<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Following are two, partially thought-out, ideas that might address some of the concerns in this thread:<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">1. We could implement a “Fun Class.” It would be similar to the “Fun League” in most softball leagues. Fun Leagues typically attract teams that rarely, if ever, practice and whose main goal is to drink beer after the game and tell lies. Fun class could be implemented in two ways. One would be as an adjunct to each of our current classes where each contestant would declare that they were in the ‘Fun’ adjunct at registration. They would fly with the non-fun pilots but their scores would only be compared within the fun class. The second would be to create 1 or 2 new fun classes. They would fly an existing schedule but because there were fewer classes pilots would be aggregated within a fun class. That is whoever wanted could fly Fun 1 which might be the Intermediate schedule while others might choose Fun 2, perhaps the Masters schedule. Purely the pilot's choice. Ringers to first timers welcome.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">2. We could implement a handicap system. In this scheme everyone would fly FAI-P but with one important change. The total K-Factor would be adjusted by reducing the complexity of maneuvers. So, Masters might fly the existing FAI-P schedule. Sportsman might fly maneuvers that only mimicked the shapes of the FAI-P maneuvers and some of the turn-arounds might be entirely unscored. In the current FAI-P for example the eye catcher might be done without rolls, the half square would remain, the KE combination would be straight flight,… It would make judging a lot easier too because everyone would be flying the same, albeit modified, pattern. </div><div class=""><br class=""><div class="">
<div class="">Jeff</div><div class=""><a href="mailto:jeff@hillanalysis.com" class="">jeff@hillanalysis.com</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><i class="">The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealized past. </i></div><div class="">Robertson Davies, “A Voice from the Attic," 1960</div></div>
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<br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Nov 4, 2016, at 1:49 PM, Gene Maurice via NSRCA-discussion <<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" class="">nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; font-family: Georgia-Italic; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">As Anthony said, bear with me, there’s a point to be made…………………..<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">I have been reticent to post this because I have been out of pattern for a while now. But then I started thinking maybe that’s the real issue, there are a whole bunch of long term pattern participants who are no longer on the scene. Some were pretty fierce competitors, some were more casual folks like me. But the bottom line is they are gone. Where did the people go?<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">I don’t think that the pattern community will ever be able to recruit new talent as fast as it loses current participants. People naturally tend to enter and exit pastime activities. As new activities enter the landscape, those activities will inherently dilute the pool of available participants. Pattern has always been a relatively small niche in the relatively small R/C niche of pastime activities.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">Pattern is very time consuming, the time to practice, the time at contests, the time building/working on the plane, on and on and on. Given that “fixed” time: job, family, home maintenance, social commitments, is set in stone that leaves “free” time. If the time it takes to be competitive exceeds free time, well you do the math. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">And it ain’t easy! If and when people try a competitive activity as a hobby there is an inherent human nature expectation of some level of success. Then there are a lot of folks that also require near immediate gratification. Generally, in pattern that ain’t gonna happen!<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">So when you have someone that’s been around for a long time and they disappear it begs the question, “Where did the people go?”.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">I flew pattern for over 20 years. I first got into pattern in Nashville, TN with my son. There was a large contingent of Pattern folks in the area at the time. My son, Mike, was 12 when we started pattern and going to contests was a family affair. At that time my job was fairly stressful and I put in a lot of hours. With raising a family thrown in there was never enough time to practice. When Mike went off to college and it was just me, flying time became even more difficult to find because I had lost my best flying partner.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">I moved to the Dallas, TX area in 1998 and again I was lucky that there were a lot of local pattern people to spend time with. Texas was a hot bed of pattern activity at that time. I would go to 6 – 8 contests a year, all within a 6 hour drive. Average attendance would be 30 to 40 at any contest. There would be 8 – 15 people just in Masters, and 6 of them would have been in the top 10 at the previous Nats.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">The last couple of years I flew in contests the best I could do was in the 4 out of 6, 6 out of 9 range in Masters. And that was OK, I was still having fun. I haven’t flown competitively for six years. I still fly my pattern planes, a Symphony and an Aries, both OS 160 powered. I even started practicing the Advance schedule for shucks and grins.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">Why I left Pattern…………………. In no particular order ……………………..<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; text-indent: -0.25in;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; font-family: Symbol;" class=""><span class="">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" class=""> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">When I moved to the Atlanta area and there is NO pattern activity, nobody to practice with. This takes away a BIG reason to go practice, spending time with people who have the same interest and can help you improve.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; text-indent: -0.25in;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; font-family: Symbol;" class=""><span class="">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" class=""> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">No decent fields to fly pattern / practice nearby. I drive an hour and 15 minutes one way to a field near Talladega AL.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; text-indent: -0.25in;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; font-family: Symbol;" class=""><span class="">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" class=""> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">The schedules keep getting more and more difficult. I couldn’t / can’t keep up. I flew Masters for 11 years and the current Masters schedule is way out of my league. I would suggest that a large reason for the decline in Masters is the shear difficulty of the maneuvers. Compare the current schedule to let’s say 8 – 10 years ago to see what I mean.