[CQ-Contest] Contesting - Open or Closed?

Ward Silver hwardsil at centurytel.net
Wed Nov 6 19:30:33 EST 2002


To run with the Big Dogs - you can't be a puppy, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and all that.  Admirable, true, and good personal advice for improving your contesting success.

But...

I must point out that contesting is quite unique a sport in that the success of the competitors depends entirely on the ability to connect with as many other participants as possible.  And not only other participants, but non-participants.  Certainly an auto race can not open the gates to every possible participant in every event - but radio contesting depends on doing just that. No one has to pre-register or qualify to play - just show up and be welcomed, right?

The success of the sport depends on its open-ness and easy access.  We should not over-react to a poor experience by one or two, nor should the behavior of a couple knotheads reflect poorly on us all.  Yet, having a healthy sport means more than publishing the rules and an email address for logs and saying, "Take it or leave it".  There have been several good ideas put forth as to how to educate and attract contesters.  I hope some of them are widely implemented.

To a large degree, however, the methods by which we conduct ourselves on the air is the primary window by which others view and form opinions of the sport.  Outreach is THE challenge to the contest community over the coming solar doldrums - not amplifiers, cheating, packet spotting, or log formats.  Outreach is required to the casual and non-contesters - even anti-contesters - to keep the sport healthy.  We have a great opportunity at present with super conditions and participation in many contests at record levels.

Let's not blow it in our urge to be competitive with one another.

73, Ward N0AX


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