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<DIV><FONT size=4>Amen Ed!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I believe we have gone to far and it seems like no new AMA
pattern can be created without a snap or two. I would like to go back
to the old days when it was pretty to watch, graceful and as you so
eloquently stated, <U><STRONG>EASILY VISIBLE</STRONG></U> to judge. I
agree, one could certainly judge more accurately in those days! I
too am on the side of the bar that has sunk into the
cream.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I would like to see the requirement for all judges to
agree on a zero reinstated. It would stop the zero and nine thing. I was
involved with a few of those last year and yet another pattern pilot
or two was upset! In all cases a snap was involved.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I am not surprised at the drop in contest
attendance, number of contest, and the NSRCA membership. I
contribute much of it to the difficulty of the patterns. I know
of several who stopped flying F.A.I., went back to Masters, tried that for
a year and then just quit competing! Several friends of mine who flew
Masters have also packed their tents and left. In chatting with folks in these
categories, the general consensus is it takes to much time at the practice
field just to be in the middle of the pack and not embarrass themselves. These
are members of the younger generation by and large, not old folks like me. Of
course I consider anyone under fifty in the younger generation!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>In Senior Pattern they have simplified the patterns. A couple
of years ago they had a loop with 1-1/2 snap. No two judged it the same way and
attendance dropped! It was taken out last year and attendance is
climbing back up! Hmmmm. </FONT><FONT size=4>Oh Well! </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Best to all,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Ed</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
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<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=edbon85@charter.net href="mailto:edbon85@charter.net">Ed Miller</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=discussion@nsrca.org
href="mailto:discussion@nsrca.org">discussion@nsrca.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, December 29, 2004 7:10
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Displacement during snap
rolls (was Why is it so quiet?)</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Seems the never ending snap discussion was beat to death here last year
too. This will be long but hear me out. No doubt what I'm about to say will
at the very least be controversial. That's fine with me as I think we need
to think outside the box more often. My wife enjoys watching figure skating.
Being the "supportive spouse", on occasion I will watch for a bit with
her. It seems in figure skating, the multiple rotation jumps, triples and
even quadruple rotation variations is where all the judging ( and
viewing ) emphasis is placed in a skaters routine. It also seems the
judging is focused on 2 things, the entry to the jump and "sticking" the
landing. Frankly, those that say they can see every element of the skaters
rotation are, IMHO, full of blank. It plain happens too fast. I have better
eyesight than most, in my younger days I could pick up the stitching and
rotation of a baseball thrown at 90mph. I'll admit, some of that
sharpness is gone but, I honestly cannot pick up all the rotation elements
in a figure skaters jump in real time ( we all can when they replay it in
slow-mo ). Ever since the snap roll was introduced into precision
aerobatics, an oxymoron IMHO, we have had the same problems judging snaps as
professional figure skating judges have judging triple toe loops. I have
watched ( and learned some ) from the real snap masters, aka Lockhart and
Pappas, yet, when in the judges chair I look for departure in pitch ( entry
) and "the landing " of the maneuver ( exit ) . So, to me, we've introduced
snaps into precision aerobatics to separate the wanna be pattern jockey
hackers like me from the gifted, talented folks like Lockhart, Pappas, Hyde,
etc. but in fact what we've done is actually dumbed down our judging
criteria. These talented flyers will find the setup and stick movements to
present a maneuver such that it defies the laws of gravity. However, most of
us are only humans and as judges, only judge what can we realistically see
and honestly assess in a snap roll. Most all snap rolls I've seen done and
performed rotate at such a speed that again, the exit is the focus. Once in
awhile you can pick up the obvious aileron roll exit. There are many more
elements of a snap roll besides entry and exit yet as I
read/delete/read/delete, etc. the discussion we are having here, it boils
down to entry and exit positions. The ex-masters maneuver of 2 rolls in
opposite directions. It is a thing of beauty when done properly takes
a lot of time to perform, especially compared to our beloved snap rolls, has
many more places for the pilot to screw up that are EASILY VISIBLE to
the judges besides the entry and exit points. That's precision aerobatics
IMHO. AMA pattern was always smooth and graceful until someone decided as
the FAI does, so must the AMA. Some will say it's progress, new maneuvers,
it's just raising the bar to let the cream rise to the top. I'm on the side
that the bar has sunk into the cream. Maybe the some of the lost NSRCA
members felt similarly.</DIV>
<DIV>Ed M</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>