Weight is not the issue!

[RUDDERCABL at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/17/2002 8:49:24 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
buddybrammer35 at hotmail.com writes:


> If the intrest is such that we only have 20% of those flying pattern who 
> vote then how in the world are we going to get those outside of pattern to 
> try it? As I said before it is up to those in pattern to use every means 
> possible to maintain the intrest of those already flying pattern.


I don't have any numbers to prove what I am about to say , but I will throw 
this out anyway just as food for thought.  

My theory here is that probably only 20% ( if that many ) of pattern flyers 
ever attend the Nats. Could it be that the ones ( give or take a few percent 
either way ) who go to the trouble of being active enough to attend the Nats 
are also the ones who care enough to vote in the survey ? 

The 20% who submitted the survey are the 20% who are dedicated to pattern. 
They are the flyers who are at the majority of contest on a regular basis. 
The other 80% are the ones who only attend a few contest a year and don't 
care becouse it doesn't really matter to them.  

All of us , from time to time and for various reasons become more or less 
active in this hobby. Twenty percent is probably just about right for any 
hobby or activity to have a dedicated core. The other eighty percent float in 
and out in various degrees of activity when it suits them.

As I have said before , todays society offers far to many distractions to 
expect participation by a large percentage of individuals . " You can lead a 
horse to water but you can't make him drink "  as the saying goes .

Weight is the issue here . You have said many times on this forum that we 
needed a weight increase to help stimulate interest in pattern . Now you say 
that we need to get pattern flyers more interested in making the rules. Sorry 
,I read that as meaning changing the rules . 

I tend to believe that those outside of any activity that they may have some 
interest in becoming a part of ,view stability of the rules of the game ,as a 
factor in what they 
decide to do. Our continued arguing over the rules will only hurt pattern 
down the road .

Troy Newman has reminded us all what the procedure is to change the rules . 
In one respect , we are fortunate that we even have the right to do so. Many 
sports and activities have sanctioning bodies that make the rules for them 
without input from the contestants .  Save your arguments for the next rules 
cycle , then use the rules we have in place to make the changes you wish . 
Till then , go burn some fuel !

Robert Gainey   
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