OK, so here is another angle to consider: <u>Contest day and contestant judging</u>.  Encouraging those who show up planning to "just to watch," to enter and fly Sportsman (what happened to me and many others) is likely to continue...  With one or more of these unplanned entries per contest, what is YOUR workload at the higher levels on contest day?  I mean, you want to fly your class too; have to judge the class that is appropriate given your experience and knowledge; AND now you have me (ok not me, someone like me last year) hanging around who you WANT to coach into having a great first contest so that they learn something and will come back again to learn some more (or at least not lose their airplane today).  Maybe the salient question is what can be done to address your workload and make your multiple mission more successful? A lot of work for the upper level guys for a day that is suppose to be fun, from what I have seen.  I love that the experienced pilots like to teach as much as I like to learn, however, perhaps you are the guys who need some relief as well as ideas on how to grow the sport out of a hobby that has changed since you got started? Also related, on the topic of contestant judging, is the question of how difficult is it to get a new judge up and running?  I don't have much insight into that, but I imagine it is a question that would spark a healthy discussion.  Is there anything that can be done to make it more feasible for both the new contestants AND the those new to judging, to succeed?  After all, if I keep coming back year after year, at some point I may be asked to take a turn in the chair?  Good posting.  Dana