heli001
Sep 03, 2004, 02:00 AM
!Introduction
For those that follow the events at Triple Tree, this is the third event of the year for this wonderful facility. This year's IMAC was held on August 13, 14 and 15, 2004. It is a competitive IMAC event that preludes the Don Lowe Masters, to be held at the end of September.
There were a total of 51 pilots in the five classes of IMAC, with Sportsman class having the largest number. Please be sure to read the winners list with pictures at the end. Thursday was supposed to be a practice day, but with the hurricanes boiling around Florida, it was a total washout. We had two and a half inches of rain on Thursday, but due to the great drainage of the facility, flying Friday morning didn’t miss a beat. The decision was also made not to fly Sunday, due to a low ceiling and people having long distances to travel back home, but we managed to get enough knowns and unknowns in on Friday and Saturday to have an event. As usual, the competition was stiff, but a mention about the Unlimited Class is a MUST -- in the closest scoring I have ever seen, the difference between Brian Hannah and Baron Johnson for first place, was four one thousandths of one point.
<div class = "dashed"><p>
<center><font color = "blue">In the closest scoring I have ever seen, the difference between Unlimited 1st and 2nd was...<br><big>.004 points!</big><p></font></center></div>
Hopefully, this article will offer a little perspective about the makeup of a competitive event and what it takes to CD (Contest Director) an event of this nature. From my point of view, I will try to explain a little about judging and working with the CD, in various job functions, to make the event flow as smooth as possible.
!Judging
For my part, this was the first event that I was invited to judge. Having been around this type of competition for a number of years, I made the decision early last year to learn to judge. I attended the judges’ school held in Georgia last year. It took the rest of the year to get all of the education I could before I thought I was ready to judge others. No small task, in and of itself, and I must say that the first half hour sitting in the “chair” was, at best, a nerve racking experience. After the shock wore off, I settled into a nice rhythm and became very comfortable with the experience. There were 19 pilots in the Sportsman class that I judged, so I had a pretty busy two days. I must interject here that consistency in scoring is paramount to being successful, and fair to the competitors. Friendships have to go out the window during the competition and mistakes will happen. It is probably one of the most “thankless” jobs in competitive modeling, but it is something that has to be done and is very rewarding to the individual doing it. My hat is certainly off to ALL of the people that take the time to judge events, as I can now speak from an insiders’ viewpoint. Those of you that fly and judge certainly understand this position.
!!CD
One of the other jobs in competition that really goes unnoticed is the Contest Director. By nature of design, if the event goes well, he/she for the most part is hidden within the structure of the event. I have had the privilege of working with Stan Stockman on quite a few IMAC events over the past three years and have learned a lot of what it takes to be a great CD. Somehow, he manages to make sense out of chaos, and gets all of the flights and rounds in, and manages to beat the weather every time. It is a true art to pull one of these events off, and he does it with ease. Also an accolade to the CD was the amount of flights that we managed, in two days, with this many pilots. The CD has to plan the event, file the paperwork with the AMA, handle all of the registration, set up the flight lines, line up the judges and other help that it takes to pull the event off. He also has all of the responsibility for the event, including safety issues, judging issues, making sure that the routines are right, the unknowns are handed out in time for competition, and resolving any questions or gripes that may arise. Did I mention that lunch was furnished for three days, so someone has to be sure that there are drinks for the pilots, hot dogs that need to be cooked and a food line set up, all within the structure and time of the event. Let’s just say that the CD is responsible, totally, from the original AMA sanction down to the mustard and onions on your hotdog. NO small task at all, and he also has to keep everyone happy.
@910588:“Stan the Man - CD Extraordinaire”
There are certainly many other people that need to be recognized and I wish I could name all of them here. Maybe, in my last article of the year, I will be able to list all of the individuals that make the events happen at Triple Tree, for without their dedicated devotion to the hobby/sport; these events could not take place.
!Now the fun part. . .
@910589:AC Stockman and great-granddaughter Marissa.
@910590:Can you say food with a view?!
