[NCNCA] Diversity is the answer, says I

[Raphael, Jess]

The discussion of the juniors' categories at the Giro joins the ranks of
several other impassioned (and highly interesting) discussion threads
this season:

* Should cat. 5's be mixed into competitive races, like master 4/5
fields?
* Should the 45+ field be divided into skill categories? (That was like
70+ letters in the Forum)
* What can be done to promote separate womens' fields?
* Is it beneficial to provide mentoring for the Cat.5 and W4 races?
(Whew! I sure stepped into the blades on that one.)
* Is it wise to eliminate a junior category?
* Here's another: How do we address the extreme crowding in the master
4's?

The answer? Promoters should be allowed by racers to present variety, to
try new combinations. The more variety of categories, services, and
themes that is presented at races, the more each group of riders will
feel satisfied at the end of the season. 

I think it's a great thing to promote experiments and style: Dash for
Cash, the 45+ 3/4 cat at EMC2, the juniors-only races, the mentored
fields at Albany, just to name a few. WE SHOULD ENCOURAGE DIVERSITY!
IT'S FUN TO EXPERIMENT!! And we certainly should not criticize or
second-guess those who do the immense work of promoting, even if we feel
slighted.

To that end, I believe that the BAT/BAR competition is a hindrance.
There are simply not enough time slots available in a crit day to
accommodate all of the fields, and pressuring promoters to present those
rigid fields encompassed by BAR/BAT is counter-productive and
discourages diversity. 

Besides, who cares? It's all ego-juice and trivia anyway. Lets' focus
instead on improving the quality of competition, having enough good
racing for everyone, AND HAVING MORE FUN!!!!!

Jesster
Berkeley Bicycle Club