Tim, I appreciate all the thought you've put into the format. I'd side with Jim, however, on flying out the time. If someone puts the hurt on me I'm not mad at that person. I'm mad at myself for not hooking into that air. I don't think sportsmanship really comes into play.
I've had the hurt put on me and then have the same guy come over and help with a broken wing rib or bad battery lead. That's sportsmanship. I also like to see when a beginning pilot sneaks out on their own ride while the experts are way off downwind and scratching. Nothing builds up your ego quicker when you're starting out than to have an expert pilot come poach some air you've been working. Your suggestion of coming down does move things along, but when the group is on the ground at 5 minutes and I've taken a big risk being off by myself and have a done a good job of working it, I don't think my effort should be worth just a single point more than one of the 5 minute guys. No matter what the format, it sure beats work :-) JE -- John Erickson LSF V #122 > From: "Tim Bennett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:52:53 -0600 > To: <[email protected]> > Subject: RE: [RCSE] Contest Format > > > > Jim Bacus wrote: >> >> "Shafting" the other fellow competitors by completing the task >> time? "Unethical?" ;-) >> >> I see it as maximizing my available flying time during a contest >> event, and playing by the rules of the contest attempting to >> maximize my score. > > > Jim makes a valid point while at the same time highlighting one of the > weaknesses of seeded MOM as currently practiced. The format creates a > structure that encourages or even requires what would seem to some as > unsportsmanlike behavior which belittles and demeans the unsuccessful > competitor. The rules encourage exploiting any opportunity to "bury" someone > who has a bad flight by putting on a show of being the only one flying for > as long as possible while everyone stands and watches. This kind of > structure is unnecessary and disproportionately rewards the single episode > of good luck or heroic effort as opposed to consistent superior performance > round after round. There can be no greater turn off in competition than > being shafted or buried. While it may be fun for one guy, it is at the > expense of everyone else. If playing by the rules makes the competition a > turnoff to many, maybe better rules can correct this. This is an issue of > the design of the contest format which my earlier idea seeks to address. > > By assigning scores that are limited on the low side, a competitor is not > able to lose or win the whole contest in one round and there is no need nor > opportunity to bury or shaft anybody. I think this is a better way to > structure a contest if you want to insure all competitors have a good time > and encourage participation while not artificially limiting the performance > of any competitor. > > I guess a key objective I left out was: > > "Respect for the dignity of all participants." > > I also think "...maximizing available flying time during a contest..." is > better done by increasing the pace of the event so more rounds can be flown. > > Tim Bennett > LSF IV > > RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and > "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that > subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME > turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are > generally NOT in text format RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format
