Crazy Idea # 54-1A i.e. Erase all State Soaring Records every 10 years..

Like Many others, every spring, I think about attempting some state records..
In my world that would be Colorado and Utah. Maybe NV.
So I look through the existing records and realize that there are none in Colorado I would have any chance of. Tom Serkowski, Dave Leonard and Bob Faris and others have set the bar so high, there all are basically unbeatable.
In Utah the bar is also set very very high. Same in Nevada.

So in the interest of promoting soaring, flying tasks, and getting more pilots involved to a higher level;

What you would think about erasing all STATE records every 10 years?

Everyone who has a State Certificate now ( I've got 2 ) would keep them, but we would just start anew, like the OLC does every year. This would create alot of work for the State Record Keepers, for sure, but it might be worth it to bolster interest in this exciting aspect of our dwindling sport.

Any one who has attempted a State Record knows what goes into it, alot really, and its easy to screw it up.

Thumb up or thumbs down on this idea?
Nick
T

👎

Hey Nick,

There are two ideas here. One is to reward people for pursuing declared tasks and giving them some degree of recognition. The other is erasing records..

Records are records for a reason. They are the official recorded limit of what has ever been done in a state, country, or the world. They just *are*. Erasing them does not change that someone has already done it at a certain performance!

That said, the idea that recognizing that a pilot for flying declared tasks (100km, 300km, 500km, 1000km triangles, 3tp flights, etc etc.) is a very reasonable idea. That's kind of the point of the badge program... but other organizations also have other additional elements or points of recognition.

If Record Keepers or the SSA was to provide a certificate for folks completing these kinds of flights, I think that has merit! They are great personal goals!

All the best,
Daniel

Thumb up or thumbs down on this idea?
Nick
T

I hold several state records in Utah still, and it is nice to still see them there after I retired from soaring 13 years ago. So I would have to say thumbs down.

On Saturday, April 18, 2020 at 5:27:26 PM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote:
Like Many others, every spring, I think about attempting some state records.
In my world that would be Colorado and Utah. Maybe NV.
So I look through the existing records and realize that there are none in Colorado I would have any chance of. Tom Serkowski, Dave Leonard and Bob Faris and others have set the bar so high, there all are basically unbeatable.
In Utah the bar is also set very very high. Same in Nevada.

So in the interest of promoting soaring, flying tasks, and getting more pilots involved to a higher level;

What you would think about erasing all STATE records every 10 years?

Everyone who has a State Certificate now ( I've got 2 ) would keep them, but we would just start anew, like the OLC does every year. This would create alot of work for the State Record Keepers, for sure, but it might be worth it to bolster interest in this exciting aspect of our dwindling sport.

Any one who has attempted a State Record knows what goes into it, alot really, and its easy to screw it up.

Thumb up or thumbs down on this idea?
Nick
T

OLC, or something like it, could very easily do just what you want.

Leave the state records alone please. Let those remain all time best performance in category. That has its place too.

T8

On Saturday, April 18, 2020 at 2:27:26 PM UTC-7, Nick Kennedy wrote:
Like Many others, every spring, I think about attempting some state records.
In my world that would be Colorado and Utah. Maybe NV.
So I look through the existing records and realize that there are none in Colorado I would have any chance of. Tom Serkowski, Dave Leonard and Bob Faris and others have set the bar so high, there all are basically unbeatable.
In Utah the bar is also set very very high. Same in Nevada.

So in the interest of promoting soaring, flying tasks, and getting more pilots involved to a higher level;

What you would think about erasing all STATE records every 10 years?

Everyone who has a State Certificate now ( I've got 2 ) would keep them, but we would just start anew, like the OLC does every year. This would create alot of work for the State Record Keepers, for sure, but it might be worth it to bolster interest in this exciting aspect of our dwindling sport.

Any one who has attempted a State Record knows what goes into it, alot really, and its easy to screw it up.

Thumb up or thumbs down on this idea?
Nick
T

We could give a Participation Award every time you try a record. Then the pilot that tried the most would get the record. Ha!!! Ha!!!