RC modeling is not all about models and competition, it is about people that come together and have a good time. On Friday night, it was "bring your own meat" night, to cook on the grill. All other beverages and food items were furnished. The new patio, next to the hangar, is close to being finished, and it is a very appropriate area for these types of gatherings. The view out over the lake at sunset is breathtaking, and we were lucky enough to have Keith Porter there with his very nice sound system. He has a Karaoke setup, which we didn’t use on Friday night, but the Big BBQ was to be on Saturday evening, and there were enough brave souls to make it a great success. Saturday night's BBQ was furnished as part of your registration fee, along with lunch for 3 days and everything but the meat on Friday. There were about 120 people there on both nights, and it turned out to be a lot more than was expected with the Karaoke setup.
@910591:Marissa and Gavin
@910592:Marissa entertains
Stan and Nora Stockman’s granddaughter, Marissa, who appeared to be shy in the first meeting, took the microphone and stole the hearts of those that attended. She managed to have everyone there in stitches before she was done, and if you didn’t hurt from smiling, you missed it. Stan and Nora, I think you have a stage talent in the making. As I said earlier, it is the coming together of people, that make these events a success, whether you fly or watch, young or old. No matter what you do for a living, you are all equals on the flying field.
And finally, a huge thanks to Mary Lou and Pat Hartness for being friends and providing one of the finest flying facilities anywhere, and all of the people that make these events happen, you know who you are. Please visit the <a href="http://www.joenall.com">Triple Tree site</a> for additional pictures and coverage of the other events that are held. Photo’s courtesy of Carol Mckinney and Nora Stockman. Thanks for all of your help!
!Photos
@910593:Planes lined up looking South waiting for a round of Basic.
@910594:Intermediate and Unlimited waiting to fly".
@910595:Fine tuning radio help.
@910596: A group gathers after a day of flying to watch Pat fly his rather large Quaker.
!Triple Tree IMAC Classic 2004 Winners
@910597:Basic: Brad Petty, Adam Ranck, Craig Baker.
@910598:Sportsman: Stephen Hamilton, Mark Culpepper, Pedro Jordan.
@910599:Intermediate: Jimmy Ritch, Joel Marley, Dale Klien.
@910600:Advanced:Keith Hamilton, David Smith, Roy Barrow.
@910601:Unlimited:Baron Johnson, Brian Hannah, Wayne Matthews.
For those that follow the events at Triple Tree, this is the third event of the year for this wonderful facility. This year's IMAC was held on August 13, 14 and 15, 2004. It is a competitive IMAC event that preludes the Don Lowe Masters, to be held at the end of September.
There were a total of 51 pilots in the five classes of IMAC, with Sportsman class having the largest number. Please be sure to read the winners list with pictures at the end. Thursday was supposed to be a practice day, but with the hurricanes boiling around Florida, it was a total washout. We had two and a half inches of rain on Thursday, but due to the great drainage of the facility, flying Friday morning didn’t miss a beat. The decision was also made not to fly Sunday, due to a low ceiling and people having long distances to travel back home, but we managed to get enough knowns and unknowns in on Friday and Saturday to have an event. As usual, the competition was stiff, but a mention about the Unlimited Class is a MUST -- in the closest scoring I have ever seen, the difference between Brian Hannah and Baron Johnson for first place, was four one thousandths of one point.
<div class = "dashed"><p>
<center><font color = "blue">In the closest scoring I have ever seen, the difference between Unlimited 1st and 2nd was...<br><big>.004 points!</big><p></font></center></div>
Hopefully, this article will offer a little perspective about the makeup of a competitive event and what it takes to CD (Contest Director) an event of this nature. From my point of view, I will try to explain a little about judging and working with the CD, in various job functions, to make the event flow as smooth as possible.
!Judging
For my part, this was the first event that I was invited to judge. Having been around this type of competition for a number of years, I made the decision early last year to learn to judge. I attended the judges’ school held in Georgia last year. It took the rest of the year to get all of the education I could before I thought I was ready to judge others. No small task, in and of itself, and I must say that the first half hour sitting in the “chair” was, at best, a nerve racking experience. After the shock wore off, I settled into a nice rhythm and became very comfortable with the experience. There were 19 pilots in the Sportsman class that I judged, so I had a pretty busy two days. I must interject here that consistency in scoring is paramount to being successful, and fair to the competitors. Friendships have to go out the window during the competition and mistakes will happen. It is probably one of the most “thankless” jobs in competitive modeling, but it is something that has to be done and is very rewarding to the individual doing it. My hat is certainly off to ALL of the people that take the time to judge events, as I can now speak from an insiders’ viewpoint. Those of you that fly and judge certainly understand this position.
