AFO Event policy reminder

[AFO]

It has come to our recent attention of an issue with a recent AFO event.

May we remind AFO members and AFO event competitors that we run these events in good faith and rely on the honesty and sportsmanship of all competitors.

We quite clearly state in the event rules, which every competitor agrees to that:

16. ORGANISERS DECISION:

* Any protest must be made in writing and presented before the prize presentation of an event.

* Any action, incident or situation not covered by the Event Rules and Conditions shall be determined by AFO if or when those conditions arise.

We have these measures in place for a reason and it is a condition clearly stated in the event terms and conditions. We do not have the luxury of extra prizes and so we need to ensure that prize presentations are accurate and fair and we can only achieve this if we are made aware of any discrepancies or unfair behaviour before the prize presentation or immediately after the presentation has occurred at the event which allows us the opportunity to investigate and rectify where necessary. If we are not made aware then we cannot be held responsible for awarding prizes which we believe are correct.

We hope this may clear any confusion some may have over this matter.

[ellicat]

Sounds logical to me.

[ONTHECHEW]

Does that mean my 22cm Bass could have one first prize

Andrew

[Surfingant]

Does that mean my 22cm Bass could have one first prize

Andrew

No way mate, get in line

[Do$tylz]

maybe in the kids catagory....

[Eug]

Sounds juicy...

[Manni79]

maybe in the kids catagory....

I think he still would have got beaten lol

[tugger]

Not to many reports of the weekend i was hoping to read a few as i was disapointed i missed this 1 due to work

[bootyinblue]

I have no issue with protests or anything at all, besides I am flat out catching a fish to enter anyway.

It does sound a little double dutch though in that it says protests must be in writing (agree 100%) before the prize presentation for the event.

But then further down you mention 'immediately after' the prize presentation. This also makes sense and you really dont know who or what you are protesting against until the prize presentation in some cases.

Just food for though, but if everyone was honest and trustworthy there would be no need for any of this.

[Malcolm]

if someone is whinging then they may need to piss off its not sheep stations its fun

[Surfingant]

if someone is whinging then they may need to piss off its not sheep stations its fun

Well said Mal.

[shortie]

if someone is whinging then they may need to piss off its not sheep stations its fun

Agreed.

But im at a distinct disadvantage at all these comps.

I cant catch fish.

[Bi_polar]

That sounds like a fair call Admin, but HQ was advised that there was a descrepancy in the entry age of the contestants and we were told that the contestants fell into the adult age catagory which would not warrant a protest in relation to that particular incident when in fact one of them didn't and was only eligible to enter as a junior but subsequently claimed adult prizes leaving other participants off the board.

There was also the subject of non participants catching fish and entering them in participants names.

We as participating contestants saw this happen and were told by this particular group that they were going to cheat as that is what you have to do to win the prizes.

I can only blame myself for not putting in a protest but if an under age protest is going to be dismissed then what chance do i have of convincing HQ of foul play.

We spent 2 days with this particular group and found them to be really nice people but i just dont think it is good to be sending that sort of message to our kids that cheating is ok.

This might be a good opportunity for other AFO members to have some input as to what can be done in the future to curb this type of behaviour.

[shortie]

I think the question that needs to be answered is did the junior in question pay the full amount to enter the main competition where the prizes are more worthwhile, or did they pay a junior entry fee.

If a full fee was paid then they have every right to enter the main competition. And good on them for doing so. I applaude them for giving it a go and having success.

[bootyinblue]

Pay the adult entry fee..... compete in the adult competition

Pay the junior entry fee..... compete in the junior competition

Weigh in fish that you did not catch..... you deserve to be named and shamed!

[Old Scaley]

Soooo, reading between the lines here, the adults were outfished by a kidand some adults are not happy about it??? That's funny - but then I am sure there must be more to this story than meets the eye.

PS Emoticons are not working for me, so you can't tell I am only kidding around (before anyone gets upset)

[pancakes_and_haggis]

Entering fish you didn't catch would go down as cheating,

Thus cheating a afo competition, some people know how to rub people up the wrong way huh, plain daft if you ask

Me!!

Perhaps it was the only fish the group caught all weekend judging by the reports I read, what would I know I donutted the river with Greg first time he'd done that in 3 years Lol

[Eug]

if someone is whinging then they may need to piss off its not sheep stations its fun

mal i partly agree with you, the thing is we enjoy farting around regardless of fish. however some people take it a little more seriously especially when entry fees and prizes are on the line.

the other part i agree with stu, the deceitful attitude is not the type we want to foster. if everyone was as cut throat as that then the whole comp loses its laid back appeal.

i'd hate to see these events get too serious, but it takes a few bad apples to ruin a good thing.

