The USHPA BOD is meeting in Salt Lake City this weekend. As a group they are for the most part very far removed from the US and international competition scene. None of them (other than Steve Kroop, who was the US team leader) attended the the Worlds in Big Spring, Texas. Even Jim Zeiset, who was the USHPA representative and who came to give the USHPA welcoming speech at the Worlds opening ceremonies, left immediately after the talk. And what a talk it was.

Are they clueless? Essentially yes. They can pretty much only rely on what is presented to them at the BOD meeting. They have little or no experience otherwise. They are just not in the life.

Mike Haley, the new USHPA Competition Committee Chairman, came to the meeting with the intent of getting the Nationals in Lakeview (or somewhere in Oregon), and if he didn't get the Nationals designator (like he didn't last year) he wasn't going to put on the meet. That was his position. He didn't want to put on a meet with too few people attending (like this year), so that he would lose money.

David Glover came to the meeting with a proposal to put on the National at Big Spring, a favorite site of the competition pilots, who have repeatedly voted with their feet to come to Big Spring and enjoy the great flatland flying that Texas has to offer. Many competition pilots had written to him and to their regional directors, asking that the Nationals be held at Big Spring.

Now last year I argued hard to get Mike the Nationals in Lakeview. I have worked for years to get a high level competition back in the west, and so far the competition pilots have shown little to no interest. They've been spoiled by the flatlands. Even if the meets cost more as they've got to pay for towing. Some California pilots will even go up to Chelan to fly the flats of eastern Washington during the CXCC. There hasn't been a high level competition in California in years.

This year we had a great little competition in Casa Grande, Arizona, seven hours from Los Angeles. Still we had little interest or participation from the southern California pilots. After a while you just figure that they are not interested.

Mike's nationals proposal won 5 to 4 in the Competition Committee. There was a secret vote in the general session where it won 13 to 7. One participant felt that the Big Spring meet would be a big success with lots of pilots attending (pent up demand because they couldn't go there this year due to the Worlds), and that it didn't need the moniker of the Nationals to win big in the hearts of the competition pilots. That person is probably right.

Also that the Lakeview meet needs some extra attention if you want to attract pilots (and get more than the minimum 300 NTSS points).

David Glover says that he may move the Big Spring meet forward from the August 13^th date to accommodate the Lakeview meet. The Big Spring Championships, may become the Big Spring Internationals. David is looking to put on the Hang Gliding World Spot Landing Championship at Big Spring this August. He is also looking for good sponsorship (like he got at the Worlds).

So I expect that Big Spring will be a great big success this coming year. We'll have to see about Lakeview. I wish Mike Haley success in that meet.

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