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; text-indent: -0.25in;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; font-family: Symbol;" class=""><span class="">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" class=""> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">I’m now retired and on a fixed income, converting to electric and buying a $2000 to $3000 ARF is financially out of the question. Yes pattern has always been expensive but the price tag to be “competitive” has gotten away from most folks. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; font-family: Symbol;" class=""><span class="">·<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';" class=""> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">As I get older my eyesight, and particularly depth perception, has made it way more challenging. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">As I look at contest results that get posted by Don Ramsey of the events in District 6, I only see 4 or 5 names of people that I flew with just 7 years ago. Where did the people go? The participation is only 50 -60% of what some of those contests use to draw. Where did the people go?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">So, again, I submit that looking for “new blood” may be a fool’s errand. Contact and survey those who have left and find out what drove them away. And is there anything that would bring them back.. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">To those who truly commit the time and dedication it takes to be competitive, I commend you. To those who are less committed, more casual, and are in it because it’s fun, I wish you the best. I got 20+ years of pure enjoyment out of it being a casual participant.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">Gene Maurice <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><a name="_MailEndCompose" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></a></div><div class=""><div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223); border-top-width: 1pt; padding: 3pt 0in 0in;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>NSRCA-discussion [<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org" class="">mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org</a>]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b class="">On Behalf Of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>W Anthony Abdullah via NSRCA-discussion<br class=""><b class="">Sent:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Friday, November 04, 2016 1:52 PM<br class=""><b class="">To:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Dave Burton; General pattern discussion<br class=""><b class="">Cc:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>General pattern discussion<br class=""><b class="">Subject:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>[NSRCA-discussion] Anthony Manifesto/pattern participation<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Please hang with me, there is a point to be made.<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">I love pattern and have participated in the discipline one way or another for the last 25 years including serving as the D4 AVP. Some years I do every local contest, in others years I have done one or none depending on what was going on in "life" at the time.<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">As I look at my current semi retired situation I realize why participation may be down. For me, it's not cost, or location of the nats, or anything like that. My reality is, in years that I have done well and been competitive, with my limited skill level, I have done NOTHING other than work and pattern. The choice for me is to literally ignore all my other hobbies and interests.<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">For example, in D4, our flying season usually starts late April with the first contest in early or mid May. That is coincidentally the best time of the year to fish. <o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Over the last 18 months in pattern purgatory I have done the following;<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">1. trained for and competed in 2 physique fitness competitions (placing in both)<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">2. Caught a monster Crappie, that was 3 ounces short of the fish Ohio record, along with scores of his delicious little brothers<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">3. Bought a 23 foot long travel camper in which we have started to haul to some of the most beautiful campgrounds in the country<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">4. Gotten heavily into RC jets, along with flying everything else I own with wings, including planes that handle nothing like my integral.<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">5. Gone to countless fun flys, scale contests, jet meets, and pylon races<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">6. Moved out of state and bought a 3175/sq foot house with a pool, that I intend to completely remodel.<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">7 went on a non airplane related vacation<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">8. Took my wife out to dinner, watched my niece play basketball, birthday parties, etc<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">9. Started taking golf lessons<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">10 bought a professional grade smoker with which I am refining the worlds best smoked salmon recipe<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">11........<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">All this and I don't even have kids of my own!<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">The point is, I could still do many of these things and compete in pattern, but it would be more difficult, trade offs need to be made. Time is our most precious resource, for me to compete the way I want to I would need to fly only pattern from 6pm to 7:30 or 8:00pm three days during the week and much of the weekend starting in the spring. That does not leave a lot of time for much else. I never understood how a guy like Mike Klein with incredible talent could meander in and out of the hobby. Like me and many others he has no ability to enjoy it in moderation.<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">The only thing that has kept me sort of in, are the AMAZING people and friendships, and staying in advanced. As it is, I can do respectable 4 point rolls, slow roll, top hat, some form of Cuban 8, avalanche, and 1/2 square loops/stall turns with very little practice. If I moved up to masters you would likely never see me again after a contest or two (see long list of guys this has happened to including Dennis B, Frank D, Tom M, etc)<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">I bring all this up for on simple reason, I love pattern and want to help. If this allows us to think about the problem another way and leads to a creative solution, great! <o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">IMO, we are focusing our efforts in the wrong direction. I understand trying to bring in new people but I think a better idea is to cater to the competitors we already know love pattern.<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">How about a "fun" class that's not for beginners, but for advanced or masters level pilots. Familiar fun maneuvers that we have done a thousand times, maneuvers we would stop to watch, a mixture of turn around and non turn around maneuvers.