect change know our opinions. If in the end there are more "yes" thans "no"...then at least we've done what we could, and have had our say. If you care at all about this, please take a moment to voice your thoughts.
Ed Wilson
I was torn on how to deal with this, as I have had my say in committee. I had resigned myself to the fact that we were going to have this process, and that there was little/nothing else that could be done. I was going to simply give up, but I was taken to task by a friend, and have come to realize that if we as members dont fight bad policy, who will. For the longest time those of us who spoke out were termed "The vocal minority", and largely ignored. I am asking all members who read this to take the time to read the trials process. If you agree with it, please let you elected officials know. If you disagree with it, then let your voice be heard. We can no longer give those on the HPC our vote by proxy by sitting silent until it is to late to fix what they screw up. We need to let those who have the power/positon to affect change know our opinions. If in the end there are more "yes" thans "no"...then at least we've done what we could, and have had our say. If you care at all about this, please take a moment to voice your thoughts.
Ed Wilson