In a message dated 8/21/99 1:54:16 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< I understood and agree with the author's logic. The point I took home
was, since there was no system of qualifications...the nats hardly rate as a
overall national championship.>>
Ron:
I have to disagree.
First of all, the only National Soaring Championship that AMA awards is to
the one pilot who has the best combined scores from the Two-Meter and Open
Class competition at the NATS. To win the National Championship (the plaque
reads "1999 National Category Champion" and then "RC Soaring") involves four
days of flying (two for each event) and usually 15-20 rounds of man-on-man
competition against 100 +/- pilots from across the country and virtually
every state.
The winners of the individual competitions are awarded plaques that reads
"Fist Place - Open (Junior or Senior) Class" and then the event title such as
"F3J," "Thermal Soaring Two-Meter" or "Thermal Soaring Unlimited."
I fly in a number of the major "contests" around the country so I think I
know what I am talking about when I say that there is no other contest that
even comes close to being the Championship quality of the NATS, and I am from
California where we have a fair share of the soaring talent and contests in
the U.S. Your source, Matthew Orme, says that winning at either Visalia or
Pasadena's two day contest has more prestige. While Visalia is a great event
(300 pilots), no one who knows anything about it considers it a championship
caliber event. The list of entries reads like the Who's Who of soaring and,
as such, being on the "first page" (top 40) is the dream of most who attend.
But as a contest it does not come close to that of the NATS. Visalia is 7
rounds with tasks of 3, 5, 7, 8, 5, and 8 minutes respectively. Flight order
is determined by your pilot number and you fly when you are called up. There
is no man-on-man, so if you are called up during a down cycle...tough. And
then there is the downwind launch , downwind landing over the berm that is
unique to Visalia in October. If ever there was a Fun-Fly with scoring,
Visalia is it. And by the way, I go to Visalia every year and love it...for
what it is.
Compare that to a total of 15 to 20 rounds of man-on-man found at the NATS
with the shortest task being 6 minutes and most tasks being 10 to 12 minutes.
No comparison. So why are there 300 pilots that go to Visalia and only
100+/- that compete at the NATS in Two-meter and Unlimited)? Easy. Visalia
is in California and it's on a weekend! If the NATS were held in California
you would have 100 pilots from California alone.
Let's face it, you could have all the qualifiers you wanted and it wouldn't
make a hill of beans difference. There are only so many people (10 or less
this year) who will take the time, trouble and expense to leave California
(not to mention, Texas, Washington, the East Coast, etc.) and travel to
Muncie in late July to compete in a week long contest. I don't care if it
was the World Championships.
Joe Wurts and Daryl Perkins, both multiple National and World Soaring
Champions, as well as any other National Champion, will tell you there is
plenty of quality competition at the NATS to spur anyone who is interested
enough to compete for the National Championship to attend. Is all the talent
there? Hell, no! Most of it is not. But I don't think that a series of
qualifiers will do a bit of good and, in my opinion, will in fact be harmful.
The National Championship should remain an open event. By doing so, the
creme de la creme of soaring talent, who care to compete for the
Championship, will fight it out and the best man for those four days will,
and should be, the National Champion. For the rest of us, it gives us the
opportunity to compete in the finest contest, with the most complete agenda
of soaring tasks, available anywhere.
Just my opinion.
Ron Scharck
La Jolla, CA
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