Your ideal comp?

[Erik D_lux]

Having held a couple of comps now, I feel things are starting to get situated and figured out but I know I have made my mistakes I wanted to post up and see if you guys have input on what would make an ideal comp and what I could or could not do to make it better. Its all in the details IMO.

I dont think you will hurt my feelings if you put your input in so please, if you do have a suggestion, let me know so we can continue to make each comp better.

I will start with some of the basics that I think work/dont work.

Things I like:

• 8 courses - the more the betta
• Judges
• Run in groups
• Since Spencer is the only one that really seemed to like soda... ditch the soda and only go water for everybody?
• No more throwing out course scores
• No finals

Your input needed:

• Trophies for all classes except overall?
• 4 courses in the morning, 4 in the afternoon?
• Lunch on 2.2p day?
• Throw some controversy in here... get rid of 1.9 class and run either a mini or standard unlimited class? Or maybe just run a mini unlimited on the 1.9 courses? Not sure if anybody else besides me has one though?

I will put some more ideas up later. Like I said, feel free to put some input in if you have an idea that would make the comp better. Even in my things that I like, feel free to pick it apart. It will only make every comp from here out better and better."thumbsup"

 

[donzx12]

That all sound good i say get rid of 1.9 class and run more super courses. If we have judges need to start a judge list. I think it's my turn after worlds. "thumbsup"

 

[Curcal]

Hold it closer to Sacramento.... hahahaha

 

[donzx12]

Hold it closer to Sacramento.... hahahaha

Did you see this curt. http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/dlux-presents-red-rock-rumble/545530-rumble-rocks-drivers-list.html

 

[Curcal]

I did..... my attendance may not be possible.... Im not a for sure no, but I'm a highly unlikely.... not happy about it, but I'm really struggling with the logistics

 

[Erik D_lux]

That all sound good i say get rid of 1.9 class and run more super courses. If we have judges need to start a judge list. I think it's my turn after worlds. "thumbsup"

Great idea! If nobody is signed up and overly stoked about 1.9's lets get some serious super time in!

Hold it closer to Sacramento.... hahahaha

This is a great idea also! I really, really, really think qualifiers need to be held in N and S Cali. Do you know any active clubs in those areas who could do it ;-):mrgreen:

 

[House]

I really, really, really think qualifiers need to be held in N and S Cali.

We may work with RCBro to get one up here on the border this next year.
There was interest last year but not enough time left on the calendar to
figure out all of the details...

 

[House]

This may sound like a whine, but it isn't meant to be. I think it should be part of the rules.
I think if a weather related "break" in the comp is needed it should be called out so everybody knows they can pack up their stuff and run to cover.
I am sure it would suck watching from the sidelines while everybody drives right up a line you kept falling off of in the pouring rain an hour before.
If the organizer decides that there is no break then keep driving like everybody else or start taking 50's... :mrgreen:

 

[cboggs]

Best of the West was almost perfect for me, very well ran and had tons of fun. I would love to get rid of 1.9 and run more super courses! A more central location would make the drive for us that live in the PNW easier. If the next comp was in Wendover or Northern Cali then I might consider going, but Im not doing another 17-18 hour drive back to back so close after worlds.

 

[Erik D_lux]

This may sound like a whine, but it isn't meant to be. I think it should be part of the rules.
I think if a weather related "break" in the comp is needed it should be called out so everybody knows they can pack up their stuff and run to cover.
I am sure it would suck watching from the sidelines while everybody drives right up a line you kept falling off of in the pouring rain an hour before.
If the organizer decides that there is no break then keep driving like everybody else or start taking 50's... :mrgreen:

Do you feel that you were forced to keep running during the rain?

I guess my thoughts on it are that you dont have to keep running. It could be a personal call though depending on what the weather looks like. Even if it starts raining, it could be either to your benefit or disadvantage to keep running depending on what the weather keeps doing. I would think it would just be best to keep that decision up to the driver?

 

[House]

Do you feel that you were forced to keep running during the rain?

No, absolutely not. I didn't know it was optional, that's all. ;-)

 

[Erik D_lux]

Oh, gotcha.

Yeah, optional as far as weather is concerned.

 

[House]

I guess this isn't the picture of the "ideal comp", huh?

:ror:

 

[Erik D_lux]

Forgot youre from a place where weather is a constant concern. LOL. But, I guess you do know more than anybody the concern about the weather not stopping....

 

[BC-Brian]

Something that is constantly overlooked is course design. Building a well balanced course is a skill that not all people have. Builders need to remember that the course needs to be challenging but at the end of the day we are there to have fun and DNF'ing all day long is not fun.

Not all drivers have the same skill level but they all want to have fun.

The rules I typically follow for building a course are:
- Make gates get progressively harder, If someone is going to DNF at least let them get to 7 or 8 before they hit the wall.
- Every Gate needs a straddle line. The straddle line should not take more than 10-20 seconds, you are already being penalized 10 points you should not have to burn a minute on the clock on top of that.
- Make the primary course very doable for those in attendance (read the crowd). Separate the cream of the crop from the rest using bonus gates, not by who are the two guys that can finish the course.
- When using the method above do more bonus gates than less, 4x @ 5 points each will give drivers multiple chances to get ahead of the rest.
- Don't make the bonus gates ridiculously hard, if they look impossible people will not attempt them and you will end up with less point spread than you want.

Following these methods you will get:
- Guys in the -40 to -20 range, these are your top drivers
- Guys in the -20 to 0 range, these are your up and comers
- Guys in the 0 to 20 range, these are your newer drivers that had to take a few of those straddles and skipped the bonuses but they finished.
- Hopefully you are getting very few people in the 20 to 40 range (your DNF'ers)

I am looking to see 80%+ of the drivers finishing my courses with a 40 to 50 point spread, plenty to determine who is the best but everyone had fun.

 

[Erik D_lux]

Course setting is very important. "thumbsup"

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

Agreed on course setting. I would like to see 75% of drivers finish all non finals courses. I have made the 40pt max an optional event rule, which should encourage more progress from newer drivers.


The remaining details you have listed are small stuff that won't affect overall event quality as much IMO. 1.9 class had the lowest attendance at Worlds, and so I think it acceptable to not run it or run just "Mini" courses which would be 1.9 or mini unlimited.