[CQ-Contest] Posting Scores

[Gerry Hull]

I could not agree more, Ward.

You reap what you sow.

If you are at the top of the game in contesting, you get there due to your
hard work and skill -- but, you are also there because you have all those
stations to work.

All those stations you work are most certainly not at the same level as you
... they are small stations, newbies, casual ops and dedicated little
pistols.   The amateur population is always in churn.  So, there are a lot
of people coming in and out of the contest game.  For those who are very
new, understanding WHY we like contesting and HOW we do it is complex.  You
can talk strategy all day long... but watching it on a scoreboard is simple
-- they see the thrill of competition.   I've been a crew in large yacht
racing in the past -- the class rules are somewhat complex -- but watching
yacht racing scoreboards still brings back the thrill.

Top Ten ops have better things to do than look at a scoreboard.  You can
worry about someone detecting your strategy, but, I'd say that if a true
competitor at YOUR skill level is trying to gain an advantage by looking at
a scoreboard, that is a loosing proposition.   There are just too many
other important things to be doing.  However, I think many other people
would be motivated be seeing your amazing work!

So, those of you in the top ten -- reconsider.   Posting your score helps
RadioSport, and I'd be willing to bet that it will not be a factor in a
loosing bid.

73, Gerry W1VE


On Thu, Mar 26, 2015 at 10:20 AM, Ward Silver <hwardsil at gmail.com> wrote:

> >  Watching an actual operation to see the fun and actually operating is
> going to do that.
>
> Who among us has ever actually watched someone operating a radio contest?
>
> /sarcasm_on
> CW or RTTY contest:
> [15 minutes of silence and keyboard clicking]
> Dammit!
> [more silence and clicking]
>
> Phone contest:
> Call sign five nine something [pause, click click] thanks your call sign
> Call sign five nine something [pause, click click] thanks your call sign
> Call sign five nine something [pause, click click] thanks your call sign
> Dammit!
> Call sign five nine something [pause, click click] thanks your call sign
> /sarcasm_off
>
> As a several-times WRTC referee, I can attest that without full
> involvement in the action, it's not very much fun.  Actually, the better
> the competitor, the less there is to watch.  It would be like watching
> video from a GoPro camera mounted on a marathon runner - if it's
> interesting, they're losing :-)
>
> Seriously, the "metadata" is a required part of what would make radiosport
> interesting, even to other hams.  Radiosport is a sport that happens in our
> *head* and not much else, physically.  Where is the beam pointed, how loud
> are signals, who are you going to pick out of the pile, when are you going
> to drop your call in, who else was calling that you beat to the DX, what's
> happening on the second radio, think you can move that mult to 15, when is
> 40 going to open to Japan, who's crowding in below you, etc etc etc.
>
> This is why it's hard to explain to non-hams and even non-contesters what
> the attraction is.  Real-time score reporting is just a start - you don't
> have to watch anybody else's score, of course, and the top ops probably
> will never look at those web pages...which is fine. Unless we are going to
> replace ourselves exclusively through one-on-one mentoring, we should be
> thinking about how to make the sport something others can experience to
> some degree as a spectator and that means the whole sport and not just
> numbers or the back of our heads.
>
> 73, Ward N0AX
>
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