3-4 day Regional contests

In Sweden has the precipitation in the "regionals" declined to a level where only one region has regionals every years. Something had to be done to increase the participation in beginners level.

We looked at our neighbor Norway and stole a concept they called Norway’s Cup. We soled the idea to an insurance company as sponsor and therefore do we call it “Inter Hannover Safe Skies� in Sweden.

The concept a
- Small and easy arrangement, any club can organize this.
- Tasks are set for beginners and only AAT with max task time 2-3h (to level out differences in pilot skills)
- 3-4 days competition. Trying to have it in holiday weekends.
- About 5 competitions per year
- Summarize the individual results into a cup results
- Winner of the cup gets an price in value of about €1000 (thanks to our sponsor)
- It is all about having fun, competition is just a way of having fun.
- We work hard to teach the new pilots an safe and uniform XC-culture.
- We set up an web interface for administrating, task setting, scoring and results. No need for SeeYou mobile competence, all you need as organizer, participant and spectator is a web browser.

We have run this for two seasons and so far has it been an success. We have increased the number of new competition pilots significantly compared to the 10 years before we started and this in only 2 years.

Why has it been an success?
- It is easier to off from family and occupation in an weekend compared to a full week
- We have advertised with focus to beginners
- It is all about having fun, competition is just a way of having fun (again, this is really important)
- The pleasure of news?

http://www.rst-online.se/RSTmain.php...ist&ihcup=list

On Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at 5:52:24 AM UTC-5, Per Carlin wrote:
In Sweden has the precipitation in the "regionals" declined to a level where only one region has regionals every years. Something had to be done to increase the participation in beginners level.

We looked at our neighbor Norway and stole a concept they called Norway’s Cup. We soled the idea to an insurance company as sponsor and therefore do we call it “Inter Hannover Safe Skies� in Sweden.

The concept a
- Small and easy arrangement, any club can organize this.
- Tasks are set for beginners and only AAT with max task time 2-3h (to level out differences in pilot skills)
- 3-4 days competition. Trying to have it in holiday weekends.
- About 5 competitions per year
- Summarize the individual results into a cup results
- Winner of the cup gets an price in value of about €1000 (thanks to our sponsor)
- It is all about having fun, competition is just a way of having fun.
- We work hard to teach the new pilots an safe and uniform XC-culture.
- We set up an web interface for administrating, task setting, scoring and results. No need for SeeYou mobile competence, all you need as organizer, participant and spectator is a web browser.

We have run this for two seasons and so far has it been an success. We have increased the number of new competition pilots significantly compared to the 10 years before we started and this in only 2 years.

Why has it been an success?
- It is easier to off from family and occupation in an weekend compared to a full week
- We have advertised with focus to beginners
- It is all about having fun, competition is just a way of having fun (again, this is really important)
- The pleasure of news?

http://www.rst-online.se/RSTmain.php...ist&ihcup=list

Wow - very interesting. Like the model very much.

I wonder if sanctioning/insurance fees from SSA for a series as opposed to a single contest are an issue in the US.

I think the 2 weekend contest is OK for local people with shorter commutes - we do that now.

I personally don't mind a drive if it is one drive and at the end it is completed, hence the idea of a short 3 day event that maybe can happen more often and become a series like the Swedish model.

Proof is always in the doing...............

WH

You should know, but to edumacate/inform others........
We have several "local" North East sites that can do/have done "weekend contests".
Dansville, NY, HHSC in Elmira, Wurtsboro, NY, way back when, "little guys meets" in NJ and eastern PA. P3 and others also did those....

Yes, there is some room for this type of contest.
Yes, they tend to also do rookie camps. The older little guys meets were where I first did "contest flying" (turnpoint cameras, no GPS, very early electric Cambridge vario given to me from Raouf Ismail himself.....).

A handful of years ago, when I was more active on the contest scene, time was an issue. Contest season was about the same as our major work time and I was a senior field service guy, so I was on the road a LOT!
WHen work was slower, I could go skiing, but that wasn't contest flying.

Recently, well, I just haven't flown enough to make the basics "automatic", so I don't fly contests other than a day last season at Wurtsboro, as the second pilot in the ASK-21 with UH.