[CQ-Contest] Lightning strikes N5OT

[Mark Beckwith]

> I suppose the concern about "category shopping" is legitimate.

Yeah.  I'm thinking it didn't happen too much before 3830 came along - the 
downside of success I guess.

K6LA:
> However, whether you wait one hour or 30 days to post to 3830,
> you can still massage your log before submitting it.

True, I didn't say you couldn't.  However, I believe that the sooner you 
post, the more likely these two things become:

1. log massaging (or possibly sandbagging) becomes obvious
2. people will be discouraged from log massaging

> I think 3830 is great.

I agree.  I think the 3830 team does a fabulous job with what they're doing. 
I think tho that they're filling a void created by sponsors who won't do 
what they should - shoreten the deadlines and post "official" claimed scores 
the moment the deadline passes, then get the final results wrapped while the 
players can still remember the contest.

I know quick log turnaround is not popular with a vocal minority of people. 
But truly, it would be good for the game.  By quick I mean something like 
logs due in a week and results out in a month.  This is already known to be 
practical, and demonstrated twice a year by the North American Sprint.

Note I am not talking about real-time scoreboards.  That is a different 
conversation.

> if the final scores show someone ahead of me that
> didn't post, I might think "darn, that sneaky weasel
> beat me," but I won't think he cheated to do so.

I don't think I ever got close to the word "cheated," Ken, please don't dig 
my hole any deeper.

Mark, N5OT