Don DeLoach wrote:
"In 1987-1997 there were 100+ flyers at Johnson City every year.
Now that there's only 30 at the Nats, are you all still happy with the
trajectory of Indoor? How low will that number go before you acknowledge
that change is needed?"
This is an extremely deceptive analysis. I attended USIC in 2011 and 2012. The turnout was very large. 100+? I dunno, but it sure looked like it in spite of a number of big names being absent both times.
At the 2013 Nats, there was a failure on the AMA's part to clearly communicate what was going on. Fewer people attended. I couldn't afford the travel expenses and had to stay home. All was unfortunate because it was a fantastic site. The blockheadedness of the site manager played a major role in the disastrous 2014 Nats.
The 2014 Nats was in limbo until the last minute. Almost no one signed up because no one knew where it was going to be held. The East Coast crowd apparently couldn't afford to travel to USIC (most non-F1D fliers do not have carry-on indoor fleets, so driving is the only option--EXPENSIVE). Result: 18 people attending a national championship. Disaster because the site wasn't revealed until the 11th hour.
The 2015 Nats was in limbo for while, albeit not as long as 2014, but this time at a site so far above seal level that special trimming is required. Apparently everyone in the F1D community agreed on this aspect since none of us showed up. I for one could not afford to divert that level of energy. My choice was simple: go to the Nats, or have an actual shot at the F1D team. Sorry for those who disagree, but I feel I made the right choice, and I feel zero remorse for it. That said, higher attendance in 2015 than 2014 was due to better organization, not a better location.
I predict now that the 2016 Nats will see far more than "only 30 at the Nats". It's at a better site than in 2015 and a better location than in 2014. It's been well organized from the start, spearheaded by people passionate about indoor. The difficult events that are so oft criticized by certain sects our community are showing popularity early on, and spectators will tremendously appreciate that. There are national records up for grabs in warm weather. The big names will be present.
Location and organization are the overwhelmingly dominant factors determining the success rate of indoor championships. We can fill the interwebs with this criticism that indoor doesn't have enough "beginner events", but that's not what I've seen to draw people in. Lord knows few people have cared one lick about my "toy rubber band planes" in public, but pull out an F1D and the world haults on its axis for the viewing public. Someone recently pulled the F1D footage from the Flite Test video and posted it on Facebook. That montage had 100k+ views literally overnight, and that was just an impromptu flying session in a friend's living room. Sure, the footage was good, but the flying was pitiful. Imagine if FT had been able to attend team selection at Lakehurst!
-Joshua Finn
Received on Mon Feb 15 2016 - 14:25:04 CET
This archive was generated by Yannick on Sat Dec 14 2019 - 19:13:48 CET