How to be a Task-setter / CD

OK, thanks for the tips... but are tasks set by simply looking at the
weather predictions and picking a few reachable waypoints, or do
people get creative / devious with it?

Back in auto-racing, we'd try to design courses that challenged people
and made them think, or make tough choices (like providing a slalom
section that required the driver to sacrifice speed if they took a
certain line, or require them to think ahead and exit the previous
corner in a non-standard way in order to set up for the optimal slalom
route, etc).

I would think you could do the same thing when setting soaring tasks.
For example, picking a pair of turnpoints that require the pilot to
make a choice between flying along a ridge at an angle to the course-
line (and then "jumping over" to the turnpoint), or sticking to the
course-line and using thermal lift only. Or setting turnpoints at
opposite ends of a big lake - requiring the pilots to make a judgement
about the winds and airmasses to figure out the best side of the lake
to fly along. Or if the competition area has a plateau or expanse of
land at a higher altitude, place a turnpoint not far from the ridge or
hill that forms an "edge" of this raised terrain and make sure the
course-line has the pilots trying to decide wether to soar over the
raised terrain, the lower terrain, or the series of hills/ridges that
separate them.

Obviously you don't want to make the tasks too hard, but aren't tough
decisions part of the fun (& the challenge) of soaring?

Learning how and when to place these "traps" or decision-points within
a larger task has got to require some careful judgement and experience
on the part of the task-setter(s). So how does one go about acquiring
that judgement and skill?

--Noel

On Sep 26, 5:39�pm, "noel.wade" wrote:
OK, thanks for the tips... �but are tasks set by simply looking at the
weather predictions and picking a few reachable waypoints, or do
people get creative / devious with it?

Back in auto-racing, we'd try to design courses that challenged people
and made them think, or make tough choices (like providing a slalom
section that required the driver to sacrifice speed if they took a
certain line, or require them to think ahead and exit the previous
corner in a non-standard way in order to set up for the optimal slalom
route, etc).

I would think you could do the same thing when setting soaring tasks.
For example, picking a pair of turnpoints that require the pilot to
make a choice between flying along a ridge at an angle to the course-
line (and then "jumping over" to the turnpoint), or sticking to the
course-line and using thermal lift only. �Or setting turnpoints at
opposite ends of a big lake - requiring the pilots to make a judgement
about the winds and airmasses to figure out the best side of the lake
to fly along. �Or if the competition area has a plateau or expanse of
land at a higher altitude, place a turnpoint not far from the ridge or
hill that forms an "edge" of this raised terrain and make sure the
course-line has the pilots trying to decide wether to soar over the
raised terrain, the lower terrain, or the series of hills/ridges that
separate them.

Obviously you don't want to make the tasks too hard, but aren't tough
decisions part of the fun (& the challenge) of soaring?

Learning how and when to place these "traps" or decision-points within
a larger task has got to require some careful judgement and experience
on the part of the task-setter(s). �So how does one go about acquiring
that judgement and skill?

--Noel

By going to contest's is how one acquires judgement and skill,
along with many hours of practice. Our numbers are small, maybe 600
or so seeded pilots in the USA. Thats why we travel to get to a
contest, regional or national, because it takes many people, alot of
time, to put on a contest. Our numbers are small, but our contest
managers hearts are large as they also share our passion for our
sport.
For your first contest, every regional will welcome you. Heck,
over the years, I even know folks who have gotten into Nationals who
weren't on the seediing list. You'll get a mentor garunteed, and if
you need help, their will be others who will gladly step in. So this
winter, kick back, don't worry about the CD stuff or all these other
matters, you might burnout before next season, and we do wish you to
come on out.
Its alot easier than most think, but acquiring skill and
judgement does take time. Moffat took 10 years to win his first
National Championship and the winner of our 15 Meter National
Championship this year, who's one of the finest examples of a National
Champion that any sport can have, well, lets just say it took him more
than one season.
So, hope to see you next year, I and others will be at the 18
Meter Nationals, just drop by and say "Hi".

Thermal tight, Soar high, Fly safe, # 711. http://711reporting.blogspot.com/