[shortie]

are people really there for a prize or the social aspect.

Seems people need to lighten up.

its an honesty ststem. Lets not [deleted] a great weekend by bringing up [deleted] after the fact.

[Surfingant]

And here I was thinking a protest had been made about dassa's snoring! I think Shortie, Booty and Eug have pretty much summed it up so I won't add my 0.02c regarding that. Stu asked how it could be prevented from happening again, unfortunately I think that would be very difficult when you have a comp that pretty much relies on the honesty of it's competitors. I think the only way to prevent it is for the honest ones to fish harder and fill the top spots.

[Manni79]

I think the question that needs to be answered is did the junior in question pay the full amount to enter the main competition where the prizes are more worthwhile, or did they pay a junior entry fee.

If a full fee was paid then they have every right to enter the main competition. And good on them for doing so. I applaude them for giving it a go and having success.

The Junior in question did pay the full amount to enter as an Adult

[bootyinblue]

I think the only way to prevent it is for the honest ones to fish harder and fill the top spots.

Or if you have concrete proof and want to put your walnuts on the line, name who was involved in the cheating. Pretty sure that's going to be a good deterrent not to come back for a second comp under the same or a new user name.

You will be spotted....

[shortie]

I think the question that needs to be answered is did the junior in question pay the full amount to enter the main competition where the prizes are more worthwhile, or did they pay a junior entry fee.

If a full fee was paid then they have every right to enter the main competition. And good on them for doing so. I applaude them for giving it a go and having success.

The Junior in question did pay the full amount to enter as an Adult

Thats awesome then. I dont see any valid argument against them winning a prize then.

Its an honesty system about who caught the fish. And if they say they caught it its good enough for me.

Well done young fella whoever you are. Enjoy your prize.

[kreel]

Just to clarify any misconceptions I am of adult age and paid an adult entry fee, I just look too good for my age.

[Carter]

MY 2 cents: If a kid pays for an adult entry, good on him and well deserved if he wins a prize.

I also think a Jnr entry should be up to 15 years and if they wish to compete as adults than they can if the pay the adult entry.

[Keen-as-fisho]

My 2 cents...It was 25 bucks to enter and it all goes to AFO so in my opion I don't care, besides its a great social event. Oh ps I caught squat Shorty nailed it, if they've paid adult entry let them be.

[AFO]

That sounds like a fair call Admin, but HQ was advised that there was a descrepancy in the entry age of the contestants and we were told that the contestants fell into the adult age catagory which would not warrant a protest in relation to that particular incident when in fact one of them didn't and was only eligible to enter as a junior but subsequently claimed adult prizes leaving other participants off the board.

We have answered you privately, but no this is not true. HQ was not advised and the person you have later had an issue with was born in 1997 and so is 14 and so this does not affect you or your result. We incorrectly assumed the competitor who placed third was 13 as they paid the adult fee and after later doing the age calculation they worked out to be 12 and a bit. The person who was placed 4th has been contacted and this has been resolved between us.

There was also the subject of non participants catching fish and entering them in participants names. We as participating contestants saw this happen and were told by this particular group that they were going to cheat as that is what you have to do to win the prizes.

With the information we have from several sources, we do not believe you can categorically prove that any competitor cheated and as there was no written protest as per the event rules, we have made the decision that no further action will be taken as the rules state "Any action, incident or situation not covered by the Event Rules and Conditions shall be determined by AFO if or when those conditions arise."

I can only blame myself for not putting in a protest but if an under age protest is going to be dismissed then what chance do i have of convincing HQ of foul play. We spent 2 days with this particular group and found them to be really nice people but i just dont think it is good to be sending that sort of message to our kids that cheating is ok.

We pride ourselves on our fairness, integrity and sportsmanship. We believe in this particular circumstance as the competitor paid the adult fee and we mistakenly worked out their age, they should not be penalised. The results as they were awarded are to remain. We have been in contact with the 4th placed competitor who would have been affected to ensure they are happy and to arrange between us a suitable outcome.

We put alot of time and effort into our events and hope that the people competing in them act honestly and fairly. Although after 7 years and hundreds of events and over 20 major events we have never yet had to deal with a complaint of cheating or foul play. However, we do have measures in place for people to report this if they are made aware of it, and so we cannot be held responsible if those people who are aware do not make us aware, they can only blame themselves then.