Adrian, Michigan Contest Site to host R6N & the 2018 U.S. JuniorsContest & Development Camp

Attn: Glider Pilots

Region 6 North cordially invites you to register for the 2018 R6N Sports and Club Class contests to be held July 2nd - 7th (with practice dates scheduled for 6/30 & 7/01), in Adrian, Michigan. Join us as we revive a contest site that once held several U.S. National Championships (65, 74, and 79), and once set the standard for modern National sailplane racing championships (see September 1965 issue of Soaring).

Tony Condon will be the Contest Director for the combined R6N and 2018 U.S. Juniors Contest & Development Camp. Those flying in R6N are welcome to audit the morning lecture series and take advantage of mentoring that will be available at the contest (in a highly supportive, informative no-pressure contest environment). "Newbees" thinking of attending should consider R6N a "rookie camp" for all intensive purposes and look no further. This is the place for you!

And, for those of you with extensive sailplane racing experience, please show your support and consider joining us; take a pilot who’s new to sailplane racing, coach and encourage them through the process… share your passion for racing… and help grow the sport! If you have questions, or would like to be a Guest Speaker and/or Junior Mentor/Instructor Pilot (instructors with access to advanced, high-performance 2-seaters are presently needed), please contact me.

It should be noted that R6N contest organizers adopted a "Club Class" contest, in addition to its Sports Class contest, for the purpose of hosting a competitive "warm-up" to the 2018 Club Class National Championship to be held in Dansville, NY, later this August. Those jockeying for a spot on the U.S. Club Class Team or seeking a Club Class National Championship and/or podium finish are highly encouraged to take advantage of this venue to prepare for Nats!

The contest site, while being located in S.E. Michigan over the flat lands does share some similarities to Dansville in so much that their micro-climates are effected by the Great Lakes. Having said that, we picked the peak of Michigan's soaring season to hold the contest just as the organizers did back in '65, '74, and '79. While your hosts have no control over the weather gods, we believe we should be able to get 3-4 strong contests days in, and are likely to experience classic NW/SE streeting on no less than 1-2 of those days. Tony brings a wealth of Mid-West soaring experience to the game and will certainly do his best to challenge our Club Class pilots.

At the request of many, R6N will have a communal dining area setup in Adrian Soaring Club's large hangar. The social calendar and dining options for contestants, volunteers, and crew will excite and please many. There's both On and Off-Airport camping available. Hotel rooms may be reserved by pilots and crew for as low as $71/night + tax at newly a remodeled Super 8 Hotel (1.5 miles from the airport), and for $99/night+ tax at an adjacent Holiday Inn Express, which features an indoor swimming pool and fitness center. Details to come soon on the R6N.org website!

To Register now for R6N, go to: http://www.ssa.org/Contests?cid=2419&display=info

If you have any questions about the contest, please reply directly to this RAS post, or go to the R6N.org website, which will launch by January 28.

Best regards & safe soaring,

Chris Schrader
R6N Contest Manager

Thank you for organizing this camp and contest Chris!

How many Juniors are you targeting for the camp?

Lou

Lou,

The 2017 Camp at Harris Hill had 22+ Juniors; one or two came from California and another came from as far away as Alaska.

12 Juniors flew single-seaters (many completing their first contest), while the others flew 2-seaters (K-21's & Duo's) with experienced mentor/instructor pilots. It was a resounding success!

To answer your question: we anticipate most of the campers will come back again this year, and we're hoping to pick-up a few more from the midwest and elsewhere. I'm hopeful we'll see some new faces from the Chicago, Minneapolis, Quad Cities, Indianapolis, and Dayton/Cincinnati areas. I'm hopeful that despite the distance we'll pick up a few from Region 5 too (it's a straight shot up I-75 from FL and GA). The target this year is 25-30.

