One division that is apparent in the discussion about the Competition Workgroup proposals is between those pilots who feel that meets should have a value based on the points brought by the ranked pilots and those who feel that there should be points brought just by "warm bodies." Neither position is absolute.

The pilots who favor just counting ranked pilots, still have a distribution of points brought by the distribution of ranked pilots and they assign somewhat arbitrary values to each arbitrary tier of pilots. Those values, the number of pilots in each tier, and the extent of the tiers are open to adjustment. Also these pilots may be open to counting the quantity of pilots in addition to the quality.

See here to see how pilots are valued and see the proposal to increase their value. More here.

Those pilots who favor counting pilots equally also value some pilots more equally. Ranked pilots have more value and up the value of the meet. You can see the Competition Workgroup's proposal here.

One problem with this proposal is that it does not provide any quality value to foreign competition pilots who fly in US meets, nor does it address the value of foreign competitions (which are now treated almost the same as US competitions).  Foreign pilot quality needs to be included in any compromise.

Now I believe that there is room for compromise here. I see this compromise as a way to say to those pilots who believe that the NTSS works against them, that it doesn't and that competition is inclusive. I believe that this would lower the spite aimed at the NTSS.

One compromise proposal: Make all USHPA nationally sanctioned meets worth 600 points. The best pilots still win and get the most points.

Second compromise proposal: Combine Greg Babush's proposal with the Competition Workgroup's proposal. This was attempted (but not successfully) by the Competition Workgroup. The various formulas can be adjusted until a compromise is reached.

The process of compromise needs to be transparent. That means that the meets that have taken place between 2006-2008 need to be calculated by the Competition Workgroup and included as worksheets sent to all parties by the Competition Workgroup so that they can see the effects (after the fact) of using the various proposals. Also the scenario worksheet that was previously provided by the Competition Workgroup needs to be included to provide for various scenario checks.

The Competition Workgroup needs to identify the interested parties and include them in this evaluation. (Perhaps all the pilots who submitted comments to the USHPA web site regarding their proposal).

I have always been open to compromise on this issue and have never taken one side or the other. I hope that all the parties can operate in good faith and transparently so that we can have a chance of finding common ground.

The goals here are to encourage greater participation in competition by reducing the perception that the NTSS is exclusive and to get the best US National teams by valuing competitions accounting for pilot value correctly (this is a subjective evaluation).

There are technical issues that need to be dealt with, after the compromise is reached. One is how to combine the previous 600 point meets and the meets that how equal 1000 points. Also Dave Wheeler has to be asked if and when he can implement this change to the ranking system. Also, whether ranking is updated monthly or after each competition or what. Now it is yearly (with interim ranking that doesn't affect the number of points you bring to a competition during that year). How is WPRS ranking incorporated? Foreign meets (now they don't get minimum points)? Minimum points?

I ask Mike Haley, Lisa Tate, Dennis Pagen, and Riss Estes to open up the process, send out the multiple worksheets to all interested parties, cooperate fully with the membership, all those interested, propose various compromises, and help build on-line a consensus so that when this goes back to the Competition Committee in the Fall there is a proposal with serious backing.

The chosen valuation formula will need to be incorporated within an edited Rulebook and I proposed that it be incorporated within the Competition Manual for National Team Selection, which is one of the three manuals that I propose come out of the current USHPA Competition Rulebook. I will be happy to edit the manual to include the proposed compromise.