Is This the Typical Contester Mentality??

[W1RC]

I was the Prizes Chairman at the Boxborough 2008 Convention. There were a LOT of contesters-types lurking about easily identifiable by their clubbie t-shirts and cute little ballcaps.  Most of them were quite tolerable despite their strange "proclivities".  The Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC) held their customary four-hour Forum (aka meeting) in the Grand Ballroom.  In the past some of them didn't think that purchasing a ticket to the Convention applied to them but this time I was pleased to see that all present had their tickets prominently displayed in the nice little badge holders that were provided for this purpose.  I wonder if this is because NEAR-Fest "loaned" the Boxborough Committee our Sergeant-at-Arms, W1PRA, who put them on notice.

Here is a "fan mail" message I received from one of the YCCC members, K1IB, complaining about the way the Saturday afternoon prize drawing was conducted. Although this was the first time we had a Saturday prize drawing and it was not without some challenges we did the best we could under the circumstances.  I wonder if this clown is representative of the majority of the members in this group of "dick-measuring" elitists. 

At 09:42 AM 8/25/2008, Mill Moore, K1IB wrote:
"Saturday's raffle drawing was a colossal screw-up. It devastated the YCCC meeting, and it kept me at Boxboro for an hour longer than I anticipated, waiting for the drawing to be completed. Most in the crowd were unable to hear anything going on during the raffle draw, and the individuals running the draw made it plain during the process they would make no effort to improve the obviously bad situation (except to jabber on constantly, but unintelligbly)."

My reply to him was:

Mill:

Just curious - in what way did the 5 o'clock prize drawing "devastate" the YCCC meeting?  Wasn't that scheduled to be over and done with at 5:00?  I would think that four hours monopolizing our largest meeting room should be more than sufficient to conduct business for even a group like the YCCC.  It must have been a very tortuous ordeal for you to be "kept" at Boxborough an hour longer than you were planning on staying and I am sorry that you were so inconvenienced.

For your information, I wanted to use the Grand Ballroom for the drawing in which case the problems you so skillfully enumerate would never have become issues.  However in planning the drawing I was told that the YCCC had use of the Ballroom from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM after which time the hotel staff had to prepare the room for the Banquet.  Consequently, as you well know, I had to make use of the Commercial Exhibition Hall for the purpose of drawing the winning tickets.

It was not the ideal venue to be sure but we were highly pleased to see that a very large number of attendees chose to stay for the drawing to the point of near chaos.  However it is obvious that someone heard us because we had three prize winners, including one lucky gentleman who took home a $2,800.00 Flex-Radio 5000A. 

The important thing to consider is the attendance this time was way up (500+) over the past five or six Boxborough Conventions.  The commercial vendors were very pleased to have so much afternoon traffic.  They did better than they have for quite a while at this Convention and many have already asked us if we were booking booth space for 2010.  It would appear that my strategy to make the vendors very happy and eager to return to Boxborough in two years was a success. 

To avoid the issues in 2010 I have already submitted a request to the Committee members to provide me with the Grand Ballroom for the purpose of drawing the door prizes.  If they give it to me (and given the problems you so astutely recognized this is a very distinct possibility) then your YCCC meeting will have to be abbreviated somewhat. I suggest that you advise your cohorts to plan accordingly

I don't know you Mill, even though you live only ten miles away.  I really hope that you understand what I'm going to tell you now.  This is all about saving this wonderful hamfest from the fate that has unfortunately befallen some of the best from the past, many of which are now just fond memories or soon will be if we don't make changes to keep up with the times in which we live. 

73,

MrMike, W1RC

[W3SLK]

Well Mike, as my buddy Mark Simpson would say, "Bummer on his face!" Bully for you on a successful hamfest and I hope you are able to restore its glory days.

[WQ9E]

Mike,

I think you crafted a very reasonable response, nice job!  Also congratulations on the very rare achievement of increasing hamfest attendance in the current environment.

Now for a quick step up to the soap box, us professor types just LOVE soap boxes!

A current business catch phrase I really detest is "finding your passion and excelling at that passion".  There is a very (very, very, very) fine line between passionate and crazy.  A devout Muslim or Baptist is generally a pretty good person but a fanatic becomes a  terrorist no matter which particular supreme being (or set thereof) is the focus of their beliefs.  I do operate in some contests but contesting does not rule my life.  I also like DXing.  I am a member of SMC (Society of Midwest Contesters) and I did a very well received slide show on vintage gear at our meeting last month.  For years I avoided adding any Collins equipment to my collection because of the fanaticism of some Collins collectors; I now have quite a bit of stuff from Cedar Rapids but my Drake 4 line gets used much more often and I don't genuflect every time I pass the S line.

