Here's my short version--
Your first time out, the finer points of the rules don't matter much. Just make sure you understand the rules well enough that you can be scored. Beyond that, learn by doing and asking.
Unless you're some kind of sailplane racing savant bursting upon the scene, things like minimums aren't likely to be an issue your first time out.
Show up.
Don't leave the start cylinder early.
Announce your start.
Fly the assigned task.
Land.
Talk to the other pilots about what they did out on course and why.

FWIW - I've been in a handful of contests. The first contest I just did my own thing and treated it like a cross country camp with scoring. Doing my own thing was apparently often wrong as I often found myself alone for most of the task. I asked the other pilots where they went and asked about their choices--learing by asking. I finished at the top of the bottom quartile (how's that for stating things optimistically?). Now I'm trying to follow, OK leach off of, faster pilots--learning by copying. I expect that over time, I'll learn enough through asking and copying to return to doing my own thing--just a little more intelligently this time 'round.

Good luck,

Brent
"Ted Wagner" wrote in message ...
I've downloaded (and tried to read) the four sets of competition rules from SSA (National/Regional/FAI/Sport), but find myself falling asleep before reading them enough times to understand what they're trying to say.

Is there a terse, "simple English" version of the rules somewhere? ... a simple explanation of competition for rookie peelots? ... something that puts together tasks, turnpoints and minimum times without making assumptions of prior knowledge?

... and a simple explanation of the difference between four said versions?

I like Bum Phillips' explanation of NFL football: "Two teams push against each other. Whoever pushes the hardest, wins."

-tw