[CQ-Contest] Does Dayton Hurt WPX CW

[Shelby Summerville]

Subj:  Re: [CQ-Contest] Does Dayton hurt the WPX CW
Contest?
Date:  4/19/01 8:24:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From:    dick.green at valley.net (Dick Green)
Sender:    owner-cq-contest at contesting.com
Reply-to: dick.green at valley.net
To:    CQ-Contest at contesting.com (CONTEST)

Allow me to lend my voice to those requesting that CQ
WPX CW be moved from Memorial Day weekend.

This is one of my favorite contests, and I make every
effort to operate, but must pay a heavy price every
time I do. I don't think it's unreasonable for
my XYL to ask, "Does your commitment to contesting
mean that we can never have a family weekend or go
anywhere on Thanksgiving *and* Memorial Day?" So far,
I've hemmed and hawed a lot and have gotten away with
it. I usually point out that Thanksgiving is a
four-day holiday and I'm spending half of it with the
family. That argument is beginning to wear thin!
Memorial Day is
a lot tougher, as our anniversary is May 29 and
sometimes falls on the contest weekend.

In recent years, my wife has packed up our daughter
and gone to visit friends or relatives. That's
certainly helped me to concentrate on operating, but I
miss them and worry about them traveling without me.
It's
not a question of whether my wife will "let me
operate". I'd love to spend those long weekends with
her and my daughter. Come Monday of the three-day
weekend, and I'm home by myself wishing I was with
them!

I really don't understand why the CQ sponsors find it
necessary to schedule their two major CW contests on
weekends that are sure to produce the maximum
domestic conflict. I suspect that family scheduling
patterns and marriage dynamics have changed a quite a
bit since the dates were originally chosen,
so it would be a good idea to revisit the rationale
and update the custom as necessary. Contest sponsors
should be doing everything they can to maximize
participation, and this includes recognizing that long
contest weekends, especially those scheduled on
holidays, are not conducive to family harmony.

Let us not validate the perception that amateur radio
is made up of a bunch of stubborn old codgers who
resist change...

73, Dick WC1M
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Not really sure I have ever seen so many "grown men"
cry? As with almost everything in life, there are
choices! So it is with the "delicate balance" between
operating the contest or doing something that surely
may not get you a certificate, but should help
maintain your matrimonial status? Some "preplanning"
certainly helps: I got married on New Year's Eve, only
married for several hours, but got a full year tax
credit! It also helps to get your spouse after you get
your ticket! After 3 years of attempting to convince
several contest sponsors to change some rules that,
most polled agreed, created "insurmaountable
advantages" to some participants, I am surely
convinced that, while amateur radio as a whole may not
be, most contest rules committees are certainly
stubborn and absolutely against change!
Shelby, K4WW


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