[CQ-Contest] Striving for excellence and vision

[ab0mv at ix.netcom.com]

 For me, the recent fait accompli decision to cut contest coverage is sort of the last straw---something needs to be changed so that the ARRL is held accountable to its membership and the contest community.  
Can people think of ways in which the contest community might influence the ARRL in a way we can't as individuals?  

This decision became public at a time when I was interviewing students for admission to my former prep school and I have been unable to avoid the comparison between the functioning of the ARRL and this school---to the detriment of the ARRL.  It seems to me that the ARRL lacks a sense of excellence and vision --- rather than than expanding amateur radio & standing on tradition and using it to trailblaze into the future like my prep school, they cut, contract and are stuck in this beaurocratic inertia/decline.  

How can we (contest clubs together as a whole?) shake this organization up enough to wake it up?  Should we demand a full audit of its money and decisions?  Should we demand changes in the by-laws/ARRL structure that make the organization accountable to the membership in a meaningful way rather than mysterious polls?  Should we demand that the ARRL fire certain staff who are not responsible to membership or whose work is not up to standard?  Should we demand recalls of division leaders who vote to cut contest coverage rather than using their intelligence to solve the problem in a way that does not fragment the ham community?

Almost every organization I know asks its members to remember it in their wills.  I have not seen this kind of campaign from the ARRL.  Perhaps it has happened but I have not seen it---and if this decision is against contesting, I can't imagine a contestor who would remember the ARRL in his/her will.  (But how could one do this and make sure it is used appropriately?) 

 Should contest groups around the country get together and create some kind of endowment to be used to promote/support contesting----an endowment with restrictions of course to prevent its ill use? 

 How can we provide the excellence and vision lacking at ARRL HQ?  Perhaps we need to wrestle control back into the hands of the amateur radio community so that the ARRL is accountable to US.

I urge all contest groups/clubs to get together on these issues regardless of the vote.  Do we have the excellence and true vision the ARRL lacks?

73
Merri AB0MV 


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