<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">The first description is exactly the way it used to be when I started flying Pattern 40 years (!!!) ago. As I remember, a pilot earned 5 points for 1st, 3 points for 2nd and 1 point for 3rd, regardless of how many entrants there were. I remember getting 4th place in an Atlanta contest with 23 entrants and didn't earn any advancement points. It was changed to the way we do it now after we realized how unreasonable it was.<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Ron Van Putte</DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Aug 14, 2007, at 1:36 PM, Bob Richards wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV>If a person finished 1st or 2nd at every contest, and there were only 3 people in the class, there is not as much of a need for this person to advance. OTOH, if this person consistently finished 1st out of 20, I'd say it is time for this person to move up. Isn't that the way the point system is structured now?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Bob R.</DIV> <DIV><BR><BR><B><I>Ken Thompson <<A href="mailto:mrandmrst@comcast.net">mrandmrst@comcast.net</A>></I></B> wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE class="replbq" style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid"> <DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2">Point system or not, if someone is finishing in the top 1 or 2 at every local event, it's time to move up. And like you said, the heckling would be unbearable ;-)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2"></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2">Ken</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title="atwoodm@paragon-inc.com" href="mailto:atwoodm@paragon-inc.com">Mark Atwood</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title="nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org">NSRCA Mailing List</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, August 14, 2007 11:13 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Points system</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">You must have missed my earlier post...copied here...<BR><BR><BR>Why do we have one? (point system)<BR><BR>Not to play devils advocate but do we really have that many people trying to “cheat” to take home an extra plaque? Yeah, some people hang around a class a little longer than others, but I don’t ever recall someone staying beyond the point where peer pressure failed, and we had to rely on an un-enforced point system to get the job done.<BR><BR>I mean lets face it...if there’s a guy just tearing up the advanced circuit...winning everything in his path, A) he’s going to get pretty bored with that at some point B) he’s going to get heckled to DEATH at some point from the Master’s guys calling him chicken since he’s clearly afraid to compete against kids his own size :) and C) and this is a big “C”... Who cares?? If I’m flying Advanced against him and continually having my A$$ handed to me...then apparently there’s room for my flying to improve. I can choose to improve it staying in Advanced until either the aforementioned sandbagger moves up and I can claim victory with my inferior flying against now inferior competition, OR I can choose to bypass all together and move to Masters and get a new challenge having never won the pinnacle of the previous class, but feeling confident in my own abilities.<BR><BR>MORE importantly...if I fly for fun? Which I really think about 50% of the flyers in pattern do, then I can hang at whatever level challenges me, provides me with the best “reward” level for my time and investment, and maximize my “fun”. <BR><BR>I think the “point” system should be little more than a guideline for the avid competitor who’s goal is to move through the classes, gain proficiency, and who’s target is winning in FAI. It’s a guideline to know when it’s maybe time to move up, to prevent moving too early, and yet stay on a good course for becoming the best.<BR><BR>For the rest, I think it’s a non issue.<BR><BR>I’m an avid golfer...I suck, but I’m avid. My handicap says I should be playing from the blue tees on most courses... But on a given day, I’d much rather go out and shoot an 82 from the whites, than post an 86 from the Blues. Just my preference...it’s more fun. <BR><BR>My .02<BR><BR>-Mark<BR> <HR align="center" width="95%" size="3"> <BR><BR>On 8/14/07 11:16 AM, "twtaylor" <<A href="mailto:twtaylor@ftc-i.net">twtaylor@ftc-i.net</A>> wrote:<BR><BR></SPAN></FONT> <BLOCKQUOTE><FONT size="4"><FONT face="Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13px">Just to break this issue out to a thread of it’s own. Maybe we can keep this one on topic.<BR> <BR>Any ideas on a better system?<BR></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <HR align="center" width="95%" size="3"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT size="2"><FONT face="Monaco, Courier New"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px">_______________________________________________<BR>NSRCA-discussion mailing list<BR><A href="mailto:NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org">NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</A><BR><A href="http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion">http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion</A><BR></SPAN></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT size="2"><FONT face="Monaco, Courier New"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10px"><BR></SPAN></FONT></FONT> <DIV> <HR> <DIV></DIV>_______________________________________________<BR>NSRCA-discussion mailing list<BR><A href="mailto:NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org">NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</A><BR>http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>_______________________________________________<BR>NSRCA-discussion mailing list<BR><A href="mailto:NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org">NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</A><BR>http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion</BLOCKQUOTE><BR><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">_______________________________________________</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">NSRCA-discussion mailing list</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="mailto:NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org">NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion">http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion</A></DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>