[CQ-Contest] Kids, contesting, and ham radio

[David Gilbert]

I'm inclined to agree with all of the points below.  Competing in almost 
any activity can be a lot of fun for anyone, and ham radio is no 
exception.  I'm convinced that is why radiosport is growing in spite of 
a generally stagnant ham population and non-existent sunspot activity.  
Competition is an inbred trait and most of us enjoy it for its own sake 
... the context is virtually irrelevant.  Heck, even eating (BBQ 
contests, hot dog eating) has formally become a competitive activity at 
the professional level!

However, I see major two problems with the expectation that we can draw 
significant numbers of young people into ham radio by waving the 
contesting banner.

A.  Ham radio in general is populated with us old people.  Young people 
want to do what other young people are doing.

B.  Anything ham radio requires a license, which requires that a 
prospective recruit study things they don't want to study just to do 
something they MIGHT decide is fun.  Video gaming doesn't require a 
license ...

Speaking of video gaming, I think that puts to the lie the idea that 
kids today aren't willing to work at something to enjoy it.  I've 
watched my son and his friends ... even my wife ... spend hours and 
hours of thought and study trying to be more proficient in various 
multi-user online games, some of which are every bit as intricate and 
sophisticated as operating a ham radio in a serious contest effort. 

None of my comments should be taken to mean we shouldn't try, though  ;)

73,
Dave  AB7E



RT Clay wrote:
> Best analogy for them: multi-user video gaming...
>
> Tor
> N4OGW
>
> --- On Thu, 8/27/09, Pete Smith N4ZR <n4zr at contesting.com> wrote:
>
>   
>> From: Pete Smith N4ZR <n4zr at contesting.com>
>> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Kids, contesting, and ham radio
>> To: "Rudy Bakalov" <r_bakalov at yahoo.com>
>> Cc: cq-contest at contesting.com
>> Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009, 9:37 AM
>> Or how about analogies with other
>> sports.  One I like is sailboat 
>> racing, where the highest technology is OK so long as the
>> boat is 
>> propelled only by the wind.
>>
>> 73, Pete N4ZR
>> New Articles Daily - the Contesting Compendium at http://wiki.contesting.com
>> The World Contest Station Database, updated daily at
>> www.conteststations.com
>> The Reverse Beacon Network at http://reversebeacon.net
>>
>>
>> On 8/27/2009 6:42 AM, Rudy Bakalov wrote:
>>     
>>> IMHO, selling ham radio and contesting to kids as
>>>       
>> making contacts with other
>>     
>>> hams around the world is impossible and simply
>>>       
>> disconnected from today's
>>     
>>> world; KE3X gives us a good example by sharing his
>>>       
>> experience talking to his
>>     
>>> kids.
>>>
>>> An alternative way of looking at contesting is to
>>>       
>> compare it to car racing
>>     
>>> (e.g, F1, NASCAR, etc.) where equipment,
>>>       
>> stamina/endurance, and strategy come
>>     
>>> together to compete against others.  Pushing the
>>>       
>> "communications" aspect of
>>     
>>> contesting, or ham radio for that matter, IMHO, is a
>>>       
>> dead end as there are
>>     
>>> much sexier and kids-relevant communications
>>>       
>> mediums.  What we need is
>>     
>>> excitement, adrenaline, and overall coolness, the one
>>>       
>> you would expect to see
>>     
>>> in Survivor or similar shows; pictures of towers and
>>>       
>> antennas or older hams
>>     
>>> holding plaques/certificates won't cut it.
>>>
>>> Rudy N2WQ
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>>     
>>>       
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>>     
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