I guess the bottom line to all of this is: Does the NSRCA leadership want Pattern to be a fun leisure-time activity, or a part-time job?<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, May 8, 2009 at 9:59 AM, Mike Hester <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kerlock@comcast.net">kerlock@comcast.net</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div vlink="purple" link="blue" bgcolor="white" lang="EN-US">
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">I'll second that. </font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">I haven't flown pattern as long as some, but in the
years I have spent I haven't seen trophy hounds being an issue at all. yes they
exist occasionally. But they rarely last long. Sooner or later they get beat,
and that's the end of it soon after. natural selection I guess.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">I'm the poster child for the advancement problem to
masters as described earlier. When I was flying advanced I had a lot of time to
practice and did pretty well. Then I got the bright idea to kit a wood pattern
plane....so much for free time LOL So this is my 3rd year in masters and I
have yet to get anywhere close to practiced form. This year started out well,
then I lost my only plane. So much for this season.....</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Not that I would want to return to advanced at all,
I belong in masters. But I can see plainly where others have moved up because of
points and wierd circumstances and they are over thier head, as in more than
usually expected. These are some of the best people in pattern and I would hate
to lose them just because of an arbitrary rule to weed out the so called
sandbagger, who is rare as hen's teeth.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">In that respect, I agree with Mark....make it a
guideline ONLY. I have enough faith in people that they will do what's right and
fly in the class they need to be in. maybe not all the time, but enough so it
won't really matter in the big picture. </font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">-Mike</font></div>
<div> </div>
<blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px;">
<div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">----- Original Message ----- </div>
<div style="background: rgb(228, 228, 228) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
<b>From:</b>
<a title="atwoodm@paragon-inc.com" href="mailto:atwoodm@paragon-inc.com" target="_blank">Atwood,
Mark</a> </div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>To:</b> <a title="nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" target="_blank">General pattern discussion</a>
</div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>Sent:</b> Friday, May 08, 2009 10:46 AM</div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>Subject:</b> Re: [NSRCA-discussion]
Advancement System - follow up</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">I
really do think this is easy.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Change
the advancement rule to be a guideline, not a rule.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">People
should be able to change what class they fly when they want to. Yes,
there could be the occasional A$$ that changes for the wrong reason, but let’s
not make rules just to capture idiots, and make more work for everyone else in
the process.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">People
move between FAI and Masters ALL THE TIME based on who’s at a contest, or the
overall contest make up and no one cares. There’s no reason that the
same can’t happen in the lower classes. Let’s just try it for a bit.
Please??</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">All
we need is a proposal to change the wording on advancement to be a guideline,
a recommendation. And remove any language that refers to mandatory
advancement or prevents people from moving back down a
level.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Let’s
see what problems it causes. I’m betting NONE, and it will eliminate
numerous problems.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">-M</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<div>
<div style="border-style: solid none none; border-color: rgb(181, 196, 223) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-width: 1pt medium medium; padding: 3pt 0in 0in;">
<p><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org" target="_blank">nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org</a>
[mailto:<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org" target="_blank">nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Earl
Haury<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, May 08, 2009 9:33 AM<br><b>To:</b> Discussion
List, NSRCA<br><b>Subject:</b> [NSRCA-discussion] Advancement System - follow
up</span></p></div></div>
<p> </p>
<div>
<p><span>Lots of
good observations and comments that are on topic. </span></p></div>
<div>
<p> </p></div>
<div>
<p><span>Also,
adjusting the sequences / classes may be a fix to the root cause of poor skill
fits in a given class that would dictate moving up or
down.</span></p></div>
<div>
<p> </p></div>
<div>
<p><span>IMHO, I
believe the immediate focus should be on changing the advancement system so
that folks who find themselves in a class way beyond their skill level have a
mechanism to move to a class better fitting their skills. I'm not proposing
that the focused competitor who moves up and then finds themselves not
competitive for a few years should move back. I do believe that the casual
competitor who finds that age / career / family / increased sequence
difficulty should be able to easily move to a class where they're comfortable.
As the discussions regarding sequence content indicate, the consummate
competitor wants (needs) an increasing level of difficulty to maintain
challenge & interest. This increase in difficulty can (and apparently
does) overwhelm some casual competitors who then leave pattern. Possibly
they can be retained if it were easy for them to drop back a
class.</span></p></div>
<div>
<p> </p></div>
<div>
<p><span>I don't
perceive that this discussion has reached a consensus on how best to handle
the current advancement system, previous discussions have ended similarly and
nothing much has changed. The options seem to be:</span></p></div>
<div>
<p> </p></div>
<div>
<p><span>1. Leave
the current system alone & adjust sequences / classes. (Appears to concede
to the lowest skill pilots per class.)</span></p></div>
<div>
<p> </p></div>
<div>
<p><span>2. No
official advancement system, peer pressure is adequate. (Might actually work,
most pattern folks are honorable.)</span></p></div>
<div>
<p> </p></div>
<div>
<p><span>3. Variant
of current system with provisions for casual competitors to move back basis
their comfort / performance. (Probably OK and would seem to have a good chance
with the CB.)</span></p></div>
<div>
<p> </p></div>
<div>
<p><span>4.
Performance based system where folks float between classes basis performance.
(Actually my favorite as it would both satisfy providing comfort to the casual
and prestige to the consummate. Unfortunately logistically most difficult,
someone would need to manage the data and assign
classes.)</span></p></div>
<div>
<p> </p></div>
<div>
<p><span>So - the
trick is to reach some sort of consensus and move it to a rules proposal.
Discussion alone won't get the job done.</span></p></div>
<div>
<p> </p></div>
<div>
<p> </p></div>
<div>
<p><span>Earl</span></p></div>
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