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.