Transfer of race entries

DustyBin

There's a thread locked & snipped over in the events forum because they were looking for a race entry into Joey Hannon.
Limerick Tri club actually allow race entry transfers and last year there was a similar thread that was allowed run its own course.

I assume that the reason this years thread was locked was because the poster didn't contact the mod in advance??

Very frustrating having you thread locked like that, especially if you were not aware of the need to contact mods in advance. Equally though, the mods can't be expected to do a search each time to see if transfers are allowed or not. How to fix it?

Maybe compile a list of upcoming races that allow transfers? This will only happen more & more frequently throughout the summer as more races sell out.

Races that I know allow transfers include:

Joey Hannan
Tri Athy
Dunmore East Hook or by Crook
Blackwater Triathlon Fermoy

donothoponpop

DustyBin wrote: »

There's a thread locked & snipped over in the events forum because they were looking for a race entry into Joey Hannon.
Limerick Tri club actually allow race entry transfers and last year there was a similar thread that was allowed run its own course.

I assume that the reason this years thread was locked was because the poster didn't contact the mod in advance??

Yup.:)

DustyBin wrote: »

Very frustrating having you thread locked like that, especially if you were not aware of the need to contact mods in advance. Equally though, the mods can't be expected to do a search each time to see if transfers are allowed or not. How to fix it?

Maybe compile a list of upcoming races that allow transfers? This will only happen more & more frequently throughout the summer as more races sell out.

Races that I know allow transfers include:

Joey Hannan
Tri Athy
Dunmore East Hook or by Crook
Blackwater Triathlon Fermoy

mod It ain't broken. From the charter: "If you want to look for (or sell) race numbers because you forgot to enter on time then check that the race allows transfers (most don't). Forward the link or email which states transfers are allowed to the mods before posting your request. We'll close any threads that don't do this."

Reason is some posters were looking for transfers, then telling us (mods) they had ok'ed it with the RD's (they hadn't). There's a heap of races around, most don't allow transfers. We mods don't have the time to go looking to see if a particular race allows a transfer- as per the charter, if it does, just send a link or email, and we'll happily open the thread again.
/mod

DustyBin

I understand how the system works as it is. I agree that mods cannot be expected to go looking up race rules re transfers and said as much in my earlier post. That still doesn't take away from the frustration and the negativity of having these locked threads on the forum, especially if the race director allows transfers.
Regardless of whether I agree with the reasoning behind the particular bit of the charter you quoted, that's how it is because thats what the owners of boards.ie want. But maybe if the mods knew in advance which races allowed swaps that could save a lot of headache for everyone?

What I was attempting to do was open up a bit of a discussion in advance of the race season to see if there was a way in which we could save all the hassle and frustration of locking threads and all that.
I even went as far as starting a list of races that I know allow transfers. Have you any feedback regarding this suggestion? Perhaps you may have an alternate idea that could work?

Anyone else have an input?

donothoponpop

DustyBin wrote: »

What I was attempting to do was open up a bit of a discussion in advance of the race season to see if there was a way in which we could save all the hassle and frustration of locking threads and all that.
I even went as far as starting a list of races that I know allow transfers. Have you any feedback regarding this suggestion? Perhaps you may have an alternate idea that could work?

Anyone else have an input?

What's wrong with expecting posters to read the charter before they post? Anyone who does this will see what they need to do if they want to swap or transfer entries. We've gotten loads of PM's in the past from posters seeking transfers for races, they include a link which specifies that a transfer is permitted, we look at it, PM back, "cheers, go right ahead". That works. As does a poster seeking a transfer, and including a link showing transfers are allowed.

If you want to put up a list of events that allow transfers, go right ahead (although it might be more useful if you linked to where they say they allow transfers).

RoyMcC

Credit to those races that allow transfers. However I'm not sure this forum ought to be used as a clearing house for them, even if there were to be a list of approved races. Main reasons

• still needs modding
• most requests are from infrequent posters
• don't want to be looking at loads of 'number wanted' threads

DustyBin

You're 100% correct, if people would pm you or one of the other mods everything would be dandy. The only problem is that most people don't ever bother reading the charter, especially infrequent posters.

