[UK-CONTEST] Contesting - What's the point?

[G3SJJ]

Agreed Bob, but be careful never, ever, ever to criticise SD on this 
Reflector!!!

Mind you it does generate a big pile-up including GUs!!

Chris G3SJJ


Bob Henderson wrote:

>Well, what is the point?
>
>Surely the point is to have fun and maybe learn something new and worthwhile
>in the process.
>
>I'm certainly no contesting guru or anything even approaching an expert.
>Perish the thought.  I've spent most of my life carefully avoiding any kind
>of  "expert" classification.  Altogether too confining, in my opinion.
>
>I do enjoy myself contesting and I hope I will continue to do so.  I believe
>contesting to be very much about enjoyment.  About having fun and sharing in
>the enjoyment experienced by other participants.  I've experienced many
>styles of exchange.  Been thrilled by some and frustrated by others but how
>boring it would be if everyone behaved like machines and sent precisely the
>same thing.
>
>In just about every contest I operate, I am called by a UA3 station who
>inevitably sends my call twice, followed by his, three times.  Reports, he
>sends three times too, even if it's just 5nn.  He always makes me smile.
>He's done this for years.  You might think he surely would have learned to
>introduce some level of efficiency into his operating by now.  I went
>through a phase of thinking just that, a few years ago but now I accept that
>efficiency doesn't interest him.  He's just there for the fun of it and you
>know what?   I'm glad he is.
>
>I think it's fine for folks to send a precise, well ordered, efficient
>exchange but it's also fine for folks to exchange the odd greeting too.
>Fine too, for those who are just there for fun to be a bit sloppy about it.
>I get a lot of smiles on Sunday afternoon in the big events, when folks
>appear on the bands after having lunched well and wined equally so.
>Contesting could be really miserable if there was nothing to smile about.
>
>Of course, it's nice to win an event now and again and it's good to perform
>competitively from time to time.  But it's unrealistic to expect everyone to
>do the same.  I think it's also undesirable.  If all operators displayed
>machine-like precision all of the time, I think I'd throw the towel in
>altogether and take up something which exhibited more of a human aspect.
>
>Folks should just get on there.  Hopefully learn a few new tricks and
>improve on prior performance but above all have fun doing it.  Take it all
>as seriously or as casually as makes sense (to you).
>
>Bob, 5B4AGN
>www.5b4agn.net
>
>CQWW 2004 SOAB RTTY #1 World
>Commonwealth 2004 Restricted #1 World
>Russian DX CW 2004 SOAB #1 World
>ARRL DX 2003 SOAB CW #1 Asia
>BARTG Spring 2003 SOAB(E) #1 World
>
>etc.
>
>Sometimes, I take it seriously..........but not that seriously and only if
>it's FUN.
>
>
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>