SSA Contest Committee Announcement on COVID-19 and 2020 Contest Schedule

US Contest Pilots,

The SSA Contest Committee has issued guidance to contest organizers with regard to COVID-19. It is available to all interested parties on SSA.org at the following link:

https://www.ssa.org/files/member/Gui...ganizers. pdf

These are challenging times. The situation remains very dynamic with large and growing numbers infected people along with expanding restrictions on movement and gatherings that extend into the summer. The Contest Committee is working with organizers - especially for National Championships - to manage the situation. As decisions are made we will make further announcements on SSA.org and on this forum.

For the Contest Committee,
Andy Blackburn
9B

On Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 1:59:25 PM UTC-4, Andy Blackburn wrote:
US Contest Pilots,

The SSA Contest Committee has issued guidance to contest organizers with regard to COVID-19. It is available to all interested parties on SSA.org at the following link:

https://www.ssa.org/files/member/Gui...ganizers. pdf

These are challenging times. The situation remains very dynamic with large and growing numbers infected people along with expanding restrictions on movement and gatherings that extend into the summer. The Contest Committee is working with organizers - especially for National Championships - to manage the situation. As decisions are made we will make further announcements on SSA.org and on this forum.

For the Contest Committee,
Andy Blackburn
9B

Key takeaway:

The Contest Committee will announce on April 15th whether we will be cancelling all FAI Nationals for the 2020 season. Because of its later start date, we will wait until May 15th to decide whether Sports Class Nationals will be held.

On Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 1:59:25 PM UTC-4, Andy Blackburn wrote:
US Contest Pilots,

The SSA Contest Committee has issued guidance to contest organizers with regard to COVID-19. It is available to all interested parties on SSA.org at the following link:

https://www.ssa.org/files/member/Gui...ganizers. pdf

These are challenging times. The situation remains very dynamic with large and growing numbers infected people along with expanding restrictions on movement and gatherings that extend into the summer. The Contest Committee is working with organizers - especially for National Championships - to manage the situation. As decisions are made we will make further announcements on SSA.org and on this forum.

For the Contest Committee,
Andy Blackburn
9B

Key takeaway:

"The Contest Committee will announce on April 15th whether we will be cancelling all FAI Nationals for the 2020 season. Because of its later start date, we will wait until May 15th to decide whether Sports Class Nationals will be held.
"

On Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 11:11:28 AM UTC-7, John Godfrey (QT) wrote:
On Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 1:59:25 PM UTC-4, Andy Blackburn wrote:
US Contest Pilots,

The SSA Contest Committee has issued guidance to contest organizers with regard to COVID-19. It is available to all interested parties on SSA.org at the following link:

https://www.ssa.org/files/member/Gui...ganizers. pdf

These are challenging times. The situation remains very dynamic with large and growing numbers infected people along with expanding restrictions on movement and gatherings that extend into the summer. The Contest Committee is working with organizers - especially for National Championships - to manage the situation. As decisions are made we will make further announcements on SSA.org and on this forum.

For the Contest Committee,
Andy Blackburn
9B

Key takeaway:

"The Contest Committee will announce on April 15th whether we will be cancelling all FAI Nationals for the 2020 season. Because of its later start date, we will wait until May 15th to decide whether Sports Class Nationals will be held.
"

Then you might as well assume that the contest season will be cancelled because the data on deaths will, hopefully, peak on April 15.

The Auxiliary-powered Sailplane Assoc. (ASA) will make a final decision concerning this year's Parowan motorglider meet on June 1. It has a scheduled June 16 start date.

Tom
ASA Board Member

I am sure the 1-26 association and Tony Condon will be coming up with an update regarding our championship scheduled mid June in Kansas as well.
Dan

It's 8 AM. The forecast says maybe maybe sunlight at 2:30. Some people want to cancel the day. I say why not wait until 1:30 and see if the forecast is coming true?

I like that phylosophy

On Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 9:05:48 PM UTC-4, Tony wrote:
It's 8 AM. The forecast says maybe maybe sunlight at 2:30. Some people want to cancel the day. I say why not wait until 1:30 and see if the forecast is coming true?

The logic is good, but the modeling is a bit off. I think it is more like: its 8am, radar shows that it will rain heavily from 9 to about 12, with possible clearing at 2:30. Should you encourage 30 people to drive 3 hours each to the airport to be ready to assemble at 1pm?

U guys need a glance into the ICU to see people fighting for their last breaths on ventillators before thinking about playing with your toy airplanes in large, interstate national gatherings.
Wimbledon cancelled.
NBA cancelled
Olympics cancelled
SSA sanctioned contests??? Go for it!!!

On Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 10:02:06 PM UTC-4, Bojack J4 wrote:
U guys need a glance into the ICU to see people fighting for their last breaths on ventillators before thinking about playing with your toy airplanes in large, interstate national gatherings.
Wimbledon cancelled.
NBA cancelled
Olympics cancelled
SSA sanctioned contests??? Go for it!!!

I had planned to fly two nationals this year plus a couple of regionals. I'm almost 69 years old (young for the soaring crowd) and in great health but who knows how much longer I can do this? I want to fly.

But I'm sitting on the ground right now not because I can't get a tow. Or because I'm fearful of being exposed (I still go to the grocery store occasionally and I ran 10+ miles over the weekend and encountered--at a distance--a number of people in the area). It's because of the small chance that, whether on the highway to or from, or at the airport, or in flight, or on a retrieve from landing out something could happen that would send me to the ER.

The odds are minuscule (of needing ER care, not of my landing out). But if I were involved in an accident, I wouldn't be able to justify my refusing to stay at home for a few weeks or even months because I wanted to pursue my hobby, albeit one that has been central in my life for 55 years.

Others are making different calls, and that's fine, I guess. I'm not even sure my position is entirely logical. After all, I could get hit by a car while running and need care, although at least here where I live the local hospital has a sign on the door warning that anyone with C19 symptoms will be turned away. I assume that's to reserve their facility for non-Coronavirus-related emergencies and procedures, the latter of which have been cancelled at most places in the area.

But across the river in NYC where my daughters live, bodies are piling up in refrigerated trucks. Down in Florida where my elderly parents live, I know that if Covid-19 breaks out in their assisted living facility, I've likely already seen them for the last time.

So, yeah, I'm good with waiting a reasonable amount of time to see if a miracle cure appears and not just the death rate but the load on our healthcare system drops dramatically. The proposed plan sounds workable.

It's just a game.

Chip Bearden
JB