On Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at 10:44:35 PM UTC-4, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
I believe in the US (likely other parts of the world as well) we go to, "glider competitions", where, at times there are races as well as "using the whole day as you see fit" based on what the CD (competition director, not RACE director, I am not aware of a RD anywhere in the world for sailplanes, I believe they're all called CD's.....).

Not picking one side vs. another, just bringing up a couple points.

Maybe Sean, in his next "race", should make SURE he has a RD, not a CD..........

Popcorn heating up.......

Use the day as "you see fit." What does that even mean? Are you talking about a competitive racing sport or about going for a stroll down the beach?

And now you want to use the word competition (vs. race) to further pervert US contests. Here we go...

In a marathon RACING, do they let the runners run off anywhere they want to accumulate the 26.x miles? Why not just let them use the day and see who goes the furthest but any route they choose. Do the call running a race or a competition?

In the America's Cup RACING, do they let the sailors sail around the bay for some defined number of hours and then see who went the furthest (and give them the trophy)?

In the Le Tour de France RACING, do they let the cyclist "ride around the French countryside for a month" wherever they wish" so they can "use the day" to their liking?

In swimming RACING do they let the swimmers "use the day" to swim around the pool as far and long as they wish? Why do they have lane markers?

Here is another one for you. In adventure racing, do they let the adventurers "use the day (and night)" for a week of wandering around the backcountry and then see who went the furthest, in any direction they wished to go?

Can you name any "real sport" that conducts "racing" as "wherever the competitors wish to go" so they can "use the day?" After starting anytime the want?

No? This is because that is simply not competing. Calling that competition is simply ridiculous. Any self-respecting sportsman would not call that competing. "Using the day" is not objective. Using the day is highly, highly subjective competiton at best.

In the sport of running, using the day is called "going for a run." In the sport of sailing, using the day is called "going CRUISING!" In the sport of cycling, using the day is called "going for a bike ride." In the sport of swimming, using the day is called "going for a swim." In the sport of soaring, using the day is called "going gliding." It might be called OLC, maybe. If "using the day" is what you want to do with "your day," fine. Just one thing. Do not call that racing, a competition or a contest. Do not bring down the sport of US sailplane racing any further by attempting to call that kind of subjective activity ("using the day?") a competition or contest.

Formula One could start at 6am and race until 10pm. Why don't they? Becuase there is little purpose to simply racing as long as you can. The key element to all racing sports is a clearly defined race course. Racing is about quality, not quantity. Without a race track, it simply cannot be racing.. Racing also has a fair start, a race, and a finish. In racing, the one who crosses the finish line first is the winner. How novel. A race without a start is called a time trial, maybe.

OLC is "follow the pretty clouds" soaring. I get it, but OLC is not defined and therefore is not a race. It is something else. It's a fun way to pass the time vs. flying around with zero goals or objectives, by yourself. I'll give it that. IMO, OLC type soaring is meaningless in terms of serious competition. You also do not need any real contest infrastructure to participate or conduct OLC. That is the whole point. Just go flying, running, swimming, cycling. Whatever. You don't need a CD or rules. Becuase there is no track. There is almost no definition (7 turns, whatever). All you need is a any logger. OLC is even looser than a zero turn MAT. Do you want to talk about wastefulness? Wastefulness is getting all the apparatus together for a formal contest, and wasting it on the epic gamble of a MAT task. Or wasting a decent weather day on a big radius TAT. That is a massive waste. That is shameful. Yet we see it happen all the time. Even at Nationals.

The sport of soaring (especially in the USA) is already far too subjective. You already have the concept of starting literally any time you want. Out the top, the side, the back, whatever. Not even a line. A cylinder. You already have 95% of US tasks (TAT, MAT) which allow you huge degrees of freedom. And these OLC "like" subjective tasks are called regularly on great soaring days, not just the poor weather days. So seriously, what is the problem? Do you want even easier, more subjective tasking than you already have?

Soaring contests are not supposed to be about using the day. That's the whole point. They are about racing against your competitors, over a defined course and flying that defined course faster than them. At least it is to me. At least it is to the rest of the soaring world outside of the USA who do not use MAT tasks, EVER. That is right, NEVER MAT's. Becuase MAT's are simply ridiculous.

"Use the day." This is a concept which has almost zero to do with any competitive sport. If you want to use they day, please don't bring the entire US contest system down with you. Contests are about defined racing and should be as objective as possible. But please, go ahead. Have an OLC event.. That is cool. Especially in challenging places to fly like Nephi. I get it. That is really cool. Have fun.

On the other side of the coin, FAI tasking (used EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD EXCEPT THE USA) is about RACING (assigned tasks) as much as possible. A real sport. TATs are only called on days with questionable, doubtful or poor weather. Many FAI contests have well over 50% assigned tasks. The upcoming Australian WGC may have 75% assigned tasks (great weather, hopefully)..

Back in the US, our contest scene runs 3 (1, 2...yes, 3) AT's of every 100 contest tasks. 3%. So you "use the day" guys already enjoy roughly 97% OLC type tasking. So please don't be too upset with me about challenging your "use the day" tasking philosophy. You are already in the catbird seat. You must go to all kinds of contests, huh? Happy as pigs in the pen. Right?

Sean