Derek, RCSE and others who didn't make it into SWC 2000,
For 12 years CASL has been hosting the SWC event in Phoenix every February. Of
course it started out small with mostly local fliers but now it's grown into a
sizable event. It has never been our objective to see if we can become the next
Visalia. How much growth can we allow and still put on a quality contest? For almost
five years we have had to ask ourselves that. Do we want the event to get bigger at
the risk of taking on too much or sacrificing what benefits the contest currently
has? We have to weigh the needs and wants of everyone and there are always
compromises. For starters, we have shortened rounds and flying times several years in
a row to better accommodate the numbers of fliers wanting to attend. No matter how
you schedule it no one wants to try to find a thermal 10 minutes after the sun has
risen or in the twilight of the day. Remember it is the middle of winter and daylight
is short. We also can't very well expect fliers that have come to the event from
18-20 different states, after spending considerable income for airline tickets and
lodgings etc., to be happy only flying minutes out of the whole weekend. We are
trying to balance all this out. Adding winches would force us to move the entire
field layout, possibly bringing back those loud obnoxious gas generators, and would
have pilots launching into the sun a good part of the day. Besides the occasional
winch malfunction, the real hold up has always been getting the frequencies out and
back in. Everything impacts another part of the event, so it just isn't that simple.
We are constantly on the PA trying to keep things moving and everyone knows how
annoying it is to listen to the impound tent workers barking every 30 seconds about
frequency concerns. (Sorry Impound crew)
I am not sure I haven't made a mistake by allowing a HL event on Friday. Here again
you have to realize we are pulling in a lot of fliers that have been snowed in a good
part of the winter and when they arrive they want to practice, trim and test fly. It
was my decision to hold the HL events to one plane per frequency and Ray Hayes agreed
so things could work out for everyone. In this way we hope the pilots can have open
practice on Friday until 10 AM and then resume open practice after the HL events
maybe around 2:30 PM. If for some reason (weather, events running longer that
expected etc.,) the HL events are not completed by 2:30 PM on Friday then the HL
finals would be completed on Saturday afternoon after the first day of the SWC.
Again, it is not our desire to see how many fliers we could get into the HL event but
rather to provide another bit of flying fun for those who have requested some type of
formal HL event. Ray and his helpers are doing all the work on the HL contest so that
CASL would not be left short of workers setting up the field on Friday.
Another consideration is the task of setting all this up. The SWC outgrew our
regular club field 2 years ago and CASL had to find a new location just for this
event. Everything on site at this contest has to be loaded up into rental trucks and
hauled there by CASL members. CASL spends more on renting this property for 3 days
than we spend all year for rent, winches etc. at the club field. It's a beautiful
site that can't be matched by any other big contest. Come Sunday afternoon, the
entire field has to be torn down, loaded onto the rental trucks and driven back to
the club field, rental trucks returned etc.
I've individually addressed some of your other concerns below:
> Derek wrote:
> Sorry to make a grand re-entrance to the Exchange with a rant, but I
> got an early Christmas present today (lump of coal?)
>
> "Sorry, we are sending this notice to quite a few entries we received
> recently...We have stopped accepting entries because we are over the
> 175 limit...[no mas] because we are finishing placing vendor sponsored
> pilots etc...We just don't have enough daylight in the winter to fly
> more pilots without having to drop rounds or shorten flight times."
>
> At once, this message bummed me and reminded me of a quote from one of
> the supply guys during my Navy days: "Your lack of planning does not
> necessarily constitute an emergency on my part" That said, I know I
> must admit that I should've entered earlier.
>
> However, you guys may want to re-think this thing. Attendance is a
> good thing, especially when you're part of the most prestigious series
> this side of the Worlds.
Thank you. We have worked hard to get there.
