What competition events interest you?

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Let's calm down everyone. Each of us want the same thing, for contests to be fun AND well attended. We may just have different ideas on how to accomplish that objective. We should still be able to discuss our opinions while remaining civil, shouldn't we?
 
I;ll throw in my 2 cents :)

First, I agree, let's all take a deep breath.

Frankly, I agree with both arguments. Let me explain a bit (not too long, but... :) )

I used to compete, have a few ribbons even. Also, while it is true that you don't need anything fancy to win, more often than not the person using the fancy launch equipment *does* win. Which is to be expected as that equipment provides an edge. What is worse though (5 out of 5 for me), if I noticed an event where everyone who was pushing the envelop had DQ'd (which is also common), and I submitted a model that just met the qualification rules (like the time I turned a Big Bertha into an egg lofter and took first place), some of the hard core competitors get upset and then file a formal protest. Etc, etc, etc.

Point being, it got too cut throat and lost all enjoyment for me (personal observation - some *love* the cut throat nature of competition).

Also, I have often attended NARAM or other events hosting competition only to hear folks looking over the models and commenting "oh man, look'it THAT one! Man, I could NEVER beat something like that" (paraphrased). This indicates to me that "competition" is often at such a high level that it can scare away a lot of people.

Should machined jigs be allowed to attach fins? Yep, no problem. Should pistons and towers be allowed? Of course. It's all a part of winning. Just like NASCAR or Baseball.

HOWEVER, *unlike* NASCAR and Baseball, there is really only ONE division "The Best Division". By that I mean that there is only a competition outlet for the cream of the crop. For others classes of modelers there really isn't any other option. For someone to get ot the point where they have a chance to get to national champion they FIRST have to be willing and of a temperment that allows (enjoys?) loosing over and over in an effort to build their skills.

Imagine if there were no Class A, AA, AAA baseball. Imagine if the only way someone would get into major league baseball is if, from their VERY FIRST baseball game ever, they had to play against a major league baseball team.

What we are missing (personal opinion here) is the equivalent of a "farm team" for rocketry competition. One proposal I heard of that I like (well, on the surface. I haven't seen a lot of the details) is a series of events that are "stock events". Basically you build only from available kits, build it stock and launch from a stock launch pad. As described above, the contest would be based solely on your modeling skills. This would easily (again, personal opinion) get more people competing. Those who are good at it and enjoy it would be tempted to move on to the "open class" confident that they have built up a set of skills that can help them compete. This, as opposed to scaring them off before they even get a taste of it.

Anyway, my 2 cents. Your mileage may vary... :)

jim
 
The club I used to belong to started having monthly fun contests to get everyone used to competition events. That's where it pretty much has to start- the local clubs. I was interested in competing and talked another club member who had experience into organizing the monthly launches.

I too wish there were more NAR members competing so that different brackets could be created for differing skill levels. Unfortunately, there just aren't that many people in the entire pool to begin with. On a related note, altitude events are problematic for clubs without tracking equipment so it becomes harder to have those sorts of events.

I attended the Capitol Cup competition in VA last year. It was the first international competition that we've had here in the US. There were plenty of DQ'd flights by many of the experienced folks. One DQ and that pretty much blew any chance of getting a medal. All of the technology in the world is pretty much useless if you can't get three qualifying flights off in the contest. Someone without any fancy equipment who can consistently achieve three qualifying flights has a better chance than the bleading edge folks who push it too far. I actually built my streamer duration model slightly on the heavier side to increase its reliability and won the bronze medal.

I competed in streamed duration at NARAM too and was very inexperienced. My first flight achieved a duration that was about double the other competitor's two flights put together. But I didn't have enough experience to realize that I should have brought along a beater rocket for my second launch just in order to have a return flight. I tried to weigh down my fancy fiberglass tube with extra weight and ended up with a second flight where my streamer came detached and DQ'd that flight. I was fairly beaten by everyday run of the mill rockets flown by people with more or less experience who stuck with what works and didn't go for bleading edge.

I attended NARAM last year and was actually surprised that the majority of competitors were not using either pistons or launch towers- they just used the launch equipment that was provided at the site. Pistons in particular can create more problems than they're worth. A few people even made the FAI team without using any fancy equipment, and more than a few made the team with less than perfect looking construction techniques.

Don't let the fancy equipment intimidate you. But if you want the fancy equipment then it's not that difficult to make.

There's something different with rocketry as compared to your runner's analogy. Runners can control their race during the race while rockets are autonomous was launched. So we don't have the luxury of controlling our rocket in flight and are forced to having to control the other variables. On the other hand, RC aircraft relies upon a skilled pilot during flight so it would be a better type of event to require that all of the competitors have the same plane and setup. In any event, there's been lots of research into running shoes and aerodynamic skinsuits in the running field so it's not that much different.
 
The club I used to belong to started having monthly fun contests to get everyone used to competition events. That's where it pretty much has to start- the local clubs. I was interested in competing and talked another club member who had experience into organizing the monthly launches.

I agree that is a good idea, and it would be a start. Every club launch should have at least one fun contest or even real competition event, to make people familiar with it.

There were plenty of DQ'd flights by many of the experienced folks.

Yes, that is one saving grace, that a lot of people go right to the edge and end up DQ'd. The problem is that's not always obvious to new people.
 
We've had good luck with some contests using the Baby Bertha. We would start out with a drag race for the kids then later use the same rockets for either parachute or streamer duration. The slightly larger body tube makes it easier for these events. Later, the BB can be used for spot landing. A nice durable rocket with lots of uses and the kids seem to like the larger body tube surface to decorate.
 
I would like to see the craftsmanship contests go beyond scale and sport scale.
 
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