Originally Posted by klhoard

So . . . it seems that local contests are dropping faster than presidential candidates . . . . .
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What would you guys think about requiring folks to qualify for the Nats?
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- Intermediate thru Advanced would have to attend and finish one round at any sanctioned local contest 12 months prior to attending the Nats.
- For Masters thru FAI, you would have to attend and finish in the top 80% at least two sanctioned local contests within the last 12 months.
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Several benefits I can think of right off the bat:
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1) Increase attendance at local contests.
2) Increase attendance of the "big name" folks at local contests.
3) Give everyone attending the Nats some "skin in the game" by requiring more than the ability to make a hotel reservation.
4) Make the Nats more manageable by reducing the current imbalance of attendees between Int. / Adv. and Mast. / FAI.
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I think that qualifying for the Nats, and a National Ranking system to determine what class you fly would go a long way towards transforming Pattern from just a very expensive part time job to an actual competitive sport that guys would want to invest time and money in again.