In any competitive sport the rules structure selects for participants with specific skill sets. Soaring is no different. Paragraph 1.1 in the SSA rules for national soaring competitions, states that the purpose of the competition is to select a national champion, rank the contestants and select a team for international competition.
Times have changed and perhaps we should revise the mission statement to include a focus on safety measures and compassionate tasking to enabling everyone to compete and have fun But as it stands, it is abundantly logical to adopt the FAI international rules for our national soaring competitions.. I know everyone is sick of SF’s relentless promoting of this concept but he is right.
Hard decks, short tasks, big circles and safety finishes are great for most of the pilots, crews, and organizers but are unlikely to produce a world champion anytime soon.
OLC camps, safaris and regional competitions are excellent places to tinker with the rules and are where most pilots (myself included) should be flying anyway.

Dale Bush