Bill Hughes, Competition Committee Chairman,
<wjhughesjr> writes:

Here are potential positions on each of the issues discussed
earlier. These are based on my own recommendations based on various discussions.
Please comment below if you disagree with any and we'll get a discussion going.
If we can't achieve consensus, then I'll schedule a call. Silence means that I
will use the positions below as the recommendation of the competition committee.

1. Lifting the restriction on open class paragliders at comps

* *Recommend to lift the restriction for the the 2014 season.**

2. Decision on how to handle trophies. Should there be a permanent set of
trophies that get passed on to the next national champion?

* *Recommend to fund a set of trophies for HG and PG national champions in each
category that are then passed to the next year's winner**

I respond: Most trophies are really ugly. I try to give out
especially useful ones (see 2013 US Nationals).

3. Instituting a requirement that comp organizers have a podium
and that winner's photos are taken with pilots on the podium, and with the USHPA
/ sponsor banner(s) in the background.

* *Recommend to make this a requirement of each competition, and have the photos
published in the USHPA magazine. Failure will weigh in on return of deposit and
future sanctioning.**

I respond: I’d like to have my banner in the background.

4. Creating a USHPA banner that could be sent to comp organizers.

* *Money for this was requested for the 2014 competition committee budget,
inclusive of the money needed to create the banner(s) and mail them to comp
organizers.**

I respond: Perhaps you could send a photographer also, or at least
assign and pay for one.

5. Setting up a national on line flight logging / contest system
specific to US flights (USHPA has already agreed to this, we just have to decide
on the parameters to be used for scoring.)

* *Money for this was requested for the 2014 competition committee budget. Two
custom Xcontests will be set up, one for paragliding and one for hang gliding.
Assuming no more than 250 total people sign up, the budget request is sufficient
to cover medals / trophies for the winners.**

6. Requiring satellite messengers for sanctioned comps

* *This may have already been agreed, but regardless, recommend that this be
implemented and reaffirmed and actually mandated for 2014**

I respond: Which ones? Not needed for flat land hang gliding
competitions. This is a high barrier for hang gliding competitions that have
enough trouble attracting participants. Are you interested in killing
competitions? I have been using two for the last year and they both have
difficulties tracking and are expensive.

7. Setting up and then requiring that com organizers use a
centralized system for comp registration. The site would allow customized
branding and sponsors for organizers, but would draw pilot information from a
centralized database (and put new pilots in to that database) and ease the
process of signing up for comps, validating memberships, filing waiver
paperwork, etc.

* *USHPA is working on a system. Recommendation that organizers are required to
use it assuming the system gets set up before March 1 2014.**

I respond: How about if you make it attractive enough that we
actually want to you it?

I have a fine system now.

8. Require all organizers of sanctioned competition to obtain FAI
Cat 2 sanctioning.

* *Recommendation that this be a requirement and failure to do so will
constitute forfeiture of deposit. USHPA competition committee chair will monitor
registration with organizers to hopefully ensure this is done. If it looks like
an organizer isn't going to do it by the FAI deadline, then the competition
committee chair will do the sanctioning for them (assuming that is allowed by
FAI).**

I respond: The ECC does not need to be CIVL sanctioned.

Again, as always, the competition committee, adds to the burden of meet
organizers without ever lightening it or providing rewards. Always the stick,
never the carrot. When is it going to realize that it is killing competitions by
one small cut at a time?