[CQ-Contest] Have NCCC and PVRC ruined SS?

[Art Boyars]

No official position here.  Just a long-time SSer and PVRC member, with
friends in NCCC.

After many years of complaining that "Packet has ruined Ham Radio" (and you
can double that for the RBN!), my thoughts turn to another aspect of my
favorite contest -- SS (CW, mostly, but have worked 'Phone "for the Club")

As I recall (that is, I'm too lazy to do the research) several years ago
NCCC cranked up to win SS, even cleverly using the K8MR-invented SOMS (NCCC
called it "HMO").  Great! SacV and Sfo were no longer rare.  (I SAID I was
a long-time SSer.)

After getting beaten for a few years, PVRC responded by increasing
membership and stressing SS participation, and won about three in a row
thru 2011.  (I had a small part in that.  After my first win ever -- CW MDC
SOLP -- in 2010, I helped recruit two guys who are now beating me
handily.)  Somewhere in there was the honorable incident where PVRC
discovered that some of their claimed scores were actually outside the
limits of the club circle, and ceded the victory.

The 2012 results seem to indicate that NCCC did not even challenge PVRC
that year (nor did anybody else).  Is this good?

My impression is that the NCCC-PVRC competition increased activity -- more
QSOs for everybody!  BUT -- did the other Op's get tired of working SCV,
etc., and then MDC-VA-NC, etc. (incl formerly semi-rare WV, and sometimes
where-the-heck-is-DE)?

PVRC will probably still push SS participation (again, no official position
here), but if there is no challenge will SS still be fun for the rest of
you casual-to-semi-serious operators?  ("Serious operators" -- even Little
Pistols -- would still be active if the rules made us log with quill and
ink on parchment.  Hold on while I sharpen this turkey feather.)

Will NCCC be able to re-motivate?  Will anybody else push PVRC?

Any thoughts or comments?

Isn't this more fun than debating whether Xeroxing pages out of the
Callbook is the same as Single Op?

73, Art K3KU