Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

Heres another thought, dont most of these "comps" require a entry fee of some kind ?

Dont get me wrong, if its held on some private property, or someone had to make, meaning buy rocks, wood, nails etc and "make" a course, Im all for throwing them some cash, materials are not cheap, time to actually make/build a course is time, and time is money.
I guess the point Im trying to make is, why should I find some rocks on a public place, then have to pay someone to go play ?

Heres another question,,, in these comps, do people win money ? what exactly do you win ?


I have no doubt, that this spring/summer, I will go to a few of these comps, I will go as a spectator and snap pictures, heck I might even bring my stocker lol

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

Heres the th'ng, I have been doing this for a long time now and I have done the comp thing for a few years and then I gave it up.

It does not mattter how well you drive or how bad you suck. iI had the same feeling when I started, I did not want to look like a idiot in front of my friends and fellow crawlers, but it turns out that I am a damb good driver and can pull some mean lines on the rocks. Also the guys that are comping are really good at helping a new guy out.... so dont let that get to you..

I will tell you why I quit comping..
I was tired of the "Keeping up with the next guy" as far as the technology of the rigs, I could not afford a MOA and was driving the last of the "shafty's" in the area and you can not compete with a MOA that is tunned good so I quit..

Now I am all about the scale rigs... Way more fun and it is not about who's the best driver or who has the best rig.

My point is that you dont need to comp if you dont want to, but give it a try and you might meet some good friends, learn some good info and have a good time."thumbsup"

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

Nothing personal to the poster, but this comment is what keeps people from getting started in competitions. All of it. The hardass attitude, commitment, the do-or-die theme.. to you all it may be a "competition" but to newbs it's the weekend. Why should I give up sleeping in just to drive hours and not be taken seriously by this guy since I don't have a rc-branded tshirt and a matching tattoo? Or to drive hours and stand in the woods with a bunch of strangers from the internet? LOL nobody is. But judging from the 700 views of this thread.. there is a good f'in chance that I might anyway just as long as I don't think I'll look like a total twat doing so. I mean, what is the problem?? If this was business, look at this customer base.. 2100 registered members online and 19 THOUSAND people stopped by the site over the past 24 hours?!

So there is a 1.9, a 2.2, and a pro/comp/not-a-real-vehicle-of-any-kind class?

F that. I just want to run the course and see what it's all about and maybe eat a cold hot dog and drink a warm beer. (Even thought I'll probably want to compete once I'm there)(And why haven't I ever heard anyone mention hanging out, just "drivers meeting behind turn one at 6am)

Nobody starts going out on a 1:1 trail to compete. We start going to hang with the fellas, to drink beer until we pass out in a tent, to get away from the house for a bit and unwind.

Trying to turn a casual date into a marriage. This is a hobby, these are toy trucks. You want commitment? You've got the price of the rig I purchased.. that's about all anyone is ready to commit right now. So I've really got to feel some sort of potential comradery to spend what would otherwise be a casual day around the house.. "competing."

Hell yeah, there is a group "team svsc" out of york pa that has made me feel like they want me to show up. I know I'm going to try to get to whatever gtg or competition they have next.

"thumbsup"

Amen. I quit racing real cars because it was so expensive to stay competitive. But the real root wasn't even the money, it was just he hamster wheel of faster faster more more better better that sucked the fun out of it. Then factor in how much fun I had doing other things instead of spending all the time and money at the track? And lord knows I can't stand listening to some asshat in a pit or a parking lot talk about car parts like a high school kid talks about the latest cell phone.

I initially bought a wraith to build an awesome 2.2 unstoppable beast. That was only two months ago but I'm getting into the scaler thing now that I'm ready to make friends within the hobby.. seems the "competition" isn't as hot and emphasis is placed more on having fun with the 1.9/scale stuff. And honestly, I have more fun running my scx10 around.

I hope I've positively contributed to this thread!

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

Bought my first crawler in aug this year, am now building my own chassis trying to perform better. xr10!

I think the biggest neg about comps is the stopwatch involved in "crawling". I personally think there should be a time limit instead, and style points for sure to help a score out. So I'm prolly not much of a comp guy myself, on the other hand there isn't much here in Alaska anyway as far as comps or GTG, but I don't have the time I would like to dedicate to any one thing anyway.

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

Anyone ??

This is a perfect, example, Im asking questions, but no one wants to answer.

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

I know, being a "comp" guy I'm not supposed to be here.

But... Taken from the Colorado Winter Series thread....

The payout can be real good depending on drivers... "thumbsup"

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

oh ok very nice, thanks... see thats a little motivation to perticipate in a comp, granted you wont get rich, but something to help offset the cost of broken parts lol

I'm not asking this in an arrogant way but what is the goal with making the sport bigger? TV coverage or what? I'm just curious. Just wondering what the guys who are paving the way have in mind as to where they want the sport to go.

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

And I thought I had a positive, uplifting and motivational post. I'm no pro by any means. I'm new to comping just like everyone else who has posted in this thread. The SVSC guys are great guys. I've had the chance to meet a couple of them. It sounds to me like you have never been to a comp or you would know that it is a bunch of adult guys goofing around having a blast. It is not a hardass attitude. It's just that it is what it is. Guys go to hang out, trade, have some laughs, etc. but they also go to compete. You will have fun at an event, but if the idea of competition gets your feathers ruffled, maybe you should re consider going to one. Like I said in a previous post, GTG's are for those who aren't as serious. I'm by no means trying to turn ANYONE away from a comp. Just don't go to see a silent movie and bitch cause there is no sound.