I wonder if amateur radio is a magnet for those with Asperger's Syndrome as it seems we have more than our fair share of people who focus far more than is healthy on one very narrow aspect of life.  Something I find very enjoyable about vintage gear operation is it seems most of us have a lot of interests and a pretty healthy understanding of fitting our hobby into our overall life.

Enough of the soap box, since the semester has started I now have 55 students who HAVE to listen to me so I won't subject the rest of you to my attempts at curing chronic insomnia.

Rodger WQ9E

[k4kyv]

I couldn't imagine attending a hamfest or convention and wasting 4 solid hours of it at a contest forum! 

At most forums, I am ready to leave after 1 hour, especially if there is a flea market full of goodies waiting outside.

[W1RC]

I couldn't imagine attending a hamfest or convention and wasting 4 solid hours of it at a contest forum! 

I think their scheme is to turn it into an annual meeting of their club every second year which saves them big bucks having to rent a suitable meeting room.  I don't know how many hams in New England are thus afflicted but I see lots of them wearing their official YCCC garb at area hamfests.  The "Forum" is supposed to be open to all.  I have never attended but this time I showed up with Paulie to make sure they all had conventions tickets.

73,

MrM

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

I see lots of them wearing their official YCCC garb at area hamfests. 

It's that need to be seen and respected. Respect my authoritay! Next time you see one, ask them which part of SKYWARN or REACT they represent, then reference the hat. Cheap entertainment.

You did a great job with all of it, Mike. Wish I could've been there. It's amazing how easily a failing 'fest can be turned around by a group who wants it to succeed, combined with publicity reflecting such. Excitement is contagious, and hamfests are fun if we make them so. There will always be a few whiners. Anyone who's life is so disrupted by missing a door prize drawing or having to wait around for it when they'd rather leave must have a pretty miserable existence overall.

You did him a favor, really.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Maybe his real issue is that he stood around for an hour and didn't win anything. But, I think you're moving in the right direction to get the drawing out of the vendor area and into the ballroom. Actually, this year I had a great time at Boxboro. The weather was fabulous both days, traffic issues were minimal both driving up and back, flea market traffic pass my area was constant all day (although not as hectic as Dayton and definitely not as laid back as an AWA flea market), the inside vendor area was full of vendors, including prominent names, the forums that I peaked in all seemed to be well attended, and both both day and evening activities had lots of laughs. Even Sunday's outdoor area had many more vendors then 2 years ago. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed on Sunday, as I wandered around and talked to outside and definitely inside vendors, that most had a very positive attitude about the event. Activities were so prominent both evenings that I realized, as I was driving home, I never once turned on the TV in the room.

[AF9J]

Mike,

As you and others know, I also contest.  FIrst of all, you did a great job of dealing with K1IB's whiny e-mail to you (I wonder of the call suffix stands for "I'm a baby").  Like Rodger, I belong to SMC (I debated going to the meeting he mentioned, but as a daytrip, didn't want to travel 240 miles one way).  IMO, most contesters are like Rodger and I - we do it casually, and for the fun of it.  When a contest becomes no fun for me, I shut the radio off, and do something else  (read a book, go to a movie, etc.).  I have one or two contests, where for a change of pace, I've done it with a vintage flavor (I've fired up the Kenwood TS-820).  For the first time in 15 years, I have a set of Drake Twins that I may try in this aspect.  But the key phrase is - I contest when it's fun to do so. 

Guys like K1IB, are the fanatics.  They take the fun out of contesting and amatuer radio in general.  They live eat and breathe contesting.  That's too bad, because with regards to amateur radio, just contesting, is about as one-trick pony as only operating in one mode is.  Contesting fanatics are the ones who get hung up with winning at all costs, because they obsess over "keeping up a 200 contacts per hour rate", etc.  When I belonged to the Badger Contesters years ago, we had hamfest meetings, but we always accomodated the hamfests (hey, we were their guests).  Groups like YCCC, and PVRC, due to their size,  oftentimes act too big for their britches.  Because they are known internationally for their contesting exploits, they assume that everybody else should know that they are VIP material.  NOT!!!

Just my 2 cents worth,
Ellen - AF9J