> I know that many guys were turned away from
> the Old Buzzard's HLG events because Ray was directed by the host club
> that he could only sign up one pilot per frequency. This means that
> every stinking frequency will have to be accounted for in order to get
> max turnout. Guess what? He's doing a pretty good job of filling the
> frequency board because of guys like me who are getting second and
> third channels just to attend what is looking to be a really memorable
> event. In spite of the frequency issue, he's getting maybe the third
> best HLG turnout of this nation's season. Every single HLG club
> contest in SoCal has at least one, and often more, frequency conflicts
> but we wouldn't dream of sending people away because of the
> complications arising from frequency management. As far as sheer
> numbers go, nobody likes the idea of cutting task windows or rounds,
> but it's the less evil of the options presented.
I don't think it's evil to have to limit entries in order to run a quality event.
> Ask Ron Schark what
> he's gonna do about the IHLGF this year. He's expecting a huge jump in
> attendance, but I guarantee you he won't be telling Werner Stark to
> stay on the other side of the ocean because Derek insists on getting
> in another ladder task on Sunday.
We are having a HL event on Friday to celebrate the fun of flying HL gliders. This is
not nor was it ever meant to be a IHLGF.
> Ask the Soaring Exchange. I'm a competitor and I know I would rather
> fly one less round than to have possibly formidable competition turned
> away.
We have had the opposite input from past contests. Fliers have commented they
appreciate the flying time.
> Ask Daryl if he'd be willing to fly
> one less task or give up a lunch break or go a little longer on Sunday
> to have the chance to beat 230 instead of 160.
We have dropped and shortened rounds twice in the last two years.
We don't take a lunch break. It would be nice to rest and eat but we don't have the
time to stop flying during the day. As for flying longer on Sunday, I don't feel it's
fair to ask our volunteers be hauling all the equipment off the field by car
headlights late Sunday night.
> Ask Joe how he likes
> the idea of turning away competition.
We don't like it either but it is not a decision we just came up with arbitrarily.
> Ask Sal or Karlton which number
> they'd rather have attend.
Of course huge events are cool and prestigious but at what cost?
> Yep, some of us are the fodder, but we're
> the guys who pay the dues, spread the word and boost the LSF points
> for the rest of the warriors.
I don't consider anyone who goes to the trouble of joining us at our event "fodder".
(I am bothered by the fact that you think it doesn't upset me to have to turn fliers
away.)
> The biggest thing is that missing out on the SWC will dramatically
> reduce my motivation to attend the other Triad events. It's not about
> flying in my first TD contest, it's about flying in THE triad. Without
> getting to the SWC, Pasadena and Visalia just become "big contests."
I can't imagine Visalia or Pasadena ever becoming just another "big contest". Those
events stand on their own as long time traditional classics.
> Twenty bucks says if you allow Ray to open up the Old Buzzard's
> contest to three pilots per channel you'll grab an additional twenty
> guys (making it nearly the numeric equal of the
> International) and who knows how many you'll add to the SWC?
We're not looking to hold an IHLGF and we must have some time for fliers to practice
on Friday. Remember, many of them will not have even had a plane in the air for
months! I knew limiting the HL event to one per freq. would limit the entries. That
seemed to be a safe and fair way to not have the HL events take up the whole day.
> Can't you
> guys ask for more winches, more volunteer help, better software, or
> something to help increase throughput so as not to turn people away?
More winches are not the answer. We have 85 club members, most of which are working
both days. The software is not a problem either.
> When I find myself between a rock and a hard place like the one every
> CD faces when they must make decisions like this, I have to ask
> myself, "What Would Elvis Do?"
Well, I asked Elvis and he hasn't replied back yet.
>
> And now I'll hide behind that very rock so the flames don't burn too
> badly.
None of the above responses should be considered flames. I calmly and rationally
tried to explain and defend our reasons for the way we run the events. I wish we
didn't have to limit the entries but we do. Please come along and join in. At these
large contests you don't have to be entered to have a good time. Ask some others on
this list. It's a fun weekend.
Thank you,
Dave Wenzlick CD, and CASL workers, SWC 2000
RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and
"unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
