Poor Loser Alert: Oracle calls off America's Cup race after big New Zealand win

[cali]

America's Cup defending champion Oracle Team USA called off one of its races in the competition on Tuesday after Emirates Team New Zealand trounced them, giving the Kiwis a fourth victory In the series.

Oracle appeared shell-shocked and asked for a postponement of the second match of the day in San Francisco Bay. Both teams have the right to delay one race in the 17-race series for the world's oldest sporting trophy.

"We need to up our game," skipper Jimmy Spithill said. "We're going to go away and make sure we do what we need for the next one."

Oracle faces an uphill battle, having started the regatta with a two-race penalty and without its first-choice wing-sail trimmer, Dirk de Ridder. An international jury punished the team for illegally modifying its smaller, 45-foot practice catamarans in a preliminary regatta.

The unprecedented cheating penalty means that Oracle must win 11 races to keep the Cup.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/10/us-sailing-americascup-idUSBRE9891ER20130910

[HooptieWagon]

1. Grossly inaccurate headline.

Each team is allowed one postponement during the series...in effect, a time out.This is written into the rules governing the races. Nothing whatsover under-handed about it. Oracle decided to use theirs now, probably a wise move as it gives them a little extra time to analyze why they're slow, before they fall too far behind in the W-L record.

Personally, I don't care which team wins. The catamarans are somewhat interesting, but they have removed all the traditional tactics sailors have used for the past 100+ years. Also, I raced sailboats for over 40 years, and have never seen such a crazy race course. The whole affair bears no resemblence to the racing I know. Changes which I do approve of is the shorter race length, 2 scheduled races per day, and more races in the regatta. That is better for both spectators and the racers.

[Logical]

2. The catamarans are boring. n-t

[HooptieWagon]

3. Yes and no.

They are interesting from a technology standpoint. From a sailboat racing standpoint, I agree with you- they're boring. Very little tactics, very little pre-start manuvering, no spinnaker handling. Doesn't much look like a boat race.

[Logical]

4. I agree on the tech, I read a Wired article about the Oracle boat. Amazing. But te cost is so high.

[HooptieWagon]

5. Speed and money doesn't mean better racing.

One NASCAR race has more passing than an entire season of F1.

[Logical]

6. True! n-t

[TheMadMonk]

7. Concede inaccurate, but not that it's not undeserved.

The America's Cup has been a poster child for poor sportsmanship since it's inception.

Race after race, likely successful challengers were "defeated" by the disqualification of the design of their vessel or other rewriting of the rules mid race.

And then after century and a quarter of reactionary traditionalism, the New York Yacht Club ceased all objection to design innovation to the point where the race is now conducted between kites rigidly tethered to manned sea anchors.

What next, a para-sail tethered to a sit down hydrofoil?


Here's an idea. How about returning to competing in a world of FITNESS FOR PURPOSE? Instead of seeking victory, and victory alone for the simple sake of victory.

[HooptieWagon]

8. I agree its had its moments in the gutter...

but the past 30 years are just sinking into the sewer. Many sailors can no longer relate...AC bears no resemblence to the sport of sailing as commonly practiced. I doubt non-sailors even care...there's only one American aboard the American boat...spectator fleet looks small. Time to pull the plug. Let the whiney billionaires go find another pasttime to indulge in.