On Thursday, July 4, 2013 4:36:51 PM UTC-6, noel.wade wrote:
OK, so I don't mean to be a downer on the 4th of July, but let's see:



The National Championships are being held in Hobbs, NM.



The last day of Nats has to be scrubbed because the city of Hobbs is telling people to go watch the local fireworks from the airport runway, starting midafternoon.



Hobbs, NM is the HQ of the SSA



So our NATIONAL organization can't even coordinate with their own "home town" to organize our NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS?



I feel badly for the contest staff who are no doubt working their asses off; but I'm shaking my head in disbelief. What the HELL, SSA?



--Noel

Noel,

The SSA Staff worked very hard and helped put on a great contest. We saw nothing but enthusiasm and professionalism from them during the whole contest. They were always willing to help and very gracious hosts.

The decision and coordination for the last day was the responsibility of the CM and CD.

As a contestant I felt the decision to cancel was made prematurely and without exploring all the options. The Fourth of July activities were scheduled to start in the nearby park at 4 pm (not the airport), but the Fireworks were not set to happened until 9:15.

See the flyer he

https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-...n/391027686384

I left Hobbs disappointed that more options were not explored and that the pilots were not given the opportunity to provide input before the decision was made prior to the Pilots meeting at about 9:20 am. It is a substantial commitment of time, money, and resources to attend a contest and each day provides an opportunity to learn to fly better at both that site and with your peers.

Tim