[CQ-Contest] Announcing the North America SSB Sprint-boycott from "MAR"

[Hank Greeb]

It's obvious that the contest is a US based contest.  There's a BIG push 
to try to get ALL US States on - there's even a certificate of some sort 
if one works all 50 states.

Perhaps instead of boycotting this fledgling effort, you might support 
it, "show the colours" of your respective provincial flags, even give 
out the abbreviations for the three provinces instead of "MAR" - which 
would force the scoring group to figure out that these were "MAR" in 
their reckoning.

Or, would it be better for your interests to let the entire SSB Sprint 
go into the tubes?  If enough "special interest" join the boycott, that 
could easily happen.  Would this inspire the folks in the three 
provinces in question to make a second "revival effort?"

Maybe, instead, you could get a significant group of Canadian operators 
to petition this new group of sponsors for the SSB sprint to change the 
rule to your liking for the Summer/Fall sprint. After all, these are 
just a bunch of independent operators, not hide-bound by "tradition and 
bureaucracy" which seem to inflict itself upon ARRL contests.

72/73 de n8xx Hg
QRP >99.44% of the time

On 1/24/2015 10:10 AM, "Mike & Coreen Smith VE9AA" <ve9aa at nbnet.nb.ca> 
wrote:
> Message: 6
> Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 17:34:29 -0400
> From: "Mike & Coreen Smith VE9AA" <ve9aa at nbnet.nb.ca>
> To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Announcing the North America SSB Sprint-boycott from "MAR"
>
> This is no slight to the fine fellows of the Sprint, nor my many FB friends
> in "contesting land", but please read my comments re: "MAR".(found in your rules).
>
> my opinions arevthose of most of the members of MCC, so although I won't officially speak "for them", you can rest assured most of them feel the same way.
>
> I have now rec'd 3 direct emails re: the Sprints, so feel I can comment publicly on this as I am being targeted to get on and be active.
>
> ==================
>
> Bob/Chris/Dean et al, VE9=NB, VE1=NS, and VY2=PEI has been since 1993 there is no such thing as a Maritime contest section except in the minds of the ARRL for Sweepstakes and evidently the NA Sprints. (all others allow provinces) Even in our own RAC contests, we are allowed to use our respective provinces.
>
> You may wonder why participation in (All) Sprints is so extremely low from (ahem) what you call "MAR"...now you know.  Participation is historically low for any contest which forces us to use an arbitrary multiplier lumping 3 official provinces together.  I know, I have checked.
>
> Please change the rules to reflect what 98% of other contests allow (everyone to send their own province) and I will bet you a cold 807 activity levels will go up.  I myself will make it a point to get on for every one.
>
> With respect, but I will be boycotting this contest (and all Sprints), ARRL SS and the CaQP probably forever until it changes.
>
> Mike VE9AA
>
> p.s.- As promised, I passed the message along to the MCC group, but you can realistically expect a low turnout - sorry.
>
> p.p.s- I mean, you wouldn't expect a section to be created that combined RI, DE and ME and call it RIDE ME, now would you?  Who would want to compete in that?
>
> p.p.p.s-My other option is to get on, participate and send "NB" but that's just being evil.  I don't want to mess up everyones logs, I just want fairness across the board.
>
> Mike dit dit