Wessex Centre ACU Chattering

The last View from Ba House obviously touched a nerve with some of you at least as it prompted this response from a current – but ageing – competitor. Another thoughtful contribution to the discussion

Hi Frank,

Always read with interest your ‘chattering’ and felt the need to respond/add to the latest “View from Ba House”.
Totally agree with your point of view, what a state we find ourselves in with ‘modern Trials’!
At nearly 50 years of age I have nothing but admiration for the skills of the current crop of Expert riders (if I was 30 years younger I’d be hopping everywhere… well I’d like to think so anyway….)
However observing within the current ACU rules (both of them!!!!) is an absolute nightmare. Unfortunately I believe that we are witnessing ‘modern Trials’ slowly but surely die on it’s feet.
Observers are getting increasingly fewer in numbers, and greater in age….
Not enough Youth coming through the sport (for what ever reason) meaning there are fewer and fewer observers. Not all, but even some parents are reluctant to pick up an observer board.
Who’s to blame. As always it’s never that clear cut, but our governing body certainly does not cover itself in glory.
I love riding a modern Trials bike, and ‘hacking around’ on a twinshock or ‘trick65′ just doesn’t appeal, however just look at how many riders they attract; and with that the observers.
Without observers our sport is meaningless.
We all have opions on what should or could be done, but ultimately we all need to wake up and set our own camp in order via our governing body.
I’m nearer the end of my Trials career (than the beginning) and will hopefully be able to ride until my body decides otherwise. It’s the younger riders I feel sorry for, as if things continue they will have fewer and fewer oportunities to ride ‘modern Trials’.
It’s always been the case that ‘the young’ fashion the future. Never more so has this been required than within our sport.
If you leave it to the majority of us ‘Oldies’ you’ll be riding twinshocks, as there will be little other choice……
Hope I’m wrong….. Rant over…. Back to trying to perfect that 90 degree mid air turns (Ooh bugger, backs gone again…….).

Mutter mutter, I’ve recently been politely bawled out for using my judgement in observing at my section. I was man enough to admit my error to the enquirer, & subsequently changed my decision [which affected 2 riders to whom I had given a benefit of doubt. I must remember to observe to the ‘book’ in future.  Strangely in another recent Trial I had a rider suggest on behalf of another that the chap riding the section be given a 3 rather than the 5 the Observer wrote down to ‘encourage’ him. That too would have been wrong according to the book wouldn’t it? Maybe Observers are becoming like Football Referee’s who seem to be criticised for not seeing the blindingly obvious.

I reckon the answer must be for riders to score Observers, then we can see who is the ‘best’ Observer, or maybe we would find the most popular Observer from the rider scorecards?

Yes it would be much easier if riders observed themselves as the Sage “so perhaps it’s time to let the experts do their own marking” who pens the View suggested & then they’d be able to give each other the hard time some Observers get!