[CQ-Contest] WPX Plaques - Who should win them?

[David Levine]

The plaques are sponsored and paid for by others. It isn't like a stack of
QSL cards and pulling the next one off the pile as you described.

If the sponsors of the plaques only want them to go to the first place
winner for the category, then we don't need to have any discussion. If they
are willing to give them to the highest score in the category that didn't
receive a physical plague for a higher category, then what was suggested
below is a valid alternative to be considered.

I actually ended up with a 1st place in North America for a smaller RTTY
contest. I obviously was the 1st place winner in the US, but it really
doesn't make sense to me to send me two physical awards. 

David - K2DSL

-----Original Message-----
From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Robert Chudek - K0RC
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 12:07 PM
To: David Levine; 'Richard L. King'; 'Russell Hill';
cq-contest at contesting.com
Cc: 'Thompson, Randy'
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] WPX Plaques - Who should win them?

This idea sounds like a redistribution of wealth scheme to me.

In the first place, what does a plaque represent? Is it a prestigious award 
for the pinnacle of achievement or a token of participation? When you 
redistribute the 1st place plaques to "also rans", you diminish the value of

the awards for everyone. If you're the 1st runner up and need a plaque that 
bad, satisfy your ego and go to a trophy shop to have one made up and nail 
it to your wall.

Looking at it another way, just because you have a pile of 100 plaques, but 
only 75 1st place winners, doesn't mean you need to give out the remaining 
25 awards.

This isn't kindergarten. Well, on the other hand, maybe it is...

73 de Bob - KØRC in MN


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Levine" <david at levinecentral.com>
To: "'Richard L. King'" <k5na at ecpi.com>; "'Russell Hill'" 
<rustyhill at earthlink.net>; <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Cc: "'Thompson, Randy'" <k5zd at charter.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 5:58 AM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] WPX Plaques - Who should win them?


> Richard,
>
> It really depends how the awards are distributed. Lets say for ease of
> discussion, there's a certificate for each state winner and a plaque for
> country, continent and world winners. That means there are 3 potential
> plaques someone from the US could win and 1 guaranteed plaque someone in 
> the
> US could win.
>
> If K5NA had the highest score in Texas, USA, NA and the World, then you
> should receive 1 plaque in total that lists those achievements. What 
> should
> then happen is the 2 plaques you could receive for country and continent 
> can
> go to someone else. If Russell was the 2nd highest score in the US but not
> NA, then he should get a 2nd place plaque indicating such and whoever was
> highest in NA would receive their plaque indicating 2nd in NA. If Russell
> was the second highest score in NA, he would receive 1 plaque indicated 
> 2nd
> NA and 2nd US and then you'd search for the 3rd place winner in the US and
> provide the plaque to that operator indicating they won 3rd place in the 
> US.
>
> In total, the same number of plaques are distributed with each individual
> receiving 1 plaque and the correct place for each operator indicated on 
> each
> plaque.
>
> David - K2DSL
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Richard L. King
> Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 9:48 PM
> To: Russell Hill; cq-contest at contesting.com
> Cc: Thompson, Randy
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] WPX Plaques - Who should win them?
>
> What if you were the second highest scoring station in the world
> behind me and we were both in Texas?
>
> You say then you don't want your outstanding effort to be recognized?
>
> I would have enough wood to build a tree and you would have nothing,
> nada, zippo. Even after all that great effort.
>
> How many years would this need to happen before you decided you
> didn't want to work this contest anymore?
>
> It isn't fair for your effort to go unrewarded. And the contest will
> suffer as a result.
>
> 73, Richard - K5NA
>
>
>
> At 02:16 3/3/2009, Russell Hill wrote:
>>Richard, if I were the 2nd top Texas station, I would be happy to
>>receive recognition for the extraordinary effort required for that
>>accomplishment.
>>
>>If you were the Top Texas station, then you should win the Top Texas
>>trophy, be it a wooden plaque or whatever.
>>
>>If you were also the top W5, Zone 4, USA, and world, that would not
>>make me the Top Texas station.  That would still be your accomplishment.
>>
>>73,
>>Rusty
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard L. King" <k5na at ecpi.com>
>>To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
>>Cc: "Thompson, Randy" <k5zd at charter.net>
>>Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 4:14 PM
>>Subject: [CQ-Contest] WPX Plaques - Who should win them?
>>
>>
>>>I guess I will take the unpopular position and say that I like the
>>>plaque methodology that is already in place.
>>>
>>>There is just a limited amount of money available for plaques.
>>>
>>>To change to a winner-take-all for plaques would discourage some
>>>participation and fail to recognize some extraordinary efforts from
>>>other operators.
>>>
>>>If I were to win the world-high, USA-high, Zone 4, W5 area, and top
>>>Texas station plaques, I would be very happy receiving just the World
>>>plaque. Why not share the wealth with others that made outstanding
> efforts?
>>>
>>>Just how much wood do you want hanging on your wall anyway?
>>>
>>>73, Richard - K5NA