On one hand, Lakehurst has hosted major contests on Memorial Day,
July 4th, and Labor Day since, well, forever. I'd say there is
plenty of seniority there. The obvious attraction of those summer
dates is the extended weekend.
On the other, Lakehurst has more date flexibility than any of the
other sites. If scheduling a contest on a non-holiday weekend would
attract people, it would be very easy to do. Some advantages that
spring to mind: lower hotel rates and less conflict w/ family holiday
commitments.
I've always felt that extensive availability of Lakehurst is one
major reason that we don't get large numbers on certain days.
Everyone gets spread out, and people say to themselves, "well, I can
always go next weekend". To counter that, we need to do exactly what
Max is suggesting, and hype up a particular weekend.
The other big factor is the nature of flying at Lakehurst. It is
heavily affected by outside weather, packed with obstacles, and
layered with dirt dating back to the start of the air age. People
expecting a sports dome experience get quite a shock. But those of
us who love the site, and have learned how to work with it, know that
the Lakehurst experience is unparalleled. It's all about mindset.
So I say: let's pick a good weekend (I think the beginning of August
is right, weather- and time-wise) and make this a regular thing.
Hype the h&%% out of it, but let's not bank on everyone showing up
the first time (I now we've all got patience) - it will take a couple
of cycles for people get used to scheduling vacation time for it,
making travel reservations, etc. And mercilessly berate anyone who
complains about Lakehurst weather, floor space, or strip searches at
the front gate (what? that was just me?) as weak and unworthy.
P.S. Don, I think the outdoor contests should be scheduled around the
indoor meets.
Received on Thu Jun 21 2007 - 08:32:15 CEST
This archive was generated by Yannick on Sat Dec 14 2019 - 19:13:45 CET