[NSRCA-discussion] Why did you join the NSRCA?

[Budd Engineering]

On Feb 1, 2009, at 1:11 PM, Matthew Frederick wrote:

> It may very well be in pattern's interest that the NSRCA remain  
> healthy, but I am my own driving force. I don't fly to win the  
> district championship, and I don't attend the Nats at this point.  
> Before the NSRCA came around, there were still AMA rules for  
> pattern. Contests were held. I could make an argument that the NSRCA  
> in it's current form is the reason that pattern struggles. I'm not  
> saying that, but evidence exists to support the claim.

I'd be interested in hearing that argument.  Really - I would.  I have  
my own ideas as to what the problem is, but it's always good to get  
another opinion.

> I tried to go read the history of the NSRCA to find out exactly what  
> year the organization was formed, but the link to the NSRCA history  
> article is not working.

IIRC it was around 1973.  Rhett Miller was the first president.  Long  
before the fall-off in pattern started.  I joined in ~ 1982 or 83,  
Larry Ott was president then.  The K-Factor was about 8 half-sized  
pages written on a typewriter and copied off on a Xerox machine.  What  
few illustrations it had were hand drawn.  I think dues were $20 or  
something like that.  I joined because it was the only way to know  
what was going on around the country (my phone bills were a lot higher  
back them).

> All I know is when I first started in pattern in 1990, the NSRCA was  
> hardly around, and I frequently attended contests with 40 - 50  
> contestants.

True enough, the contests were a lot bigger back then.  And then the  
advent of the turn-around patterns into the AMA classes occurred  
(1989).  Almost overnight participation dropped to about half, and  
it's never recovered from there.  Anybody remember the divide in the  
membership in the 86-87 timeframe about the AMA classes going turn- 
around?  There was a guy on the AMA Contest Board from Kansas named  
Jim Mowrey who was ready to succeed from the union (and take half the  
membership with him) if that happened.  I don't know where he  
disappeared to but I'm not so sure he wasn't right.

> I've been holding my thoughts on this, but I think it needs to be  
> said: the thought of the AMA allowing the NSRCA to make changes to  
> schedules or rules without going through the AMA rules process  
> scares me. Although I have been an NSRCA member for 2 years, I never  
> once felt that the NSRCA leadership was really looking out for my  
> interests. If the rules proposal comes up to allow the NSRCA to have  
> that level of control, I will vehemently oppose it with the AMA, and  
> encourage all of my friends to do the same.
>
> Matt

Actually, I've been wondering the opposite.  What is the added value  
in having AMA involved in the process?  Or lets put it another way -  
do you really need an AMA Sanction to hold a contest?  I submit that  
if the contest site is at an AMA charted club field the answer is no,  
the sanction is of no added value.

Keith Hoard, here's a good one for you to stir the pot with.  What say  
you?  : )

Jerry

Budd Engineering
jerry at buddengineering.com
http://www.buddengineering.com
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