Crazybond700 wrote:

" If the rules alow to get a five, the should be able to take a five"

The rules are very specific about the circumstances when a five is scored. All of them involve riding the section. Asking the observer for a score without riding the section isn't covered as far as I can see.

The rules are also very clear in stating that missing a section involves a 50 mark penalty.

 

Yeah maybe its a gray area, i dont know the specific ssdt rules.

 

But missing is probably meant ''no hole in the card'', or score on some list, etc. When you ask for a 5 (if thats allowed) than you did not miss any, but you did not ride them. But thats discussable probably. With the EC (and lower) it is allowed to skip rides

Every one has their views and solutions.

To me the event is spot on the way it is

My main Problem is the riders that take numerous 5s and say they completed the event.

The rules would probably not allow it but I could complete a world round if I asked for 5 at every section.

But than again rules are there to set the guidlines. IF the organisers of the event dont want people to complete the coarse without riding every section the rules should be adjusted in that direction.

 

Maybe people give the finishing the sddt too much a godlike status?

 

I think that everyone experiences the event in a different way, and I must say that riding it, and finishing it with some asked fives is a experience and challange by itself.

 

 

If we compare it to rally raids, especially years ago, e.g. the true dakar hero's are the guys finishing last if you ask me!

 

Simmilar to the ssdt, legendary status, other sport discipline is for us Dutchies the eleven city tour ice skating. It works with a ballot system, but to be able to enter the ballot you need to be a member of an association, and there used to be too many members so only half could enter the real race. Because there needs to be natural ice for like 200km's, which almost never happens. There have been like 15 since the first in the beginning of 1900.

 

So you need to be lucky that you are a member, allowed to start, and have good conditions of ice. But everyone may enter. old & young, Pro sporters and total amateurs, kings!! and hobos. And it needs that. The event itself should wipe out people not worthy, they should not want to start. (like me with ice skating ). The rest should get respect for trying on their own level.

Edited April 5, 201610 yr by crazybond700

If you complete the SSDT and try ever section for mortals it is hard and should be given respect.maybe not God like.

Sections not tried 50 marks the same as missing one buy mistake.

I'd rather try and fail than fail to try. I remember a few years back a couple of Japanese riders asked for fives on most of the sections. What is the point in that? Towards the end of the week some observers were refusing to give them fives and making them give the sections a go. With the exception of a few they are not that bad.

mrt posted: "I remember a few years back a couple of Japanese riders asked for fives on most of the sections. What is the point in that? Towards the end of the week some observers were refusing to give them fives and making them give the sections a go."

So some observers will give 5s on request and others won't. Kinda shows that the rules have nothing to say on this point, other than missing a section incurs a 50 mark penalty.

Perhaps they should.

Not sure how things work now having been out of the game for four years, but the observers distinguish between an 'asked' five and a genuine five when they record their scores.  That's logged when the results are keyed, so the committee have full visibility of who is asking for ridiculous numbers of fives rather than riding sections.  There will always be those with genuine reasons, such as a burst bike, burst knee or burst in general  but there are also always those that take the proverbial and just go round asking for fives to be a tourist and get their award.

 

There's nothing that can be done during the course of the trial to eliminate that situation, but the committee always reserve the right to refuse entry to the ballot in future, which gives them the ability to remove such tourists from the SSDT in future.  The results system (or at least the one we ran in my day!) produces a report of riders that ask for over a given number of fives during the course of the week, so whilst a tourist might be there one year, they won't get the chance to take the place of another rider again in future trials.

It was and I assume still is policy to use observers who have ridden the event and are well aware of all the points raised here which goes a long way to keeping a sensible balance regarding the mix of riders regarding ability crowd pulling sponsors finance sportsmanship etc etc...havn,t,t been up for a couple of years but it seems a pretty good mix gets selected and voluntary fives are a fact of life.