<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">In a message dated 11/17/2002 8:49:24 PM Eastern Standard Time, buddybrammer35@hotmail.com writes:<BR>
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<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">If the intrest is such that we only have 20% of those flying pattern who vote then how in the world are we going to get those outside of pattern to try it? As I said before it is up to those in pattern to use every means possible to maintain the intrest of those already flying pattern</BLOCKQUOTE>.</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><BR>
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</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">I don't have any numbers to prove what I am about to say , but I will throw this out anyway just as food for thought. <BR>
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My theory here is that probably only 20% ( if that many ) of pattern flyers ever attend the Nats. Could it be that the ones ( give or take a few percent either way ) who go to the trouble of being active enough to attend the Nats are also the ones who care enough to vote in the survey ? <BR>
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The 20% who submitted the survey are the 20% who are dedicated to pattern. They are the flyers who are at the majority of contest on a regular basis. The other 80% are the ones who only attend a few contest a year and don't care becouse it doesn't really matter to them. <BR>
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All of us , from time to time and for various reasons become more or less active in this hobby. Twenty percent is probably just about right for any hobby or activity to have a dedicated core. The other eighty percent float in and out in various degrees of activity when it suits them.<BR>
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As I have said before , todays society offers far to many distractions to expect participation by a large percentage of individuals . " You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink " as the saying goes .<BR>
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Weight is the issue here . You have said many times on this forum that we needed a weight increase to help stimulate interest in pattern . Now you say that we need to get pattern flyers more interested in making the rules. Sorry ,I read that as meaning changing the rules . <BR>
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I tend to believe that those outside of any activity that they may have some interest in becoming a part of ,view stability of the rules of the game ,as a factor in what they <BR>
decide to do. Our continued arguing over the rules will only hurt pattern down the road .<BR>
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Troy Newman has reminded us all what the procedure is to change the rules . In one respect , we are fortunate that we even have the right to do so. Many sports and activities have sanctioning bodies that make the rules for them without input from the contestants . Save your arguments for the next rules cycle , then use the rules we have in place to make the changes you wish . Till then , go burn some fuel !<BR>
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Robert Gainey <BR>
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