Let's put anglers in time out
Elite Series angler Kevin Short gives you competitor's point of view
By Kevin ShortAfter all the fireworks surrounding the DQ's and alleged rules violations at Santee, I started wondering if it's time for a re-write. Not necessarily a re-write of the rules that BASS has implemented, but a new way of doling out punishment to violators.
We all want to see more excitement surrounding the tournaments. We all want to see more fans at the events and watching on the tube. So let's build some excitement in a different way than holding up monstrous sacks of fish. Let's build some excitement about the game.
I have to be honest, I can't take credit for this idea, as much as I would like. It came from a bud that thinks on a different level than I do. Way different level; The Force level, The Sixth Sense level, that kind of freaky level that makes you look at someone and ask yourself "Huh?" Usually when I ask him what time it is, he tells me how to build the clock and what time really means — TMI.
The idea? Picture this; KVD breaks the "No Help" rule during practice, is the professional that he truly is, admits to the rule violation, and (instead of being kicked out of the derby) is docked 4 hours of fishing per tournament day. That's right, we put him in time-out. He has to sit at the dock from the time of his regularly scheduled departure for 4 hours before he can leave to start his fishing day.
Now when KVD goes out and kicks everyone's butt with only 4 hours of fishing time per day, we have a story. Now we have a huge story. Now we have some excitement. Now we have some fans. Who doesn't want to cheer for the underdog? Who wouldn't be asking themselves "How did he do that?" "Just how good is this guy?" Can you see it?
NASCAR doesn't send a guy home for tinkering with his restrictor plate; they take out his crew chief. They might send him to the back of the pack for intentionally bumping another driver. They might do all the above and send him a bill for a fine. Baseball players might have to sit out a few games for fighting, but they play 100-plus games a season. So what if they miss a few games? Ditto for football and basketball.
Again, I can't take credit for the concept, but I do think it deserves a look. Is it not time to rethink the punishment for a rules violation? Dumping a guy for a day or for the whole tournament are valid punishments, but maybe there needs to be some tweaking. I have long thought there should be a monetary amount tied to the punishment, but I like the "Penalty Box" idea even better than a monetary fine.
The amount of time spent "in the Box" could be a direct relation to the rule broken and could range from 1 hour to an entire day, depending on the violation. Some ideas; bring in a short fish — lose 2 hours off the next days fishing. A violation for safety issues could result in losing the entire day of fishing. A violation for fishing in off-limits waters could result in losing 4 hours on the next day. Instead of losing weight for a dead fish, the penalty could be losing time on the water. Which would be worse?
Along the same line of tweaking, what if points were taken away for violations? Now that would hurt. If you know you are going to lose valuable points toward the CITGO Angler of the Year race or a spot in the Classic, don't you think you might spend a little extra time reading and understanding each and every word of the rules? That just might make Trip's life a little easier.
For more info on Kevin Short or to contact Kevin, check out his website at www.kfshort.com.
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