A fair opportunity to compete?

Whether it should be incumbent on the CD to poll the last launchers in
each class to ensure they are getting up before opening the gate, or
if it should be the responsibility of the individual pilots to call
this out to the CD (my preference) should probably be clarified. If
you can't climb you should make that clear before the gate opens so
the CD has the option of delaying/canceling the opening of the gate or
chalking it up to poor piloting. One such request was granted later in
the contest and I have made such requests myself in the past. I do
wonder whether pilots should forfeit their right to protest the start
later if they don't make the call in real time.

To avoid setting off anguished howls of "I can't climb, you gotta
delay opening the gate!", I don't radio the CD when faced with this
kind of problem. I have, however, called my class advisor on more than
one occasion and let him/her decide to call the CD with an official,
authorized communication. I recognize, of course, that my
request--"[task advisor ID], go to 123.5"--is tantamount to inviting
the world to listen in.

It's tough to judge from afar but it sounds like the task shouldn't
have opened. How to prevent situations like this in the future is
tougher, as is how to deal with them once they've occurred. I'm
strongly of the mind that once the task is open, it should not be
cancelled or invalidated. I don't want to have to judge whether to go
100% and risk a landout knowing the CD might change his/her mind, and
soaring is full of historical situations where nearly no one thought
the task possible but some intrepid pilot proved them wrong. But there
are valid exceptions to every rule in the interests of fairness and/or
safety. Defining those exceptions is difficult, which is why we value
the good CDs so highly. Rest in peace, Charlie Spratt; you made a few
mistakes but far fewer than anyone before or since, given the number
of contests you CD'd.

Finally, there shouldn't be any stigma associated with protesting what
a pilot believes is an unfair outcome. I'd hate to see competition
soaring turn into the US tort system but there is some merit in
raising the protest and having all the facts come out for an impartial
jury to review and decide. It is partly through this kind of exchange
that we will arrive at a better system in the future.

Although I still hope the Rules Committee keeps future Rules changes
to a bare minimum!

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
USA