Yesterday Robin at the USHPA sent out an amended version of the
Fall USHPA BOD meeting (October 19-20th) agenda. There was nothing on the agenda
for Competition Committee when the agenda was first sent out on September 9th.
Now there are a number of items for the Competition Committee. The entire agenda
can be found here:
https://www.ushpa.aero/member_file.asp?id=438.

Someone keeps bringing items to the Competition Committee that are destructive
of competition and only make it more difficult to run a competition system. I
would ask that you contact your USHPA Regional Director (a number of them really
do listen to their members) and ask them to defeat these proposals (by voting
them down at the Competition Committee meeting). You'll find the Regional
Director's email addresses here: 
https://www.ushpa.aero/member_ushpa_directors.asp

(PROPOSE) Motion to disallow cash prizes in future Sanctioned or
ACE events

Comments (from various USHPA members): I do not know the genesis
for this but I am unaware of a problem created by prize money. What problem is
being fixed? If there is a problem where is the discussion?

Present Guidelines for proper task calling at R2G events by Bill
B.

Comments: This seems to be a paragliding issue. There is no issue
in hang gliding.

(PROPOSE) Motion to require Spot locators (For 2012, and some sort
of satellite tracking in future years) in sanctioned OD and R2G comps.

Comments: Same as the first issue. Additionally, I am told by
pilots that have tried to use the Spot that they are notoriously unreliable and
require a subscription. This rule would create another cost and nuisance burden
for pilots in general and especially at launch as well as an unreasonable burden
for the meet staff. For the rule to make any sense the meet staff would have to
make sure pilots are in fact carrying them, that they are turned on and are
locked-on. If pilots had these things I presume they would put them in places
that would make impractical to be observed by meet staff. Also, there is no way
for meet staff to know that the pilot's position is being sent to a place that
will be of any benefit.

I assume the motivation for this was for accidents since the Spots have been
shown to be useless as a spectator tool. Has there been a case in our comps
where pilots have been unable to relate their position in an emergency? If so,
then do we also require radios, cell phones, etc. This sounds like a local rule
to me. If an event takes pilots over very remote terrain without cell coverage
then the event can add a tracking device to their required equipment list. Lets
see what that does to registration.

Has anyone in hang gliding competitions called for this? Mandatory? Very few
pilots are using these in hang gliding competitions. Why would you need them in
Florida, Maryland, Texas, or Arizona?

(PROPOSE) Motion to requires meet organizers to send accident
reports to CC and USHPA (add to sanction manual)

Comments: The problem I see here is that meet organizer may not
witness the accident. I would be OK with a rule that requires the Meet Director
(not organizer) to determine who the witness are and urge them (t-shirt, dinner,
cold beer, etc) to file the report.

Accident reports only go to the USHPA lawyer. They do not help safety. Oz Report
article: http://ozreport.com/15.160#1

Extend budget for Apprenticeship Program into 2012. Gauge success
and approach. (Comp Committee approved a budget of $5000 at the last BoD for a
Meet Director Apprenticeship Program to start in 2011.)

Comments: Extend budget why? Because there are more applicants
than budgeted funds or because no one has requested apprenticeship training? If
the former, have these folks gone on to actually run a meet? If not, then this
is a waste of USHPA funds. If the latter, then subsidizing training is not the
issue. Rather, it is finding people that want to run and score meets. I think we
need to see a report of the how this initiative is going before we discuss
extending the budget.

This is a useless provision for hang gliding competitions anyway. How about
$5000 sponsorship from the USHPA for each competition?

These are all barriers to competition. Having a competition is a partnership
(and the USHPA often forgets this) and there must be incentives to make sure
that the partnership works.