Re: Re: The demise of Indoor FF
Don, John and Rick,
Thank you for poring out your thoughts, Your thoughts sink deep and I am
motivated. It's a wonderful feeling.
Ding Zarate
On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 9:22 AM, <themaxout_at_aol.com> wrote:
>
>
> John,
>
> I too don't think it needs a makeover, but then again we just can't sit
> back and be "pro-centric" about the hobby either. My whole thing for the
> past 30 years is promoting new blood. One can't always forget that.
>
> Flying sites are really a bugaboo...I have to give Don D a lot of credit
> for promoting indoor here in Colorado...he's the guy who got us the Colo
> Spg's auditorium, and some good things are on the horizon. But, if it
> wasn't for Don promoting it to me and offering the opportunity, I would be
> the 1/16" sq stringer kind of flyer. I followed my daughter thru TSA (like
> S/O) Colo state champ to 2nd at the Nationals in Chicago. The next step was
> provided by Don with my willingness to drive to Colorado Springs.
> Fortunately, I was all for it...Cass got interrupted with college and
> soccer.
>
> That sort of reinforces my point though....everywhere there is an
> interested indoor flyer, one can't expect them to make the drive to Johnson
> City for their only experience. In the realm of a beginner, there is the
> what, where, and why. Make it too difficult and the interest wanes. Yeah,
> there are a few that do it anyway, those folks who just jump into it whole
> hog, but in general it's a big marketing job. There is a hobby shop near me
> that promotes RC car racing...so...they built a track in the parking lot and
> promoted it that way. The turnout is tremendous where there was nobody last
> year.
>
> My indoor growth was started with Sweeny Hayashi here in Denver. He got
> his local church to generously allow us to fly in their huge gym once a
> month. Since I was an outdoor guy with a curiosity, I built a P-Nut using
> 1/20th sq instead of 1/16 and had a blast...then on to Mace P-24. Through
> Don's efforts, a Penny and on to an EZB boosted by Tim Goldstein pressuring
> me to fly a "really true" indoor model...the Hobby Shopper...then and
> then..well, who knows what. *BUT*, I had mentors...
>
> The monkey falls on our backs to pick up the baton and keep the race
> going. That's where a guy like Don D comes in. He has literally quadrupled
> the indoor interest in Colorado...an "A" for effort. One may not agree with
> his thoughts, but new thoughts are what generates growth.
>
> *
> Rick Pangell
> Editor of "The Max-Out" Newsletter of
> The Magnificent Mountain Men FF Club of Colorado
>
> In a message dated 10/11/2010 9:54:47 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time,
> john_kagan_at_hotmail.com writes:
>
> Hi Rick,
>
> I'm one of the ones who believe that Indoor FF doesn't need a 21st century
> makeover to become cool or appealing. It already is cool and appealing.
> It's not like we're the Society of Butter Churners, or whatever the heck
> else they did in the old days. We just need to make more people aware of
> it, and give them a way to join.
>
> You are spot on about SO. It's a fifty thousand person Indoor FF
> recruiting opportunity. Right now, about 49,990 don't know we exist. We
> can't sit back and consider SO to be their exposure to Indoor.
>
> I did a demonstration before the awards ceremony at a local SO regional
> last year. Nothing major, just a 5 minute flight and a rambling speech on
> the microphone. When I was done, about twenty kids and coaches came down
> from the bleachers to talk and ask questions. I handed out sheets with
> Internet resources and such. Just the other day I ran across a thread on
> one of the SO sites from a kid who was there asking about Indoor FF and how
> to get into it.
>
> Exposure works. And your point about giving them the rest of the path to
> start is just as important. This includes getting flying sites (definitely
> a catch-22 with participation levels) and having self-start resources
> available.
>
> It also requires beginner events, like the ones you mentioned you enjoy
> flying. Which brings up the recurring topic of how to keep beginner events
> appealing to beginners.
>
> Rather than complaining about how experts always ruin beginner events,
> Buxton, DeLoach, and I came up with the idea of the LPP Pro/Am. On it's
> first try we had 25 sign up and 15 actually show up and participate.
>
> How many will continue? J.P. Kish was so enthusiastic about his
> experience, if he doesn't return next year with his own LPP I'll eat my
> hat. Elizabeth He has been shanghaied by the Tysons and will possibly
> become the first girl to make the Junior F1D team. Ken Achee has been
> hooked. The list goes on.
>
> Indoor FF is not going to die, so we can quit lamenting. It's not a good
> look anyway – who wants to take up an activity whose own participants think
> is boring, old, and about to expire.
>
> We do, however, have the power to increase our numbers. Which will make it
> more fun, and help with things like getting sites to fly in.
>
> Also, let's quit bashing "expert" events, like the proposed 1/2A. Beginner
> events are the path, and expert events are the lure. If Delta Darts had
> been my only exposure to Indoor FF, I wouldn't be here writing this today.
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
> *
>
>
>
Received on Mon Oct 11 2010 - 10:09:33 CEST
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