WC - overall

[Paul Arden]

I used to compete in the Belum World Masters Championships of pool, in the local rainforest bar. Just me and Dasmond playing (that’s not a mistype; his father couldn’t spell). I was world champion three times. I think it really comes down to how many countries are involved.

[Michal Duzynski]

Wow, so I could talk to John Waters and ACA, and instead of having Southern Cross Challenge we could call it WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN DISTANCE FLY CASTING.
I'm Polish they are Assies, that is mix of countries like no tomorrow.
, or I could involved some guys from my work Philippines and India, plus few from Brisbane Fly Fishing Club ( there might be few pomes there) and have it here in Brisbane.

... what a bullshit, in a nice way of course
I'm guessing the true World Champion would be after an official competition organised and approved, and recognised by the ICSF which is the only organisation World wide in charge of what we do.

But if the Spey-O-Rama, and World Cup are organised the way I mentioned by ICSF and it holds the same importance as WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS every 2nd year, than someone got wrong something with naming the events.

I don't know...

If you think that I'm full of shit with my comments, then tell me
If you won in Norway Spey World Championships and you lost in Spey-O-Rama , Spey World Championships, are you still Spey World Champion in this gap of 2 years, or there is 2 different Worlds in the multiverse with many Championships, so everyone is happy??

And if you win World Cup in single handed Fly Casting, what is your title? Don't say World Cup Winner

Cheers

[Paul Arden]

How about boxing? https://mkboxing.com/2019/08/06/the-dif ... spectively.

[Lasse Karlsson]

Hi Michal

To be fair, USA has a long history of naming things world championships, without much participation from any other nations

Spey-o-rama and calling it world spey championships outdates ICSF's world championships in flycasting, that started in 2018

Tommy won 15'1" spey distance event in the ICSF world championships in Norway 2022
Tommy got second place in the GGACC spey-o-rama world championships in 2023

If you and John starts a Aussie World championships in distance flycasting on grass, it's just as good, so get going

Cheers
Lasse

[Michal Duzynski]

How about boxing? https://mkboxing.com/2019/08/06/the-dif ... spectively.

Yes, fair enough, but

"Unlike most sports, there is no single governing body that decides the rules of boxing, markets and promotes the sport and looks after its long-term future. Instead, there are four governing bodies (IBF, WBA, WBO and WBC) and they all have their own belts respectively"

and we got only ICSF that rules it All.

Cheers Lasse, sounds good.

I think I'm just passed off I'm so far away from all the action of what I love to do

[Lasse Karlsson]

Hi Michal

ICSF only took hold of the WC in 2018, I remember being at a WC in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 too, and as far as I know, most recognise the longest casts in those years as more or less records. According to ICSF, there are no records... which one do you count, Ronny's TD 44 meters in 2012 or Bernt's TD 44 meters in 2018?

Cheers
Lasse

[Michal Duzynski]

Hi Lasse
In sport as we know exist status "ex aequo" , so both Ronny and Bernt are holding that record because it happened during an official event. Video of 50m practice cast won't count- fair enough, and I have no issues with that.
Ronny is ( not was- because nobody can take the title from him) the World Champion for 2012-2014. In 2014 someone else took the Scepter of his hands.
WR, OR are there to be beaten, if you are stronger on a day than the others you are still World Champion, Olympic Champion for that year, and if nobody beats the record from years before, the record passes to history and the Hall of Fame of distance casting.

When I introduced Trout Distance in Poland, everyone looked at me and mentioned Wlodek Targosz as one of the best casters in the World, they had no idea what is the difference between fishing tackle/light tackle casting vs T-38.
For most it was as far as you can regardless

I mentioned this before, but I don't do anything about it as I'm faraway and I'm a single unit.
ICSF has it all:
Light plug, heavy plug, accuracy plug, distance plug,
T-38, T-120, light tackle distance events, single handed, double handed, triple handed- ALL IN ONE POT

Maybe taking a bit of the plate of the ICSF and creating a separate body in charge of Distance casting with Fishing Tackle could help to make it more manageable, and less you have to do more you can do.
LESS IS MORE- first thing you tell to beginners while teaching them fly casting.
The new body could put a yearly few to belong and compete ( competition fees still apply)10€ a year. You seat on 2500€ ( counting more less 120 World wide casters) in between WC.
I really hope that the Paul Arden- Bernt Johansson youtube podcast was, or will be play on the next ICSF meeting.

It could also be that competitors from plug events,
T-38 events complain that there is not much positive improvements in their sport as ICSF is busy and share their time with light tackle guys.

Just my opinion.
Cheers

[Lasse Karlsson]

Hi Michal

The first WC in 2010 was sanctioned by ICSF, in 2012 there was talks of starting a separate organisation together with the surfcasters. Seems like ICSF got scared and decided to include flycasting. After 12,14 and 16 was held... not sure they want to have something of their plate, guess they would still like to be included in the world games after they got thrown out for being too boring

Looking at the videos from SOR, it is possible to have both a speaker calling out distances in real time and a crowd watching.. And casters uniform seems more like fishing, waders rather than ping-pong shorts...

When we had the first Danish championships, people complained that 5 weight distance didn't look like casting a dryfly to a rising fish in a small river, so there's that

It always start with one person

Cheers
Lasse

[Michal Duzynski]

Cheers mate. I might keep steering up

[Paul Arden]

Here is a hypothetical situation for you Mike. Imagine we leave ICSF umbrella. And let’s face it we are a different situation and, currently at least, the countries we represent do not have to be ICSF member. So we leave but the ICSF continues to run the “official” world championship. Now there are two. Which is the real one?

Generally organising these things is a pretty thankless job behind the scenes, but from what I’ve seen on committees, there is a lot of work and it’s mostly done by one or two people. What I would love to see is greater communication between athletes, and the association and the athletes. We are small enough to be able to do an excellent job at this.

Cheers, Paul