There are going to be more posters looking for entry to Joey Hannan. The Olympic distance is sold out and the Sprint likely will soon enough. I've had a quick look on their site and admit that I cannot find anything to do with transfers, whether allowed or not. Transfers were obviously allowed last year though so you would expect the same again. Maybe they will update something on their site in a few weeks, but nothing surer than there will be posters seeking to transfer entries.
If someone in the know could clarify the situation re Joey Hannan for you then you would be prepared for the posters.
Equally, Dunmore East is likely to sell out again this year. Their 2010 page is no longer linked from the website, and the 2011 is only getting going, but Waterford tri allow transfers too, I got one last year after coming across this locked thread here
Tri athy may or may not sell out, but if you read the terms and conditions bit second from bottom here (not the swim athy bit) you will see that they are allowed.
Fermoy will not sell out so that is a bad example.

Dublin City tri is very popular too, they allow transfers as per the bottom of their home page http://www.dublincitytriathlon.com/


I suppose what I'm saying is that if ye knew which of the bigger, most likely to sell out, races allowed transfers, and which didn't, it could save a fair bit of hardship for all.

DustyBin

RoyMcC wrote: »

Credit to those races that allow transfers. However I'm not sure this forum ought to be used as a clearing house for them, even if there were to be a list of approved races. Main reasons

• still needs modding
• most requests are from infrequent posters
• don't want to be looking at loads of 'number wanted' threads

Yeah but in fairness this forum is ideal for people wanting to exchange race entries that otherwise may go to waste. If I'm entered but can't race, and you want to race but don't have an entry, boards is the place to sort both of us out

RayCun

DustyBin wrote: »

You're 100% correct, if people would pm you or one of the other mods everything would be dandy. The only problem is that most people don't ever bother reading the charter, especially infrequent posters.

But if the mod locking the thread says 'go read the charter'...

The bottom line for me is - whose job should it be to find out whether transfers are allowed (either by looking up a list or going to a web site)?
The mods, who are volunteers with other things to do?
Or the people who want to do the transfer?

donothoponpop

DustyBin wrote: »

Yeah but in fairness this forum is ideal for people wanting to exchange race entries that otherwise may go to waste. If I'm entered but can't race, and you want to race but don't have an entry, boards is the place to sort both of us out

In practice the way its worked before in the past: poster asks for transfer in XYZ race thread. We snip the post, pointing out charter. Usually if the poster is serious, they will forward on to us details on race transfers (often they will find this out by emailing the RD). We "unsnip" her request, and point out the new info on transfers. This is useful in that often, the poster will have found out specifically that transfers are open until three weeks before the event (or whatever), and so mods know to allow transfers in that thread for three more weeks.

But as RayCun says, the onus is on the poster to do this background work, not the mods. Also, DustyBin while I can see your purpose in having one thread specifically for transfers between transfer-sanctioned events, in practice I think its more useful to keep with the status quo, even if it means locking new posters threads. Often, a lock on one thread will point out the need to read the charter, which can be useful for lots of new posters.:)

Seanie_H

DustyBin wrote: »

Yeah but in fairness this forum is ideal for people wanting to exchange race entries that otherwise may go to waste. If I'm entered but can't race, and you want to race but don't have an entry, boards is the place to sort both of us out

Completely agree Dusty. Boardsfundamentalists.ie

Podge83

Races are usually arranged by running people or by commercial interest.

Those arranged by running people usually do everything in their power to keep prices down (ie Ballycotton, Dungarvan 10). These are well organised races and give good notice on entries but allow for "no shows" in their numbers, strictly prohibiting transfers. As a mark of respect to the people arranging these races, wholesale transferring of numbers should't be promoted and is indeed "taking the p155". While not being so naive to say that transfers don't happen - they always will, - surely forums like Boards.ie shouldn't (and shouldn't be expected) to promote such transfers.

Leave the commercial races, who charge crazy prices, make their own minds up.

