SSA website - Seniors contest

[[email protected]]

No report for Day 3 on March 10, but great pictures in the photo
album.

Is the website down???

[[email protected]]

Same here. I have been checking the website every few hours and
amazed that there is no update. The gliding community has been
scratching its head trying to figure out how to get the people around
the margin more involved. Maybe spicing up the contest reports is a
place to start. Imagine only having access to NASCAR results on the
following Wednesday! Surely there is a way to get timely and
interesting contest postings.

[Darryl Ramm]

On Mar 11, 5:40*pm, wrote:
> Same here. *I have been checking the website every few hours and
> amazed that there is no update. *The gliding community has been
> scratching its head trying to figure out how to get the people around
> the margin more involved. *Maybe spicing up the contest reports is a
> place to start. *Imagine only having access to NASCAR results on the
> following Wednesday! *Surely there is a way to get timely and
> interesting contest postings.

There is SPOT tracking in near real-time, how is that for timely
information? And some info posted here and photos etc. on the SSA
site. Pretty timely and interesting to me.

Wednesday was a rest day. Maybe that should have been noted on the SSA
web site, it was noted on r.a.s in other posts. Maybe folks there can
tell you what they did on their rest day. Maybe people relaxed and
sat around telling stories. Maybe Dave made it to Havana. Maybe the
pilot escaped their wives and found a great strip club and will post
photos on the SSA site. It's a rest day, give them a break.

Darryl

[DRN]

On Mar 11, 8:54*pm, Darryl Ramm > wrote:
> On Mar 11, 5:40*pm, wrote:
>
> > Same here. *I have been checking the website every few hours and
> > amazed that there is no update. *The gliding community has been
> > scratching its head trying to figure out how to get the people around
> > the margin more involved. *Maybe spicing up the contest reports is a
> > place to start. *Imagine only having access to NASCAR results on the
> > following Wednesday! *Surely there is a way to get timely and
> > interesting contest postings.
>
> There is SPOT tracking in near real-time, how is that for timely
> information? And some info posted here and photos etc. on the SSA
> site. Pretty timely and interesting to me.
>
> Wednesday was a rest day. Maybe that should have been noted on the SSA
> web site, it was noted on r.a.s in other posts. Maybe folks there can
> tell you what they did on their rest day. *Maybe people relaxed and
> sat around *telling stories. Maybe Dave made it to Havana. Maybe the
> pilot escaped their wives and found a great strip club and will post
> photos on the SSA site. It's a rest day, give them a break.
>
> Darryl

The folks are having serious trials and tribulations with scoring;
patience please they are working hard. Odd start problems (new
start rules), handicapped handicapping (no, the poor old V2
should not have a tougher handicap than Antares), etc, etc.

No, I didn't go to Havanna.

Day 3 was weaker. I screwed up and didn't have the fastest
raw speed (second to day winner Frank Paynter). Striedieck
in 2nd place by 1 point, for a cumulative score of 2999.

Yup, we old farts (and aspiring old farts like me) need our rest.
Tomorrow we go back at it, with weather looking good for
the remaining 3 days.

See ya, Dave "YO electric"

[[email protected]]

Wow, I expected constructive discussion not the defensive comments!
If they didn't fly then of course there would not be an update. I did
not see any schedule posted on the SSA website indicating a rest day,
sorry! I really would like to find a way to make the result posting
more exciting for spectators like myself. For instance, at the Reno
Air Races they post bios on the pilots and descriptions and pictures
of their airplanes. Wouldn't it be interesting to have such a feature
on the SSA website so you could actually pull for someone even though
you had never met them. A link on the race results could take you to
the info on each pilot and airplane. The SPOT tracking is neat and I
am sure you guys are trying hard to make it exciting. I am sure that
such a technique is a large step in the right direction to involving
the spectator with the sport. Imagine Red Bull Racing with no TV
coverage. Membership and involvment with soaring can only improve
with better and more accessible coverage. Surely we can agee on that.

[Darryl Ramm]

On Mar 11, 8:26*pm, wrote:
> Wow, I expected constructive discussion not the defensive comments!
> If they didn't fly then of course there would not be an update. *I did
> not see any schedule posted on the SSA website indicating a rest day,
> sorry! *I really would like to find a way to make the result posting
> more exciting for spectators like myself. *For instance, at the Reno
> Air Races they post bios on the pilots and descriptions and pictures
> of their airplanes. *Wouldn't it be interesting to have such a feature
> on the SSA website so you could actually pull for someone even though
> you had never met them. *A link on the race results could take you to
> the info on each pilot and airplane. *The SPOT tracking is neat and I
> am sure you guys are trying hard to make it exciting. *I am sure that
> such a technique is a large step in the right direction to involving
> the spectator with the sport. *Imagine Red Bull Racing with no TV
> coverage. *Membership and involvment with soaring can only improve
> with better and more accessible coverage. *Surely we can agee on that.

It could not be defensive since I am not involved. If it was
offensive is another thing :-(

My issue was this is a contest where folks are volunteering time and
effort to to do just what you are suggesting - improving access to
information and increase the interest in a contest. I'm really
fascinated to see the shared SPOT tracking used in the USA. And others
have reported here in this very venue where you are complaining about
timely scoring that they are working to fix scoring problems. That was
the give them a break part.

I'm sure everybody agrees with you on the last point, I certainly do.

Darryl

[[email protected]]

> timely scoring that they are working to fix scoring problems. That was
> the give them a break part.

The delay of scores on the ssa.org website for "The Seniors" is not
due to "scoring problems". They had preliminary scoresheets available
at the contest on Tuesday evening. The problem as it was related to
me was that the satelite Internet connection was not working and they
were unable to post the scores to the website. I am, however,
perplexed as to why an alternate pipeline to the Internet could not be
found to perform this small task.


Guy Byars

[[email protected]]

It's a common problem. The scorer's main job is to get scores back to
contestants no later than the pilots meeting the next day. On a day
with lots of landouts or a MAT task this can mean a late night. Even
under the best of circumstances it's a laborious process. Often by the
time they discover a problem with internet access or with posting to
the SSA website it's late in the evening and the last thing they are
in a position to do it troubleshoot someone else's network.
Particularly a network with whatever funky configuration is required
to get broadband to a glider field.

9B

[Tuno]

It's the 21st century fercryinoutloud!

http://b2b.vzw.com/productsservices/wirelessinternet/

[[email protected]]

On Mar 12, 7:12*pm, Tuno > wrote:
> It's the 21st century fercryinoutloud!
>
> http://b2b.vzw.com/productsservices/wirelessinternet/

Yeah - Sprint has a network too. Mine can be spotty out in the
desert. Plus I've never seen a glider FBO with those wireless
broadband cards at the ready just in case someone wants to post scores
for a glider contest - normally they have something much lamer (read:
cheaper) if they have anything at all.

Eventually the internet will be everywhere - just not yet.

9B