I was fortunate to go to the 1996 WRTC in San Francisco with my operating
partner K5GO. We finished tenth from a modest station, met a lot of great
people, and had a great time. Back in those days, the team leaders were
selected by recognized contest clubs or the national radio organizations, and
the leaders picked their operating partner.
One or two WRTCs later, the sponsors decided the had a better idea, to use a
ranking system based on relevant, recent contest scores. However the contests
and the ranking method changes from year to year, creating controversy and no
consistency. And now people are complaining about cheating and whether you had
access to a big station to earn your qualification.
I think the old way, with contest clubs or national organizations nominating
participants was a heckuva lot better. No controversy about qualifying
contests, and local groups are usually in a better position to monitor contest
ethics. It also provides such groups with a reason to support WRTC financially.
I think there is a groundswell of apathy towards WRTC within most clubs and
organizations these days because of the controversies being raised, the fact
that these groups no longer have any vested interest in it, and the current
selection process is seen as elitist. And now it's getting to the point that
even the elites don't agree...
Even as a WRTC alumni, I have to a great extent lost interest in WRTC and know
others who feel the same. I certainly wish it no ill will, but...
Dave, K8CC
Sent from my iPhone
> On Aug 16, 2016, at 9:02 PM, <kr2q@optimum.net> <kr2q@optimum.net> wrote:
>
> I am certainly not the first to state the obvious, but it is worth repeating.
>
> What sense does it make to cheat to qualify for WRTC where cheating is
> impossible thanks to
> good rules, real time observers, and meticulous log reviews post-contest with
> excellent
> post-contest decisions as "new" situations arise.
>
> Without pointing fingers (I don't have enough fingers), qualifying is, sadly,
> already a lot like the
> real Olympics. Time to clean both up.
>
> I wish all contests had the resources to follow Ranko's suggestions. Even
> better, I wish all
> entrants would simply follow the rules and the spirit of contesting.
>
> de Doug KR2Q
>
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