Harley, You have the respect of everyone including mine, but everyone is entitled to do their own thing within the laws of the country they live in. If you are turned off by contests, I'm sure that is fine with everyone, but all they ask is to let them do what they like to do.
Bluntly, I consider your post man's usual rant of " this is how I see life, why don't you see it the same way I do?" Isn't this pretty much what man has fought about for too long a time, one religion trying to devour another religion ? One ideology trying to over come another ideology. People are killing people today over religion because man has not learned how to live in harmony. I like contests for many reasons, starting with the camaraderie among the players, do I have to explain to you and others why I enjoy contests? Do I need your blessing or someone's blessing? I go to contests because I enjoy it. I know this post will put me to death with your friends and all the non contest people that subscribe to man's oldest weakness, but I have the courage to say what needs to be said. Man needs to stop imposing his will on other men to satisfy what ever it is that seems to require this of many. Man has to learn tolerance so Grand Children can live in peace. Best regards, Ray Hayes http://www.skybench.com Home of Wood Crafters ----- Original Message ----- From: "Harley Michaelis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <soaring@airage.com> Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 9:22 PM Subject: [RCSE] ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE about assisted soaring, value of winning. > I am rarely motivated to add to other conflicting opinions, but have a > little different perspective on the competition thing. Bear with me, please. > > Way back in grade school I could outrun anyone my age. When I entered high > school, I could outrun anyone there. My chances for getting into college > hinged totally on getting an athletic scholarship in track. I competed gung > ho with that in mind. It got me a 4 year college tuition scholarship. I paid > for everything else by working and also supported a wife from my sophomore > year on. I was a daddy in my senior year, too. Staying competitive in track > was *essential* to graduating. > > After graduation and WW2, at 25 I entered a career selling field for 40 > years that required staying competitive. It was *essential* to making a > decent living. > > I'd been a free flight enthusiast early 1940's but got tired of chasing the > things. Latter 1960's, I heard about the fledgling sport of R/C sailplanes. > I was intrigued with the idea of thermalling and landing nearby. After a > couple of years of bad experience with poor radio equipment I got a Kraft 3 > channel proportional, designed some originals, heard of "contests" and > decided to attend. > > I desperately needed an escape from a very taxing personal situation in > which my most beautiful 2nd wife, Patricia, was becoming progressively > disabled. I also had some curiosity about what the other guys were flying. I > came with original designs such as the 150" span Miskeet (See the Misc. Pics > file) at http://genie.rchomepage.com/. > > My escape at home was building original sailplanes. When it was possible, I > escaped to contests. I liked hanging out with the flyguys and watching those > beautiful ships fly. I won my share and a win would give momentary ego > gratification, but I never considered it a big deal. It wasn't *essential* > to anything important. Pat's illness put the proper perspective on what was > important. > > After Pat went into a nursing home in Jan. 1975, I was all torn up, but > could then easily escape to contests. After she made me a widower, still > escaping to contests, my NWSS Season's Ranking got better. In 1990 at age 69 > I went for the Season Championship. I got it in both 2 Meter and Open Class. > We had some 150 guys competing on the circuit then, when a $200 sailplane > was a rarity. Now we have about 50 and a $200 sailplane is a rarity for > totally different reasons. > > I did not like myself that year. Usually enjoying the guys and flying, I > got picky about rule bending, guys sandbagging and anything that I thought > put me at a competitive disadvantage. It wasn't the usual laid back fun. I > concluded being the "champ" was not worth the militance and decided *never > again*. > > I don't know what motivates otherwise mature, grown men to strive to be > competitive in this game. There is no logic to it. You'll spend far more > money going to contests than you'll ever get back.The rest of the world > cares not about your ranking. Your family likely cares not and may resent > your participation. It will not get you "15 minutes of fame" on the world's > stage. If you're a smart-ass, egotistical, obnoxious competitor it won't get > you respect or make friends for you. In the 'eternal scheme of things', how > you did in sailplane contests is without meaning. > > Having deplored winning sailplane contests, let me point out what, IMHO, are > greater satisfactions in this wonderful activity. > > Learning how to launch your ships higher and higher. Learning how to more > consistently locate and core thermals, Improving your landings. Learning to > trim your ship for optimum performance. Doing all this with hand-eye > coordination, purist fashion because of the challenge involved. Making > friends in the hobby. Keeping friends made in the hobby. Making new ones. > Having fun hanging out with the guys and gals. Sharing ideas. Being helpful. > Maintaining respect of the others. Enjoying the beauty and fascination of > flight and the ever-changing panorama of sky and clouds, breathing the fresh > air. > > Lastly. . .contributing back to the hobby. That means by research and > experiment learning things to pass on to others. The ARF is killing this. > Nothing new is learned. I used to save so many posts in my "Worthy R/C > Posts" e-mail folder, but now so few. Well, of late, at least we are getting > some good stuff about casting lead. > > Please tell us. . .other than ego satisfaction, just why do you want to win > sailplane contests????? What is it that's so *essential* about this form of > competition??? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format > RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. 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