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

I'm an ex-comp guy. I got tired of driving 2-3 hours one way and couldn't get enough local people together to do anything serious.

When I did comp, I was one of the few shafties left in an overwhelmingly moa field. Did I care? No. Did I expect them to dumb down their courses so I could do better? No. Never once since my very first comp.

As far as a shafty not being able to keep up with a tuned moa? Bull-hockey. Comp winners are good drivers, not good parts buyers. I may not have been the best driver, but me and my poor old shafty put many an expensive moa underneath us on the score sheet.

Get a rig, drive the ever-lovin' daylights out of it, pay attention to it, learn to tune, don't expect all of this to happen overnite, and you will do well, no matter what it is.

Comps are about having fun. If you're having fun, you're doing it right.

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

I expect an entry fee, to cover at least some of the arrangement expenses.
I don't expect a huge fee though. Peanuts compared to the travel and living costs involved when all the comps are held some 500 miles away or more.

For me the goal is to not having to travel 100 miles just to meet one other person with the same hobby...

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

This is exactly what every newb wants to hear!

And no I haven't been, but I'll definitely start going when I can.

The best thing to get people going to comps would be to hear more personal experiences like this or see some videos from the comps. I've been on youtube and seen the trucks go, but I haven't seen anything about what the other guys are doing. Hell, the last updated picture thread from a comp in Maryland is from back in 2009 lol

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

We do have some videos and a bunch of pictures from comps through out the season. Eastern PA RC Rock Crawlers

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

Because "comp guys" were told not to respond here. "thumbsup"

I'll interject with a bit of insight on this one. While some clubs might charge for comps....whether they are held in a public or private place, there are still expenses to be paid for. Believe it or not, running a comp in a private or public place still costs someone some money. Scouting locations, comp materials (clipboards, timers, gates) posting scores and comp flyers, showing up early to get the spot ready, staying late to clean up, time spent judging......all of this costs people time and money.

I am one of the people in our club that helps to organize comps. I spend my personal time and money doing and buying all of the things I listed above. I do not ask for a penny in return for this from the guys in our club, but I can see how some would like a bit of reimbursement.


It is not an easy task to setup courses that will allow a wide range of guys with a wide range of skill levels and interest levels to have fun on and still do mostly well on.

Olle, stuff like this doesnt just happen on it's own. Someone has to take the reigns with that. Maybe you need to be that person that starts to organize events and try to get others interested. I can tell you, it is not an easy task, but it can be rewarding. "thumbsup"

BTW, I can tell you from personal experience, one of the best ways to get someone interested and involved in this hobby is to hand them the controller to your truck and tell them to have fun. I've done this plenty of times and it has worked almost every single time.

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

Thank you Jeremy. The OP that started this thread states he wants to help, but IMO has done nothing but start a big debate and get tempers going. By saying "no comp guys" won't give newbies a chance to see that "comp guys" are alright folks. Basically everyone who has posted hasn't even been to a comp so they don't really know what it's like.

I'd like to see Charlie tell a Pro driver to his face he "doesn't give a rats *** about his opinions." Honeslty it's the guys like that that make comps no fun.

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

Aww....I think he had good intentions with that comment. It really does help those of us who are club leaders to know what people do and dont like about the way the club is run. If people aren't having fun at club events, the club wont last very long.

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

I will re cant that statement just because you are correct in saying it's good to find these types of things out. I had a moment of thoughtlessness.

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

I stated, "not looking for comp guy replies", never stated they COULDN'T post. We do have another thread that the comp guys are all over, linked in post #1 here.8)

As to "costs incurred", yes, it needs to be paid for somehow as you know. Our entry fee's also go towards prizes for the top 3 in each class. The club makes a little money though."thumbsup"


This thread is in the newb section so the NEWBS can voice thoughts/ideas/opinions WITHOUT getting flamed. There is another thread outside of the newb section where everyone (even newbs) can post.
Does that make sense?;-) Not trying to bust on anyone here, just letting "mostly non-comp guys" have a place to discuss this.

As to telling a Pro-driver, "I don't care about his opinion", I do care, just NOT in this thread. This is a thread for the non-comp guys to tell US what is going on.

Clubs can't "fix anything" if they don't know what's broken. This thread is to allow non-comp people to give some insight in WHY they're not comp guys.

Yes, there have been some great thoughts posted and I hope it helps event planners/club "management" to see what people are thinking.

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

Box stock supposed (sold and advertised as) scaler is not alowed and no time/cash to build/buy a legal rig

I will say the local guys the few times we have gotten together have been great and I love them they just need to have more I mean come on I fish in the cold from a kayak I will crawl in it to.

I think that if most clubs would just hold meet and crawls that we would get more people in to comps also for money and space issues the micro crawlers could be a great way to go you can hold a comp on a table top with man made obstacles and they cost almost nothing to buy and build I really don't under stand why they haven't taken off more

Re: "Why I don't go to comps".....not looking for comp guy replies....
 

Please expand on that.