<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>very good, Keith<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>
nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org
[mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Keith
Hoard<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, March 19, 2012 10:23 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> mike mueller; General pattern discussion<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Future of Pattern<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Mike,<br>
<br>
The bottom line is that it is impossible to simply
"encourage" someone to join the pattern ranks and have them hang
around for years. It requires that the new guy have that internal drive
to want to acquire all of the specialized skill sets and equipment ON HIS OWN
to make that transition from sport flyer to pattern flyer. All we can do
is cheerfully provide guidance on the way.<br>
If you look at the rise and fall of IMAC, ask yourself what
was behind the motivation to join their ranks on the way up? Like you
said, the cost of entry is way beyond pattern - $13,000 150cc plane + $5000
trailer + $XX,XXX vehicle to haul trailer + Travel costs to
"Huckfests", Contests, Ect. . . . At the lower end, where most guys
started, what did you always hear the IMAC guys say? "Hey, anyone
can enter Unlimited and win with a 50cc airplane" . . . Sound
familiar? The masses join, travel around to contests, get their
butts kicked flying their 50cc / 100cc airplanes, look down the flight line to
see who's winning / getting all of the attention that they thought they'd be
getting (its the 150cc + Bling Guys), decided that its not worth it, then stop
going to contests.<br>
Now in both the IMAC and Pattern examples, I would argue
that we could give those guys a full set of top of the line equipment and they
still wouldn't be able to win and would leave anyway. You guys need to
realize that it takes a very, VERY specialized person to do what we do and keep
doing it year after year. The real story here isn't that the pattern
ranks aren't growing, but that we still have as many guys doing this for as
long as we've been doing this in the first place!! If someone has the
skill set and motivation to join us, they will join us no matter what the
obstacle - financial or otherwise. The opposite is also true, you can
"drag / encourage" someone into pattern, give them all of the
equipment free of charge, provide all of the top notch coaching, but if they
don't have that internal drive to push themselves to continue, they will drop
out. <br>
Now it seems that for some reason those of us who remain tend
to "feel bad" when that happens. Perhaps you feel that the
pattern community did something wrong to chase that person away, when actually
the opposite was true. That person dipped their toe in the pattern pond
and decided that they weren't a fit. It looked good from the outside but
they just couldn't hang. Most choose to leave quietly, while others bray
like a donkey on their way out, or linger and take cheap shots from the peanut
gallery. Back when pattern guys were considered "elitists", you
still had guys joining the ranks and pattern was growing, right? Now that
the word is "be a nice guy to the sport flyers", our ranks are level
/ declining. Perhaps bringing back a dash of elitism to pattern may not
be a bad thing.<br>
The bottom line is that no amount of "tweaks" to
the rules are going to either increase of decrease pattern participation.
If a guy wants to participate in pattern and go to contests, he will do
whatever it takes to get there. <b><u>Everything else is just an excuse /
whining.</u></b> If we eliminate the weight rule, they they will then say
they can't go to contests because of "judging bias". If we
implement electronic judging, they then will find some other rule to complain
about, ad nauseum.<br>
I think we've gone more than the "extra mile" to
encourage participation. Its time to concentrate on perfecting the rules
for the guys that are actually participating and not worry about changes that
"may" encourage some "theoretical" newcomer. They
will join if they want to, guaranteed.<br>
<br>
Oh, and by the way, sometimes the best action to take is no
action at all.<br clear=all>
<br>
Keith Hoard<br>
Collierville, TN<br>
<a href="mailto:khoard@gmail.com">khoard@gmail.com</a><br>
<br>
. . .<snip>. . <o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;
margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal> I can't see great numbers of newbies flocking to join
our ranks. I think it is what it is. I'll strive to see small gains and little
victory's when we get someone new to enjoy the sport.. .<snip>. . .<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal> Now lets see how we handle $6 gas. Mike Mueller<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>