2015 AOTY Prize Kayak

**Please only respond to poll if you play AOTY/DOTY, or plan on playing in 2015!!**

You can see a LOT of discussion about this issue here:

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=58424.0

In 2014 this is the format that was used:

There will be Piscean Plaques for the top three in both AOTY and DOTY, smaller plaques for "big fish" in each category of AOTY and DOTY, prizes donated by sponsors (TBD) for at least the top three in both AOTY and DOTY, and there will be a brand new kayak as the grandprize.

The kayak will be raffled off at the 2014 Awards Ceremony.

Each participant in AOTY/DOTY will automatically receive one entry into the raffle once they pay the $40 entry fee. Participants can receive up to 20 additional raffle entries for each species submitted and approved in both AOTY and DOTY. 21 entries into the raffle will be the max that any player can have.

The goal of the raffle is to encourage participation and friendly competition amongst those anglers and divers that may not be able to invest the amount of time needed to finish in the top three.

The reason why I am not including the DOTY winner in this poll is that AOTY has more than double the number of paid entrants as DOTY so I think it makes sense that the first donated yak would go to the AOTY winner (if that is the option chosen).

If the prize Hobie yak goes to the AOTY winner, I will do my very best to secure another prize yak for DOTY. 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Jim, could there be an option of "raffle prize (doesn't have to be a kayak) AND a kayak to 1st Place winner"?  Kind of strike a balance between the two?  There are significant drawbacks to the two options available in the poll, to the point where I don't want to vote for either one of them. "Raffle kayak" doesn't reward the person that works their tail off to win 1st Place and thus the competition gets watered down (less incentive for some to work hard at it), while "kayak only to 1st Place" shrinks the pool of participants to only a handful of individuals and is unlikely to attract new participants if they see it's the same five people scoring in the Top 5 spots every year.

Jim, could there be an option of "raffle prize (doesn't have to be a kayak) AND a kayak to 1st Place winner"?  Kind of strike a balance between the two?  There are significant drawbacks to the two options available in the poll, to the point where I don't want to vote for either one of them. "Raffle kayak" doesn't reward the person that works their tail off to win 1st Place and thus the competition gets watered down (less incentive for some to work hard at it), while "kayak only to 1st Place" shrinks the pool of participants to only a handful of individuals and is unlikely to attract new participants if they see it's the same five people scoring in the Top 5 spots every year.

Like that? 

I guess I worded it the way I did because the Hobie yak is still going to the AOTY winner...just because that happens doesn't mean we can't do an AOTY/DOTY "participation raffle" and have a yak for DOTY winner etc...

 

Sincerely,

Jim

ps...I totally agree with you that I like the raffle to enocurage participation...just seems like a lot of people are not happy about having the AOTY winner get the best "prize" ie the Hobie yak....

Sweet, thanks for adding that option Jim!  I guess if I had to choose between the original two options, I'd prefer the "raffle kayak" option.  But I can understand how some folks don't think they've "won" AOTY unless they receive something with significant monetary value.  Personally I'd be satisfied with just getting the cred and maybe a plaque/trophy (doesn't mean I'd turn down the kayak though  ).

It should go back to the old way of first taking the kayak. I wanted to win a Hobie for three years and fished hard to try and win. If I knew it was for a plaque I would have not spent so much money and time. As it turned out I could have not played at all and bought two Hobies of my choice with the money spent chasing one.

Sweet, thanks for adding that option Jim!  I guess if I had to choose between the original two options, I'd prefer the "raffle kayak" option.  But I can understand how some folks don't think they've "won" AOTY unless they receive something with significant monetary value. Personally I'd be satisfied with just getting the cred and maybe a plaque/trophy (doesn't mean I'd turn down the kayak though  ).

Chris, you are definitely in the running this year & one to watch in future years but I would like you to remember this isn't just about you. There are guys who have been playing & trying to win for many years now. I imagine if you dedicate yourself to winning & it takes you years to do so, like it did Bird/02B/ATD & myself, you might then have a different definition of your personal satisfaction. The whole raffle thing is extremely disrespectful to those individuals still trying, after years of hard fishing & sacrifice, to finally reach their goal.

So please don't continue to disrespect the past & future AOTY's by posting what you guess they're thinking re: winning. You will only really know what you yourself think about the subject......after you've won.

Sounds like you will either have a small group pay in to compete hard if the winner takes the Yak (sponsors may see this as a decline for their $) or like this year a lot of folks paying in just to have fun and keep track of fish for the heck of it and may get lucky. I get both sides...just saying....

Sounds like you will either have a small group pay in to compete hard if the winner takes the Yak (sponsors may see this as a decline for their $) or like this year a lot of folks paying in just to have fun and keep track of fish for the heck of it and may get lucky. I get both sides...just saying....

