[CQ-Contest] XTREME category...a colossal BUST?

[kr2q at optimum.net]

My 2 cents....

Most folks on this reflector and most (vast majority) of entrants are traditional contesters.  
They like contesting for their own, already established reasons: Competing to win, globally, 
nationally, regionally, or locally.  Or maybe they get on to DX or to give out some points or 
to contribute to the club score.  I'm betting that for them, the extreme category has little,
if any, interest....save for Mario.

On the other hand, those who might be interested in a type of operation that would qualify
as "Xtreme" are likely opposed to the idea of "contesting."  Even though there is a plaque,
and even though "cleverness of design" is factored in (not just total score), I bet those 
folks are just hard to reach; they sure are NOT looking a contest reflector.

I don't know what kind of advertising K1DG did, other than the SDR forum at Dayton, but I
bet he (the CQWWCC) missed most of the potential audience.  And again, even if there 
were some interest, they might simply have been "turned off" once they heard/read the
word "contest."  

Just a guess.....

But no matter how you turn it around, yeah, it's way to early to declare it dead.  A "bust"
for 2009? Maybe.  Let's see how well it can be publicized and promoted in other, non-contest
forums.

de Doug KR2Q