The USA COR Athlete Classification System (ACS) is a "Proof of Work" model. In other words, classifications are not determined and awarded to athletes by a committee or person. Instead, USA COR athletes must earn, refresh, and advance classification according to a defined rubric, by placing well in comparison to their peers in National Series competitions.
A "Fishbowl Effect" describes a scenario in which a particular community of athletes "game" and thus rapidly advance their way through the Athlete Classification System, effectively misrepresenting where individual athletes are currently located in their developmental journey. A large enough community of unclassified athletes could technically engineer a fishbowl to reach any given classification level.
With this stated, the ACA Ocean Racing Committee is not currently concerned about fishbowls at this particular point in time. If the Athlete Classification System is enough of a motivator on its own to drive the level of interest and participation in USA COR competitions required to game the system, the ORC considers the time and energy invested by the committee and our growing community well-spent.