<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">For off the top of my head example;<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">1. Take off<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">2. Avalanche <o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">3. End to end slow roll with duration bonus (8 seconds like in bull riding of course I don't know how to judge this)<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">4. Stall turn 8 point roll up, 2 1/2 reversed down<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">5. Knife edge like slow roll above<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">You get the idea.<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Thanks for hanging with me. <o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Anthony<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class="">Sent from my iPad<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br class="">On Nov 4, 2016, at 12:40 PM, Dave Burton via NSRCA-discussion <<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</a>> wrote:<o:p class=""></o:p></p></div><blockquote style="margin-top: 5pt; margin-bottom: 5pt;" class="" type="cite"><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class="">The difference is that in the good old days the NATS was almost all modeling disciplines and not just a Pattern Contest as it is today, even in Muncie. The NATS has never had the same appeal to me since.</span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class="">I'm not opposed to moving it around the country but IMO Pattern is in a downhill slide and I don't really think moving it around the country will change that. We no longer have the casual competitor as we did in the" good old days" for a lot of reasons relating to cost, maneuver difficulty, and unfortunately the image of elitism.</span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class="">Dave Burton</span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class=""> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class=""><div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223); border-top-width: 1pt; padding: 3pt 0in 0in;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>NSRCA-discussion [<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org</a>]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b class="">On Behalf Of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Jeff and Claire via NSRCA-discussion<br class=""><b class="">Sent:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Friday, November 04, 2016 10:52 AM<br class=""><b class="">To:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>'Joe Lachowski'; 'General pattern discussion'<br class=""><b class="">Subject:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Re: [NSRCA-discussion] 2017 NATS</span><o:p class=""></o:p></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Wow. Wish I had a nickel for every time in the last 5 years I heard someone say "Sure wish the Nats moved around the country like they did in the good old days. Remember the <insert one location or another location> Nats and what a great time we had?" Mike Harrison has gone out on a limb to create a unique experience again for pattern flyers, the NSRCA and the AMA support that (in fact the AMA hopes other SIG's follow suit) in hopes to break up the "same old thing," make it more interesting and more accessible to various cross-sections across the country. I would not have guessed there'd be a response like the one below.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Jeff Worsham </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';" class=""> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div class=""><div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223); border-top-width: 1pt; padding: 3pt 0in 0in;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>NSRCA-discussion [<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org</a>]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b class="">On Behalf Of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Joe Lachowski via NSRCA-discussion<br class=""><b class="">Sent:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Friday, November 04, 2016 8:03 AM<br class=""><b class="">To:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>General pattern discussion<br class=""><b class="">Subject:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Re: [NSRCA-discussion] 2017 NATS</span><o:p class=""></o:p></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div id="divtagdefaultwrapper" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">I am disappointed in the direction the NSRCA has been going the last 5 years. Instead of focusing on growing participation in pattern as their primary goal it has done things like making sequences more and more difficult and now having alternate venues for the NATS. So tell me how having alternate venues for the NATS grows pattern? Answer is absolutely nothing. It just wastes financial assets. This idea too, will die. Do you honestly think others in the various regions of the country will put in the effort on a regular basis to have a NATS in their region?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><p style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">I am done with the NSRCA. I've been a member since the late 80's. My contribution to the event as a CD over 25 years and long time sequence committee member has become a waste of my precious time. My membership will permanently lapse this time around. I can no longer support an organization that is directionally lost. And you wonder why most of District 2 has left the NSRCA?</span><o:p class=""></o:p></p></div><div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;"><hr size="1" width="100%" noshade="" align="center" style="color: rgb(160, 160, 160);" class=""></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">No virus found in this message.<br class="">Checked by AVG -<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.avg.com/" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">www.avg.com</a><br class="">Version: 2016.0.7859 / Virus Database: 4664/13342 - Release Date: 11/03/16<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="margin-top: 5pt; margin-bottom: 5pt;" class="" type="cite"><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">_______________________________________________<br class="">NSRCA-discussion mailing list<br class=""><a href="mailto:NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</a><br class=""><a href="http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline;" class="">http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion</a><o:p class=""></o:p></div></div></blockquote></div><span style="font-family: Georgia-Italic; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">_______________________________________________</span><br style="font-family: Georgia-Italic; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia-Italic; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">NSRCA-discussion mailing list</span><br style="font-family: Georgia-Italic; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia-Italic; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important;" class=""><a href="mailto:NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" class="">NSRCA-discussion@lists.nsrca.org</a></span><br style="font-family: Georgia-Italic; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia-Italic; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important;" class=""><a href="http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion" class="">http://lists.nsrca.org/mailman/listinfo/nsrca-discussion</a></span></div></blockquote></div><br class=""></div></body></html>