Why do you fly anyway? And why do you compete?
If you compete to win, then you aren't going to be active for very
long. Either you will realize that you aren't going to win (for
whatever reasons) and quit, or you will soon find that winning isn't
everything. At least that's my experience with other activities.
Most people that I know compete because they enjoy competing. They
enjoy being challenged. They enjoy having a way to mark their process.
They actually enjoy the process of doing.
I think that the best way to get new folks is to show how much fun it
is to do, and how rewarding it is to make friends and just hang out
with folks doing the same things.
This is not to say that beginners don't need to be encouraged, just
that they don't have to win.
One of the most thrilling experiences was the second time I hooked up
with Ray Harlan. I had built a pair of LPP's and with a lot of effort
they were at about 3.4 grams. I was struggling to get 3 minutes at MIT
(I think it's got a 45 foot ceiling). Ray came over, watched me wind
and fly, made some suggestings and I got flights over 7 minutes. I was
thrilled and definitely hooked.
I found out later that Ray bragged on me to a co-worker who happened
to be a good friend of mine.
It is sometimes difficult to reach out a hand to a beginner or someone
who is just showing interest, but I think that's the best way to get
people interested. Tinkering with rules and categories will produce
events that are fun to fly, which is important to keep interests, but
I don't agree that we should improve the NATS by making it easier for
more people to win. After all, this is supposed to be the National
Championships.
I've only attended one USIC, money and medical issues have prevented
more attendance, and I certainly didn't expect to win, or even place
highly in any event, but I went anyway. I had a great time and will
attend again if I resolve the problems that I have.
Am I a mutant? I don't think so.
Marty Sasaki
--
Marty Sasaki
Arlington, MA, USA
http://www.martys-simple-things.com/
marty.sasaki_at_gmail.com
Received on Tue Jun 02 2009 - 20:12:41 CEST