Why do people keep stating this is the case when the tourney has been happily sponsored for many years now & grew in participation almost every year? It's a false assumption.

What I think will happen going forward with most kayak fishing tourneys is there will be a split between those that want to give away sponsor donated prizes randomly thru a raffle & those, like the Delta Bass Series for example, where the traditional format of the highest scoring competitors earn the prizes & or cash. I'm hoping that AOTY, as the hardest tourney to win, will go back to the traditional format.

This year raffle kayaks were available at several other one day events. But AOTY isn't about fishing for only one day. I feel like I'm beating my head against a wall trying to explain myself here but I hope someone somewhere will 'get it' & realize what they could achieve if they committed themselves to winning AOTY. Even if that took many years of trying.

BigJim, if you want to create a poll let it be given thru pm to only those people who signed up to play AOTY this year. An open poll's results are worthless.

If the majority of those people want it to become a raffle then so be it.

I have no stake in this convo since I did not sign up. However, I do believe it would be a good idea to poll this year's participants privately. If anyone else wants to chime in on rules changes, he/she can do so next year (after signing up). 

Salty. or whoever has time and cares,

Please feel free to PM all the AOTY and DOTY participants and ask them, and compile all the responses and let us know what they say.

I created a thread to get opinions, and they were mixed.

I then created a poll to try and see what the majority thought.

I asked that only participants respond to poll. That is as much effort as I'm willing to put into it.

Salty. Jim,

You know I like you and have a lot of respect for you as a person and an angler, but I think you are way off base.

No way does Clayman's opinion matter or count any less than yours or any other past AOTY winners.

No way do you speak for all past and future AOTY winners or competitors.

No way should any future changes to AOTY rules in any way be "extremely disrespectful" to past, present or future competitors.

We are talking about a f*cking kayak. Not the title of AOTY.

THIS.  THIS bullshit is EXACTLY why if I was a newcomer to NCKA I would stay the hell away from anything AOTY related.

And that's a shame.

FWIW, I cast the first vote in this poll...for the yak going back to the AOTY winner.

I'm over this conversation and the drama. No wonder polepole turned this sh*t over to me.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Salty. Jim,

You know I like you and have a lot of respect for you as a person and an angler, but I think you are way off base.

No way does Clayman's opinion matter or count any less than yours or any other past AOTY winners.

No way do you speak for all past and future AOTY winners or competitors.

No way should any future changes to AOTY rules in any way be "extremely disrespectful" to past, present or future competitors.

We are talking about a f*cking kayak. Not the title of AOTY.

THIS.  THIS bullshit is EXACTLY why if I was a newcomer to NCKA I would stay the hell away from anything AOTY related.

And that's a shame.

FWIW, I cast the first vote in this poll...for the yak going back to the AOTY winner.

I'm over this conversation and the drama. No wonder polepole turned this sh*t over to me.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Jim, sorry you feel that way but please don't put words in my mouth. I never said I was speaking for others. Just giving my opinions. No one received the opportunity to give their opinions re: all the changes to AOTY 2014 but you did ask for opinions re: 2015. jim

Salty. Jim,

You know I like you and have a lot of respect for you as a person and an angler, but I think you are way off base.

No way does Clayman's opinion matter or count any less than yours or any other past AOTY winners.

No way do you speak for all past and future AOTY winners or competitors.

No way should any future changes to AOTY rules in any way be "extremely disrespectful" to past, present or future competitors.

We are talking about a f*cking kayak. Not the title of AOTY.

THIS.  THIS bullshit is EXACTLY why if I was a newcomer to NCKA I would stay the hell away from anything AOTY related.

And that's a shame.

FWIW, I cast the first vote in this poll...for the yak going back to the AOTY winner.

I'm over this conversation and the drama. No wonder polepole turned this sh*t over to me.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Jim, sorry you feel that way but please don't put words in my mouth. I never said I was speaking for others. Just giving my opinions. No one received the opportunity to give their opinions re: all the changes to AOTY 2014 but you did ask for opinions re: 2015. jim

You're right Jim. You didn't say that you were speaking for anyone else.

It was this statement here that I was responding to:

There are guys who have been playing & trying to win for many years now. I imagine if you dedicate yourself to winning & it takes you years to do so, like it did Bird/02B/ATD & myself, you might then have a different definition of your personal satisfaction. The whole raffle thing is extremely disrespectful to those individuals still trying, after years of hard fishing & sacrifice, to finally reach their goal.

So please don't continue to disrespect the past & future AOTY's by posting what you guess they're thinking re: winning. You will only really know what you yourself think about the subject......after you've won

Anyway, like I said I'm over it.

Jim, well I did take a little offense to what Chris posted re: some folks not thinking they've won if there's no prize, but I chose to respond in the most respectful way I could to Chris because I do indeed greatly respect him. I hope he continues to fish hard & win at some point! I just didn't appreciate that one comment.