AMA News: 98 Places Unfilled At 1982 Nats
Ninety-eight trophies went unclaimed at the 1982 National Championships. Many Junior (under 15) and Senior (15–19) events had only one or two entries—or none at all—so any qualifying model, no matter how finished, would have earned a trophy. This created an unusual situation and highlights opportunities for youngsters attending the Nats.
Examples
- A nine-year-old who built an AMA Delta Dart and flew it in Indoor events such as AMA Stick, Paper Stick, FAI Stick or Pennyplane would have won a trophy in the Junior contestant division.
- A 14-year-old who borrowed a two-meter sailplane and a radio and managed to get the plane into the air would have placed first in the Junior age division—yet there were no entries.
Events with few entries
Many enjoyable events that are not terribly difficult to fly had very low Junior/Senior participation, for example:
- AMA Stick
- Slow Rat Racing
- Control-Line Sport Scale
- Various Indoor events
Why this happened
Over the last few years the Nats has tended to concentrate on the big, glamorous events, often to the exclusion of less-popular categories. As a result, top trophies in Junior and Senior divisions are well within reach of many young people attending the Nats regardless of prior skill or experience.
How families can get involved
Modelers who plan the Nats as a family vacation are encouraged to involve and help youngsters compete. A little encouragement and preparation can put a child into at least one event and enrich the Nats experience for the whole family.
Suggestions:
- Consult the AMA Rule Book for details of Indoor and other events to find suitable possibilities.
- Try Control Line events, which have strong appeal for young people.
- Any high-schooler can assemble a Scale kit—kits and ready-to-finish models are available at neighborhood hobby shops.
- Spend a few enjoyable hours learning to fly the model; with minimal practice, a youngster can be ready to compete.
- Instead of persuading the family to come, get them involved in the competition.
Doug Pratt AMA Special Events
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