Richard

Richard

Hey Richard,

I actually wouldn't mind a "participation trophy" for someone who completes a declared task.

I think that a person who declares and completes a 300km FAI triangle on a given day did a more meaningful flight than a fellow does an undeclared 400km yo-yo on OLC.

Don't get me wrong, I love OLC. I love competitions. I love records. All have their place in our sport.

That said, the emphasis on declared tasks has diminished somewhat. And if we recognized them, rewarded them, maybe more folks would do them and derive the satisfaction of flying to chosen places.

And I think that would be a great thing.

All the best,
Daniel

As Daniel says, flying a declared flight is a worthwhile goal and should be rewarded with some recognition.

With computers and the internet, processing a large volume of flights really isn't an issue. A state record keeper should be able to handle "non-record" flights without too much trouble, especially since it would really just be to unofficially validate the flight. We could then have a reset at any time for these lesser, but still significant flights. Many more pilots will be able to participate since each year they have a chance to be #1 for a particular task.

Everyone - pilots, OOs, and record keepers will be kept up to date on the process. So when a new record is actually flown, everyone will be in practice.

The whole process could even be automated with online submission. Just need someone to keep an eye on it and deal with bad or problem claims by either pushing them through or providing feedback to the pilot and OO.

5Z

I set a few youth records in AZ back in 1979 and they're still there! Actually, it looks like no much new action there since the 1980's. Lots of empty slots.

I'm reminded of the "string board" we had on the wall at Black Forest
Soaring Society back in the '90s.Â* At the end of the day, if one was
proud of his flight, he'd stick pins in the wall map and connect them
with a piece of string.Â* Everyone could see it, admire it, rag on it,
get ideas, set goals for next weekend, etc.Â* It was fun, but there were
no extra chicks.

If you want money and chicks, you should take up golf.Â* It worked for
Tiger, didn't it?

On 4/18/2020 9:55 PM, 5Z wrote:
As Daniel says, flying a declared flight is a worthwhile goal and should be rewarded with some recognition.

With computers and the internet, processing a large volume of flights really isn't an issue. A state record keeper should be able to handle "non-record" flights without too much trouble, especially since it would really just be to unofficially validate the flight. We could then have a reset at any time for these lesser, but still significant flights. Many more pilots will be able to participate since each year they have a chance to be #1 for a particular task.

Everyone - pilots, OOs, and record keepers will be kept up to date on the process. So when a new record is actually flown, everyone will be in practice.

The whole process could even be automated with online submission. Just need someone to keep an eye on it and deal with bad or problem claims by either pushing them through or providing feedback to the pilot and OO.

5Z

I set a few youth records in AZ back in 1979 and they're still there! Actually, it looks like no much new action there since the 1980's. Lots of empty slots.

--
Dan, 5J

On Saturday, April 18, 2020 at 3:27:26 PM UTC-6, Nick Kennedy wrote:
Like Many others, every spring, I think about attempting some state records.
In my world that would be Colorado and Utah. Maybe NV.
So I look through the existing records and realize that there are none in Colorado I would have any chance of. Tom Serkowski, Dave Leonard and Bob Faris and others have set the bar so high, there all are basically unbeatable.
In Utah the bar is also set very very high. Same in Nevada.

So in the interest of promoting soaring, flying tasks, and getting more pilots involved to a higher level;

What you would think about erasing all STATE records every 10 years?

Everyone who has a State Certificate now ( I've got 2 ) would keep them, but we would just start anew, like the OLC does every year. This would create alot of work for the State Record Keepers, for sure, but it might be worth it to bolster interest in this exciting aspect of our dwindling sport.

Any one who has attempted a State Record knows what goes into it, alot really, and its easy to screw it up.

Thumb up or thumbs down on this idea?
Nick
T

Nick,

I once proposed the US adopt the BGA Ladder system. It has morphed a bit since then, but poke around this site.
https://www.bgaladder.net/

I suspect we might have to include a regional filter.

Unlike OLC, a pilot would actually have to belong to a club/chapter to post for it.

I doubt SSA will change the State Record system, other than to possibly change the record submission process.

Frank Whiteley