USFS - 12 Regions 4 Sections now!

[SkateFan123]

http://usfsa.org/

USFS announces 12 Regions and 4 Sections now so there will be more but smaller Regional events making it possible for smaller rinks to host the events using less volunteers.

[Arsenette]

Eek.. I can hear teh screams from teh SOuth Atlantic Region.. south of Delaware.. 8O

[SkateFan123]

Originally posted by Arsenette
Eek.. I can hear teh screams from teh SOuth Atlantic Region.. south of Delaware.. 8O

Why? I'd think those folks would be happy about it.

[Arsenette]

The cries I've heard are that U of D gets most of the spots.. taken away from the LARGE section of Florida skaters.. Florida alone has gained over 120 clubs in 5 years.. I could be wrong about that number but they wanted Florida, Georgia (south) and that area to have their own region to get away from having to go ALL the way back to Delaware to qualify to Sectionals only to be sent back home empty handed. Unless they hold it somewhere in teh middle.. I don't see this competition (Souths) to be anywhere but North.

[Ellyn]

Not sure what you're saying. It looks to me from the map that Delaware is in region 3 with Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and Florida is in region 4. That should make it easier for the Florida skaters to get out of regionals.

Now, if they can't beat the Delaware skaters at sectionals or Junior Nationals, that's another story, but not one about regional borders.

[SkateFan123]

Originally posted by Arsenette
The cries I've heard are that U of D gets most of the spots.. taken away from the LARGE section of Florida skaters.. Florida alone has gained over 120 clubs in 5 years.. I could be wrong about that number but they wanted Florida, Georgia (south) and that area to have their own region to get away from having to go ALL the way back to Delaware to qualify to Sectionals only to be sent back home empty handed. Unless they hold it somewhere in teh middle.. I don't see this competition (Souths) to be anywhere but North.

And didn't Florida and Georgia kids compete with UD kids before in South Atlantics? As well as PA kids? And I think NJ and parts of NY. I can't remember. Now it looks like DE is not in the mix for FL and GA kids anymore.

And the next Regionals is in South Carolina. If Florida or Georgia wants Regional, all they have to do is bid for it!

[Debbie S]

Originally posted by Ellyn
Not sure what you're saying. It looks to me from the map that Delaware is in region 3 with Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and Florida is in region 4.

Ellyn is correct. Delaware is in region 3, and all east coast states from MD on south are in Region 4. This should theoretically make it easier for MD, D.C. area, and Florida skaters to make it to Sectionals (and of course skaters from Georgia and the Carolinas, too).

What implications does this have for sectionals as far as qualifying for Nats? I know there was something about this on the USFSA website a while ago, but I can't remember the specifics. Does this mean only 3 from each section qualify? In that case, I'm not sure this realignment has much purpose. The skaters from region 4 are still going to have to beat U Del skaters to get to Nats and sectionals in that case will be just as, if not more, competitive than regionals.

[vesperholly]

No, they're not. Regions 1, 2, and 3 have their own sectional. Region 4 competes with Regions 5 and 6. I wonder if they're going to give real names instead of having "the Region 1 Championships", yuck.

[dcden]

I think Regions 1-3 are one section, Regions 4-6 are another. So under the new system, a skater from region 4 would not compete against a skater from region 3 until Nationals.

But I think the main reason for the change is so that, with more regions and sections, the work done by the clubs that host the regionals and sectionals is spread out and thus reduced, so that more clubs may be able to host in the future.

[SkateFan123]

Originally posted by dcden
I think Regions 1-3 are one section, Regions 4-6 are another. So under the new system, a skater from region 4 would not compete against a skater from region 3 until Nationals.

But I think the main reason for the change is so that, with more regions and sections, the work done by the clubs that host the regionals and sectionals is spread out and thus reduced, so that more clubs may be able to host in the future.

According to an early USFS article, you are exactly correct. That and one region had about 150 skaters while another had 450 skaters at Regionals so it also helps to add balance to the number of competitors at each Regional event.

[Debbie S]

Oh, OK, I see it now - I assumed the east coast regions would all stay "East".

So this means that skaters from the Southeast will have to compete against skaters from Cleveland (Winterhurst) and Detroit. Oh, swell. :roll: Don't those skaters get most, if not all, of the top 4 spots at Mids (currently)?

I attended parts of S. Atlantic Regionals this year (they were 40 minutes from my house) and one of the main attractions was the U Del skaters - many of them are well-known in this area. Now skaters from MD/DC/VA will be competing against skaters in the Midwest - which will likely mean less chance of our Sectionals being held on the east coast (I imagine the USFSA will want to spread these events around) and less chance to compete against skaters that they compete against and practice with during the year. (Ex: many U Del skaters practice at my rink (about 45 minutes south of U Del) on the weekends - now they'll be in an entirely different region and section.)

This reminds me of the talk about baseball realignment and the concern that teams might play too many games in another time zone and would see less of their traditional rivals, not that skaters from U Del and skaters from MD consider themselves "rivals" in the negative sense. But regional relationships and identities are important to skaters and skating fans.

[sk8er1964]

Originally posted by Debbie S
So this means that skaters from the Southeast will have to compete against skaters from Cleveland (Winterhurst) and Detroit. Oh, swell. :roll: Don't those skaters get most, if not all, of the top 4 spots at Mids (currently)?


Michigan is now a region by itself. Here's an aside article about the explosion of all types of skating in the Detroit area: http://www.detnews.com/2004/moresports/0402/24/a01-72757.htm

[Debbie S]

sk8er1964, I was referring to the competition at Sectionals. It looks like regions 4, 5, and 6 will comprise the Central section. Actually, the section is basically the current Eastern Great Lakes region and the current South Atlantic region, minus DE and PA. Aren't Cleveland and Detroit skaters essentially dominant in EGL regionals?

[what?meworry?]

regarding this new configuration. was the final decision to allow 4 to advance to sectionals, and 4 sectionals to advance to make 16 in each category at nationals (novice and up)?

or did they stay with the advancment of 3 from regionals to sectionals and 3 from sectionals to nationals?

[sk8er1964]

Originally posted by Debbie S
sk8er1964, I was referring to the competition at Sectionals. It looks like regions 4, 5, and 6 will comprise the Central section. Actually, the section is basically the current Eastern Great Lakes region and the current South Atlantic region, minus DE and PA. Aren't Cleveland and Detroit skaters essentially dominant in EGL regionals?

Oops ;)

I don't know about Cleveland, but Detroit area skaters are quite strong, as far as I know.

[jkl]

Debbie S you are correct. Detroit and Winterhurst dominate EGL.

[blue111moon]

AFAIK, three skaters will advance from each region to each sectional and three from each sectional to nationals.

But the new plan still doesn't go into effect for another year.

There are other issues besides the inequity of numbers, including judges and officials availability, equipment, timing of events, and revising the entire structure of the association.

[SkateFan123]

Originally posted by blue111moon
AFAIK, three skaters will advance from each region to each sectional and three from each sectional to nationals.

But the new plan still doesn't go into effect for another year.

There are other issues besides the inequity of numbers, including judges and officials availability, equipment, timing of events, and revising the entire structure of the association.

I wonder if the USFS will institue CoP if it is adopted and what that will do to the cost of the additional events?

[blue111moon]

The last I knew USFSA has no plans to institute COP. They did not accept OBO, either.

Cost of equipment is one issue. Training judges is another.