Re Dist I Sportsman Championship

[Larry Diamond]

I flew in D4 Sportsman in 2003.  Was I the best Sportsman in the
District?.NO.I only placed 1st in one out of 8 contest I attended during the
season. I started with an Aresti and it flew great, then I got hooked on
Pattern. I found a good deal on a Focus and flew it in the last five
contests including the D4 Championship contest where I placed 2nd.

 

Reflecting on that year I don't think anybody was intimidated because I had
a 2M pattern plane. If they were, it didn't last long after they seen me fly
the first round.lol.I flew in 3 different Districts and those that showed up
to fly Sportsman did it because it was fun. Most did not commit themselves
to attending many contests. My goal was the Championship for Sportsman, I
attended allot of contest and those that flew regularly commented on how
much I continued to improve at each one.

 

With that said, I believe the Sportsman Championship is a good deal. For
those that commit early and make it a goal, it's achievable. The
Championship is to reward those with the commitment to make contests, then
to reward based on skill. I'm a much better pilot because I attended many
contests that year and placed lower than some flying 40 to 60 size sport
planes, like Extra's.

 

I don't think that the points race turns anyone away from Sportsman, but it
is a carrot to those who are drawn to competition. The problem I have in
drawing 1st time Sportsman to my contest is getting past the cold feet of
being judged on your flying skills. Although I can't do all the fancy 3D
stuff, I'm considered to be one of the better pilots in our club. To enter a
contest and come in last place is humbling. I do this regularly..lol.The
thought of -not doing well- is the bigger part of why folks turn away from
any competitive sport.

 

Larry

************************************ 

Dean et al,

 I still don't understand how abolishing the "Championship" achievement is
going to make any difference. I see Dave's point - kind of doesn't make
sense as far as wording goes, but the reality is I don't think it would make
any difference one way or another if there was no "Sportsman Champion". When
I started flying pattern the last thing that went through my mind was
winning any kind of points championship. There are plenty of other things to
worry about. As far as making Sportsman more "entry level friendly": Instead
of abolishing the achievemment award - how about making some rules that
don't allow 2-meter planes in Sportsman or something like that. Remember the
old "no pipes or retracts" rules? That does more to keep the cost down than
anything else. Look at what they do in racing classes (no aluminum heads /
no 4bbl carbs, etc.) That keeps the cost down to a point but someone always
pushes the envelope. The perception is that the hardware will triumph over
skill (or lack thereof). How many $500.00 golf clubs have you seen? Those of
us who can read between the lines know this isn't true, but marketing
strategy prevails.

 On another note, here's a reality check. In my second contest - I got
booted out of Sportsman. What a stupid rule. As long as 7 guys show up - 3
of them are screwed. Now we all know how well a 40 size Kaos would do in
402. See what I did (thanks Ed and Rick)? Two Focii (and a new radio and GMC
truck) later I'm still flying. I'm not hoping to win the 402 "Championship"
this year. Or next. Just want to fly better and have a good time with my new
friends. See you at Pocono!

John Pavlick

http://www.idseng.com <http://www.idseng.com/> 

2nd place 2004 / D1 Sportsman

-------------- Original message from "Dean Pappas" <d.pappas at kodeos.com>:
-------------- 




Hey Gang,

Those of us who have been at this game forever are weighing in, mostly on
the side of trying to take the impression that you need a major commitment
to fly Sportsman: both financially, and timewise.

We might be forgiven if some of us (myself included) thought that not having
a points race in Sportsman would make that first hurdle feel lower.

 

Simple question for only the guys who flew Sporstman within the last five or
so years ...

Did the points race in Sportsman add to your perception of difficulty,  make
the "entry fee" to swim in the big pool seem bigger,  or raise the needed
level of committment?

 

It's pretty obvious that what I think is not the issue! Those of you who
have more recent memories of the entry-level can offer me some guidance.

 

P.S. I seem to be utterly unable to sign on to the NSRCA discussion list, so
if someone places this same question there, that might throw a wider net.

Regards,

    Dean

 

 

Dean Pappas 
Sr. Design Engineer 
Kodeos Communications 
111 Corporate Blvd. 
South Plainfield, N.J. 07080 
(908) 222-7817 phone 
(908) 222-2392 fax 
d.pappas at kodeos.com 

 

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