I thought it would make sense for the Indoor Board to decide this INSTEAD of the R/C guys. I guess it's too late for common sense to be helpful.
----- Original Message -----
From: John Kagan
To: Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 2:26 PM
Subject: [Indoor_Construction] Re: F1D Junior team situation - they need your help
--- In Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com, "Bill Gowen"
<b.gowen_at_...> wrote:
>
> John
> I just got off the phone with Walt. I asked Walt if he thought the
Indoor Board would be the most logical and qualified group to rule on
this situation. We could get an emergency vote by email in a couple
of days.
>
> The District V VP, Tony Stallman, is deadset against adding a third
member.
I have no idea if the Indoor Board (Indoor FF Contest Board, right?)
would be able to affect things, but it is worth a shot.
It appears that the FAI Executive Council has already voted to deny
adding a third Junior (citing, in part, a rule that they added to the
team selection rules in January, but that has not been voted
into "production", nor published yet!!).
The next possibility is for the Executive Council (different from the
FAI Executive Council) to overide them with a 2/3's vote during their
July 26th meeting. The Executive Council consists of the District
VPs, the president, etc.
Does your District VP say why he is deadset against it? Do you think
there is any chance of swaying his opinion.
Bob Brown, my District VP wrote me back asking why there weren't more
Juniors involved in the program. Here's my reply (please excuse the
nationalistic hyperbole):
Hi Bob,
> Why weren't more juniors involved in the team selection process?
Good question. The quick answer: it is relative.
Long answer:
Prior to the 2000 World championship, the USA Junior F1D team
consisted of sometimes 1 but much more often 0 members. In 1998 and
2000 Nick Leonard Jr. was the Junior team. The Junior Team Selection
finals involved Nick flying twice, and that was it. There were no
USA F1D Junior teams before that.
Then came Science Olympiad, and a wealth of new Indoor FF fliers just
waiting to be lured into AMA Indoor FF and the FAI team selection
program. Starting with the 2001 Team Selection, for the first time
ever, there were more Juniors than team spots. The Junior Team
Selection Finals became more than just a formality.
In 2002, 2004, and 2006, the US fielded full Junior teams - and
dominated the World Championships. The US won the Individual World
Championship, the Team World Championship, and the individual silver
medal every time.
And these weren't "daddy-built" models, with reluctant kids being
hand-held by the "real" fliers. These kids were the real deal.
Here's the proof:
- Doug Schaefer: first every back-to-back Junior World Champion -
2004, 2006. Current adult F1D team member. Finished 4th at the 2006
adult World Championships. Holds the adult Cat IV National F1D
record.
- Brett Sanborn: 2004 Silver medalist. 2006 adult F1D team member.
Finished 7th at the 2006 adult World Championships. Current adult
F1D National Champion.
- Justin Young: 2006 Junior World Champion. 2008 Junior team member.
- Ethan Aaron: 2006 Silver medalist. Current Cat II National
Ministick record holder.
- Tim Chang: 2006 finalist. 2008 Junior Team member. Scored the
longest single flight at the 2007 finals, Juniors *and* adults. Beat
Steve Brown, 2-time adult World Champion, at a 2006 regional.
- Nick Ray: 2006 Junior Team member. Current Cat I and IV National
Ministick record holder.
This doesn't include all the other SO grads who have joined the
Indoor FF community, but never made or tried out for the F1D team.
So, on one hand, the number of Junior participants doesn't seem like
a lot, prompting the question "why weren't there more?". We only had
5 kids involved in the 2007 Junior team selection process, 5 in 2005,
4 in 2003.
On the other hand, we consider number of participants since 2000 a
wild success, a drastic turnaround, and a long term boost to the
Indoor FF community. 5 is a whole lot more than 1 or 0. And the
success that the 5 have had, at the World Championships and beyond,
has been stellar.
Also keep in mind that we have to find new kids every 2 years, unlike
the adult team selection. F1D is a challenging activity requiring
extensive determination, discipline, and patience. There aren't a
lot of people cut out for it. Finding and ramping up 5 kids with the
self-motivation and talent to fly F1D is a chore - but one that the
Indoor FF community has rallied around for the past 8 years.
This is the first time that 5 participants hasn't been enough. We
lost one due to a misunderstanding about the age cutoff. Another due
to his parent's unease about the political situation in Serbia (site
of the WC). And the last due to a double lung collapse (!).
Rather than give up, however, the Junior team manager located another
talented SO flier, convinced him of the satisfaction in representing
his country in international competition, and has spent considerable
time helping him get up to speed. Will Curtis have a chance at
winning the world championships? Not likely. But, can he make the
difference between his team winning or not? Most definitely!
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Received on Wed Jul 09 2008 - 12:27:03 CEST