WC - overall

[John Waters]

Hi Michal,

We have a number of distance casters in Melbourne and we train weekly, but the sport will always be very, very small based on competitors. Whilst casting is relatively popular in Victoria, and we have National Championships held every year since 1950, it will always be a very small sport. Numbers fluctuate in cycles of approximately 10 years, but cost has always been a major impost to growth. As to holding a WC in Oz, I do not think it will happen. Every year I get asked the question by the ICSF strong casting nations, but we would not get the volunteers needed. I've tried but always get the same result.

I may have cast in my last WC, we'll see later this year. I've been so lucky to see our sport at its best, I hope others will get that opportunity in the future.

John

[Michal Duzynski]

Thank you John.
I think I just wait and see what happens.
All the best
Michal

[HenryM]

Hello All,
What's your sense/opinion: How much prize money would there need to be at the World Championships (or at your National Championships?) to increase participation by 50% in each division?
I don't have a good sense about that. As Mike said, without a little extra kick, it is not always easy to internally (within oneself, within the family, ...) to justify spending a lot of time and money on preparing for tournaments - short of National and World Championships. Even for the World Championships, it took the addition of the combination events to make it worth it for me (especially since I believed that my only medal chances were in the accuracy). So how much "extra kick" would it take for 50% more people to come? How much for first? For other medal spots? Further down?
Henry

[bartdezwaan]

For me it would have more value if there is good fishing around. Get a couple of locals involved so we can also have a splendid fishing time.
I went to my first WC in Norway, because I could make it a fishing trip with my dad.
Personally I am never going to spend a lot of money to only get to a comp. Even if the first price would be a couple of grand.

Cheers, Bart

[Paul Arden]

Yep there are a few things here. Some teams are sponsored. Sweden and Norway. I don’t know who else. But they have their expenses covered. Hotels, transport, etc. And really, we should all be. This alone would make a huge difference, especially for those of us who have to travel a long way. My flights are over £1000 (last year my flights would have been over £2000 - return to UK and then return to Norway). Plus hire car, plus fuel, plus food. I was looking at a minimum “shoestring” tab of £5000, with my wife who also competes.

Ordinarily we can budget for that, but straight after two years of International border closures, we were still living under Covid-debt. In fact we haven’t got back to zero even now, but will finally be out of debt caused by over two years of border lockdowns, this or next month.

So to pile on 5K more debt, for what can be a wind lottery, with the massive training commitment and the loss of earnings while away, really wasn’t a comfortable option for me. And then I was informed that I had to be around to do some voice overs for a fishing show over here and the window closed completely.

I consider myself committed to this event more than most. This was the first championships I missed. Any one of those could perhaps be reason enough to not compete. Financial, time constraints and the wind lottery. I know competitors who have lost interest for each of these reasons.

We really need to try to solve the financial constraints at local level. I was working on producing a Malaysian team pre-Covid because I believe we can get government support – and what a difference that would make! This is still work in progress.

With regards to prize money I have no idea. There are advantages and disadvantages to this.

Cheers, Paul

[Paul Arden]

Incidentally I can think of a couple of top competitors who have stopped going despite coming from sponsored teams.

[Paul Arden]

As far as expanding local level casting that’s about finding like-minded people, creating competitions and making it happen. I did it in the UK. I’m trying to do it in Malaysia. We have to coach. But ultimately we will get it back, and then some.

Many years ago Stefan asked me how he could improve. I told him get people around him and train them. Now they have an amazing casting team, one of the best there is.

I always invited my UK students to attend SL shootout weekends. A lot of casters have come through that. Many starting at 70’. Ultimately that is down to us, not anyone else. To be a competitive caster you have to decide to be a competitive caster. It’s not about physique. It’s not about being born with a special casting gift. It’s all about having the interest to be a really great caster and then training for it.

As competitors ourselves we have figured out how to do it, we only have to share that info and by sharing it we will learn a great deal more.

There is a lot of self interest for me in developing casting sport locally. Namely I become more competitive because I learn a huge amount teaching other athletes and they in turn, push me to become better. It’s certainly not about finding good casters; it’s about finding like-minded casters. Anyone can become competitive in 12-18 months.

Cheers, Paul

[Michal Duzynski]

Hi
I knew there is the Spey-O-Rama, but didn't realise that is the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OF SPEY CASTING.
If the spey guys have their own World Championships we should not hesitate to move single handed Fly Distance casting on to the grass, and if there is some water not to far they could join us as their warm up before Spey World Championships

[Michal Duzynski]

If you won in Norway, but lost in USA, are you still World Champion?
Now with the World Cup in Italy- what's your title when you win?

Cheers

[Michal Duzynski]

What is actually the World Cup, are rules and tackle requirements different then World Championships? Is the same scoring system, does it require same amount of volunteers, judges, tackle control ??
Is the World Cup still under ICSF?