Contesting is dieing

[frenaye at pcnet.com]

W7NI notes:

>The main reason there are no kids in contesting today is because there are
>no kids in contesting today.  Kids like to do what their friends like to do.
>Kids want to earn the respect and admiration of their peers.  Their peers
>don't do radio contesting.  A kid that does spend time doing it is clearly
>an "odd-ball" that likes to play games with old fogies that are one or two
>generations older than he is.  This will clearly not earn him the respect of
>his peers.

When I got my license as a kid (14) I was an odd-ball (many would say I 
haven't changed much).  There was no social status to being a ham, it was 
just the opposite - but it was a way for a geek to talk to people as a peer. 
Good stuff for a shy kid.  I suspect not much has really changed.

73 Tom

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Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box 386, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444