Anything you can do to promote the Juniors Camp/Contest would be greatly appreciated by both the organizers and the SSA. We really need to get the word out to clubs and to Juniors (ages 14-25) so we get as many Juniors as possible to sign up early enough we can recruit volunteers to meet demand. There's nowhere in the world a Junior is going to get to fly a contest with world-class level pilot or fly a sailplane solo in a contest for $200/week. Heck, my kids' summer day camp tuition costs more than that!

Our hope is to plant the seed (of experience) in these young men and women so they stick with it after college or return to the sport as highly engaged, enthusiastic club members in their mid to late 30's. XC and racing is the gift that keep giving. The more experience you have the more you realize there is to learn and do in the sport. FWIW, I'm a product of the 2005 Camp at Harris Hill that was organized by Tim Welles, Sean Murphy, and Justin McMaster, among others, so I know it works.

All the best,

Chris Schrader

R6N's Rookie Camp

On another note, R6N is also being billed as a "Rookie Camp." We need help getting the word out to pilots in R6, R7, and elsewhere that this is the place to go to fly your first contest!

We encourage pilots to bring a ship to R6N, whether its club owned or privately owned, and immerse yourself here knowing you have the full support of your fellow pilots who all want to see you succeed.

The goal is to have Newbees walk away from this eager to come back and/or fly their next contest. Adrian is a forgiving contest site in terms of navigation and terrain, and the mentors who'll be available are some of the best in the sport. To that end, R6N is perfect for that 30-40 something year old who's obtained a PPG and started dabbling in XC. R6N will surely set him/her going forward in the right path.

All the best,

Chris Schrader

Dear Contest Pilots:

Over the past couple of years the number of contest pilot entries have been in decline. It would be nice to draft a few new pilots this season.

Please join us by talking to some of your club's newer private ship owners and beginner racing pilots and let them know about our rookie camp in Adrian, Michigan.

The terrain here is about as benign as it gets and we'll have some fine instructors at the camp. Safety is paramount and there are lots of small airports that permeate the contest site. Tony Condon will also be the CD.

Moreover, if you are an "experienced contest pilot," please consider joining us as a lecturer or camp instructor, or just be a mentor of sorts to a first-time contest pilot. Our hope is to turn a handfull of newbees into repeat customers and future competitors.

If you have any further questions, please email me privately and I will get back to you ASAP. Lastly, your participation will help two clubs, neither of whom have hosted a contest since 1979, revive a once thriving contest site. A handful of us are working hard to ensure this a well run contest... one that everyone will want to come back to. For more info, please go to: www.r6n.org (the website will launch by the end of this weekend).

Thank you for your kind consideration and support of R6N.

Best regards & safe soaring,

Chris Schrader
R6N Contest Manager

I would like to make a $100 donation towards the camp acknowledging the volunteers but.......can't seem to find a mailing address.
I did find to make the check out to Sandhill Soaring.

R

Please make donations to support the U.S. Juniors Camp Contest made out to:

SSA Junior/Youth Committee
Donation for 2018 Juniors Camp/Contest
P.O. Box 2100
Hobbs, NM 88241

Henry,

On behalf of the SSA'Junior/Youth Committee and many appreciative Juniors, I would like to thank you for your generous support. Your donation will go directly towards offsetting the cost of the camp for the Junior Campers. We hope you will join us in flying R6N and welcome you as an experienced mentor. Again, many thanks to you for your kind contribution.

Sincerely,

Chris Schrader
JYC Member & R6 Director

J.P. Stewart
JYC Chairperson

Chris, JP, and all the volunteers......the 'thanks' go to all of you and others elsewhere who have put on youth camps across the US. Reading your thread turned on a very delayed light bulb as to how much effort is involved by everyone to promote and help young pilots. My thinking is if many give a little to help reduce financial concerns, then the organizers will be motivated to continue this program.
Thanks for the invite, retiring next year will allow me the time to return to Adrian. The last time was at the '74 Nationals when the Nimbus ll and ASW 17 was the hot ship and a prototype yellow PIK with FLAPS that created a whole new set of rules. Crewing for someone at 19, I was hooked and wanted a ASW 12. Good thing I had no money, I would have gone off the end of the runway too.
Cheers,

R