New Task

[JJ Sinclair]

Last week at William's Octoberfest, we used some new tasking ideas; Contestants
were told to pick ont turn-point from the Northern task area and on from the
Southern task area. Start at Lutz lake with unlimited altitude, 2:00 Minimum
Time and handicap the speeds. Great results with something like a dozen
finishers and we weren't forced to fly up Black Butte Canyon, trying to get
within a mile of the Peak.
It's just a variation of the Turn Area Task, with a bit more structure for
those who like actual turn-points. It harkens back to the first Sports Class
Nationals, where we were required to fly triangles. Remember the Blue books?
:>)
JJ Sinclair

[Chris OCallaghan]

Those types of task are great for local contests, where most of the
competitors know the area and there is a wide variety of glider
models. Good fun for all.

On a more serious note, I'd like to suggest a new and exciting task
alternative to practice at the national level. Rather than assigning
tasks, the CD simply assigns a distance and maximum number of legs.
GPS is used only to determine that the minimum distance was achieved.
Speed is not measured. Therefore, there is less incentive to kill
yourself. Finishing is not mandatory -- only achieve the distance
without exceeding the leg count. Those who achieve the minimum
distance appear the next morning at the pilots' meeting. Each has 3
minutes to describe his/her flight. Audience reaction is measured in
db. Laughter, applause, groaning, all counts in the pilot's favor.
Thus, competitors are rewarded for their creativity, delivery,
showmanship, in short, all the needed ingredients to make this a
spectator sport. (Of course, the hall would be open to the public.)

There's little doubt Francois would have won the PeeWee nationals
under this scoring system. Of course, Gary might be at risk for his
seat on the world team, but heck, it seems like the top guys always
manage to adjust.

;-) OC


(JJ Sinclair) wrote in message >...
> Last week at William's Octoberfest, we used some new tasking ideas; Contestants
> were told to pick ont turn-point from the Northern task area and on from the
> Southern task area. Start at Lutz lake with unlimited altitude, 2:00 Minimum
> Time and handicap the speeds. Great results with something like a dozen
> finishers and we weren't forced to fly up Black Butte Canyon, trying to get
> within a mile of the Peak.
> It's just a variation of the Turn Area Task, with a bit more structure for
> those who like actual turn-points. It harkens back to the first Sports Class
> Nationals, where we were required to fly triangles. Remember the Blue books?
> :>)
> JJ Sinclair

[JJ Sinclair]

>Those who achieve the minimum
>distance appear the next morning at the pilots' meeting. Each has 3
>minutes to describe his/her flight.

That would be your kind of a task, Chris. After watching your safety talk at
the Nationals this year, my money's on you.

Seriously though, the sports Class started with a *Blue Book* that contained
specific triangles, ranging in distance from 50 miles to 400 miles. The CD
would announce the minimum distance that the scratch ship (Cirrus) must fly,
lets say 150 miles. The CD would then sid down, his tasking duties being
completed. Each competitor would divide his handicap factor into the scratch
distance and come up with a minimum distance that he must fly that day. then he
(or she) would turn to the page in the blue book that showed a triangle at
least as long as his minimum required. It was a hoot, don't like the minimum,
you got to fly farther to get something you do like. No flying 11 close-in turn
points. The grid was alive with, "Which one are you flying?" and again after
landing, "Mono Lake was dead, so I had to fly Basalt- Hawthorne". It was a real
test of flying ability and a bit of, can you think and fly at the same time?

Oh, the good old days. I think we could do some creative thinking along those
lines. Just limit the number of turn points to say 3 or 4, then announce a
minimum distance and let the fir fly. As the rules now stand, there is seldom
any advantge in going over 50 miles away from home and good reason not to.
:>)
JJ Sinclair

[Chris OCallaghan]

I have to admit, I'm looking for an edge.

A variety of tasking options for "fun" contests, especially those that
recognize and compensate for a wide variety of gliders and pilot
skills, is a good thing. I enjoy participating in these. The object
isn't so much to win the day, but to share the experience with your
friends. It's more like a rally than a race.

That's not a criticism, simply an observation that they are different.
The rally should focus on the fun, the race should focus on the
challenge. If fun and challenge seep into the other, all the better,
but each should be true to its intent.

At MASA, long before the MAT, we used the COMPOST. We would set a
small, close in task, tailored to the LCD among gliders and pilots,
then append a pilot option task with minimum time at the end. This
allowed low time or low performance gliders to compete with the gaggle
(and learn from other competitors), then offered the option of coming
home for beer or snatching up more turnpoints.

[Kirk Stant]

(Chris OCallaghan) wrote in message >...
> I have to admit, I'm looking for an edge.
>
> A variety of tasking options for "fun" contests, especially those that
> recognize and compensate for a wide variety of gliders and pilot
> skills, is a good thing. I enjoy participating in these. The object
> isn't so much to win the day, but to share the experience with your
> friends. It's more like a rally than a race.
>
> That's not a criticism, simply an observation that they are different.
> The rally should focus on the fun, the race should focus on the
> challenge. If fun and challenge seep into the other, all the better,
> but each should be true to its intent.
>
> At MASA, long before the MAT, we used the COMPOST. We would set a
> small, close in task, tailored to the LCD among gliders and pilots,
> then append a pilot option task with minimum time at the end. This
> allowed low time or low performance gliders to compete with the gaggle
> (and learn from other competitors), then offered the option of coming
> home for beer or snatching up more turnpoints.

Out here in Arizona we have for a while been using a "follow the
leaders" fun task on "non-contest" days: We decide on the first
turnpoint while thermalling up off tow (as this gives us a chance to
see what the day is like), then the first glider to the turnpoint
calls the next, until the group decides it is time to call a finish.
Recently we came up with a variation on this that we call a GST (Group
Selected Task): In a GST, the last glider to take off calls the first
turnpoint and start time, then the first glider to the turnpoint picks
the glider who has to call the next turnpoint. This proceeds until
all pilots have picked a turnpoint before the same pilot can pick a
turnpoint again (so that everybody is involved. The trick for the
lower performance gliders is that if you are chosen to pick the next
turnpoint, you don't have to go to the previous one, just to the one
you decide on - this allows some interesting tactics to reel the group
back in and keep everybody involved. Since it is a "fun" task, no
formal scoring is done, but in practice it becomes a horserace to each
turnpoint to get to "tag" the next pilot, and it is obvious in real
time how everyone is doing compared to each other.

We are planning on having a GST this weekend, before our Octoberfest,
weather permitting (meaning hoping it cools off a bit!).

Kirk
66

[BPattonsoa]

>*Blue Book* that contained
>specific triangles, ranging in distance from 50 miles to 400 miles

I think I still have the one from the Airsailing sports of about 83 or so. Is
slightly soiled by sweat and tears.

>Each competitor would divide his handicap factor into the scratch
>distance and come up with a minimum distance that he must fly that day. the

What really happened on most days is you spent the first hour in the air
picking the course, then stopped to change it several times. The problem was
that I have never figured out how to park a glider to read a book.

I think your idea would work great at a Sports Nats. Still would have a
problem if the weather turned once in the air.

Bruce Patton