RoyMcC

Podge I think that Dusty is simply trying to make it easier for transfers to occur in those races that already allow it to happen. And fair play to them. The more races that do this helps to alleviate the nasty little problem of unofficial number swaps that give organisers the real headache.

I just don't thing Boards is the place for this to happen.

donothoponpop

Seanie_H wrote: »

Completely agree Dusty. Boardsfundamentalists.ie

Podge83 wrote: »

Races are usually arranged by running people or by commercial interest.

Those arranged by running people usually do everything in their power to keep prices down (ie Ballycotton, Dungarvan 10). These are well organised races and give good notice on entries but allow for "no shows" in their numbers, strictly prohibiting transfers. As a mark of respect to the people arranging these races, wholesale transferring of numbers should't be promoted and is indeed "taking the p155". While not being so naive to say that transfers don't happen - they always will, - surely forums like Boards.ie shouldn't (and shouldn't be expected) to promote such transfers.

Leave the commercial races, who charge crazy prices, make their own minds up.

Without commenting on the above directly, I want to clarify that we are (and always have been) happy to facilitate in-thread number transfer requests, for those events that permit them. It's up to the poster to find out, and then inform the mods, if an event permits them or not- most don't, some do.

As DustyBin showed above, races that have allowed transfers in 2010, might or might not be allowing them for 2011. If it's not explicitly stated on their website, email the Race organizers and ask them if transfers are permitted, then show the mods the email, and we're more than happy to allow transfer requests, in the thread for that event.

DustyBin

If it's not a runner then grand, some idea's work some don't.
I'm not going to go beating a drum about it, but I will just clarify what I was on about.

I wasn't talking about a thread to specifically host race transfers. I was trying to kick off some discussion about how to better facilitate new or infrequent posters who will come onto the site looking to make a legitmate transfer and then have their threads locked because they didn't read the specific paragraph in the charter. How many ART posters read the charters on other forums before lashing up what in all evidence is a perfectly reasonable & inoffensive post? I don't.

So what I was attempting to do in essence was to educate the mods (don't go taking offence just yet please :cool:)

If the mods knew in advance which of the major races did or did not allow transfers then there would be no need to lock perfectly legitimate threads just because the poster failed to dot their i's or cross their t's.

Sorta thinking more triathlon here than road races. Triathlon clubs seem to be much more transfer friendly than either commercial organisations (in any sport) or running clubs.

If things are left alone then there will be more posters over the coming months putting up quite reasonable and legitimate requests that will have their threads locked because they didn't read the charter first.

donothoponpop

DustyBin wrote: »

So what I was attempting to do in essence was to educate the mods (don't go taking offence just yet please :cool:)

No offence taken, lifelong learning and all that!

DustyBin wrote: »

If the mods knew in advance which of the major races did or did not allow transfers then there would be no need to lock perfectly legitimate threads just because the poster failed to dot their i's or cross their t's.

Sorta thinking more triathlon here than road races. Triathlon clubs seem to be much more transfer friendly than either commercial organisations (in any sport) or running clubs.

If things are left alone then there will be more posters over the coming months putting up quite reasonable and legitimate requests that will have their threads locked because they didn't read the charter first.

As you say, it's usually the Tri events that allow entry, and usually we get to see the rules from those that do. In this JH case, I've not seen where they do (for 2011), so any threads will continue to stay locked. Same thing happened last year (I forget which Tri event), general confusion on the rules, until som poster emailed the RD and got the details of what they offered in the way of transfers. Things worked smoothly then, in that everyone in the thread knew exactly what was permitted.

It's come up before about reading the charter, but honestly, beyond stickying it, saying "Charter: READ ME BEFORE POSTING" in the heading, and requesting snipped posters to read the charter, there's not a lot of gaps for them to slip through.

donothoponpop

What if events threads (like JH or whatever) that allowed transfers had their titles edited "Johnny Whatever Race, 01/06/11- *Transfers permitted, see post no. 100*". Obviously post no. 100 would give details of what transfers were permitted.

(Wouldn't stop other threads getting locked though)