This is quite the response to a topic i tried to delete seconds after starting it...
Bob, I do completely agree with you that the "on ramp" is by far the hardest part of getting contest participation. While the other responses are very well and valid points, I appreciate your perspective that the non-participating 95% sees too many obstacles to jumping into contest flying.

Based on the responses below, I think possibly part of the "on ramp" problem comes from the disconnect between the club a regional/national SSA levels.. While there are lots of people at these events and contests to help you into contest flying, you must first already know that going to one is worth your vacation time and money, which is the leap I believe most pilots (including myself) don't make.

This topic is actually the reason that I started asking around as to how we might bring back the Region 1 contest (that UH and T8 mentioned), and make it a more relaxed learning experience, and try to make it something that the region clubs would start to come to as a group, to help bridge that first gap.

So I'm sure yes, you can just sign up for a camp in the back of SSA magazine, but after 10 years in the sport, as a single data point, I never have. I think it takes club encouragement and peer/mentor pressure for people to make that step on to the "on ramp", and the clubs with those people probably also see much higher ratios of their members in contest than those without..

That is a large part of why we are hosting R1 this year, so if you can make the trip, I would encourage you to sign up (maybe with another club member or two).

Chris