!!CD
One of the other jobs in competition that really goes unnoticed is the Contest Director. By nature of design, if the event goes well, he/she for the most part is hidden within the structure of the event. I have had the privilege of working with Stan Stockman on quite a few IMAC events over the past three years and have learned a lot of what it takes to be a great CD. Somehow, he manages to make sense out of chaos, and gets all of the flights and rounds in, and manages to beat the weather every time. It is a true art to pull one of these events off, and he does it with ease. Also an accolade to the CD was the amount of flights that we managed, in two days, with this many pilots. The CD has to plan the event, file the paperwork with the AMA, handle all of the registration, set up the flight lines, line up the judges and other help that it takes to pull the event off. He also has all of the responsibility for the event, including safety issues, judging issues, making sure that the routines are right, the unknowns are handed out in time for competition, and resolving any questions or gripes that may arise. Did I mention that lunch was furnished for three days, so someone has to be sure that there are drinks for the pilots, hot dogs that need to be cooked and a food line set up, all within the structure and time of the event. Let’s just say that the CD is responsible, totally, from the original AMA sanction down to the mustard and onions on your hotdog. NO small task at all, and he also has to keep everyone happy.
@910588:“Stan the Man - CD Extraordinaire”
There are certainly many other people that need to be recognized and I wish I could name all of them here. Maybe, in my last article of the year, I will be able to list all of the individuals that make the events happen at Triple Tree, for without their dedicated devotion to the hobby/sport; these events could not take place.
!Now the fun part. . .
@910589:AC Stockman and great-granddaughter Marissa.
@910590:Can you say food with a view?!
RC modeling is not all about models and competition, it is about people that come together and have a good time. On Friday night, it was "bring your own meat" night, to cook on the grill. All other beverages and food items were furnished. The new patio, next to the hangar, is close to being finished, and it is a very appropriate area for these types of gatherings. The view out over the lake at sunset is breathtaking, and we were lucky enough to have Keith Porter there with his very nice sound system. He has a Karaoke setup, which we didn’t use on Friday night, but the Big BBQ was to be on Saturday evening, and there were enough brave souls to make it a great success. Saturday night's BBQ was furnished as part of your registration fee, along with lunch for 3 days and everything but the meat on Friday. There were about 120 people there on both nights, and it turned out to be a lot more than was expected with the Karaoke setup.
@910591:Marissa and Gavin
@910592:Marissa entertains
Stan and Nora Stockman’s granddaughter, Marissa, who appeared to be shy in the first meeting, took the microphone and stole the hearts of those that attended. She managed to have everyone there in stitches before she was done, and if you didn’t hurt from smiling, you missed it. Stan and Nora, I think you have a stage talent in the making. As I said earlier, it is the coming together of people, that make these events a success, whether you fly or watch, young or old. No matter what you do for a living, you are all equals on the flying field.
And finally, a huge thanks to Mary Lou and Pat Hartness for being friends and providing one of the finest flying facilities anywhere, and all of the people that make these events happen, you know who you are. Please visit the <a href="http://www.joenall.com">Triple Tree site</a> for additional pictures and coverage of the other events that are held. Photo’s courtesy of Carol Mckinney and Nora Stockman. Thanks for all of your help!
!Photos
@910593:Planes lined up looking South waiting for a round of Basic.
@910594:Intermediate and Unlimited waiting to fly".
@910595:Fine tuning radio help.
@910596: A group gathers after a day of flying to watch Pat fly his rather large Quaker.
!Triple Tree IMAC Classic 2004 Winners
@910597:Basic: Brad Petty, Adam Ranck, Craig Baker.
@910598:Sportsman: Stephen Hamilton, Mark Culpepper, Pedro Jordan.
@910599:Intermediate: Jimmy Ritch, Joel Marley, Dale Klien.
@910600:Advanced:Keith Hamilton, David Smith, Roy Barrow.
@910601:Unlimited:Baron Johnson, Brian Hannah, Wayne Matthews.