This from the USHPA Spring BOD meeting (not the latest meeting) minutes:

Strategic Planning Initiatives: Competition sanction evaluation/restructuring—CC discussed some great ideas. An action item for Mike Haley to start new strategic planning work group to restructure the competition program and fly in program.

Coordinate with past organizers for events—Integrate into a new strategic planning work group to restructure the competition program and fly in programs.

That's it. That's all the notice you get that there is a proposed major restructuring of the competition program in the USHPA coming your way. Of course, if you are a competition hang glider pilot you have never heard of it. That's because they haven't contacted any competition hang glider pilots. They're going to do that later. How much later is unclear.

Oh, did I mention that the Spring BOD minutes were way late, and didn't get posted onto the USHPA web site until recently?

Now, to be fair, Jeff O'Brien was on some of the early Workgroup conference calls, and a member of the Workgroup for a while, but he stopped participating after a while because he found that he wasn't able to participate because he was too often at hang gliding competitions. (Ironic, 'eh?)

So what has the Workgroup come up with, when will they contact pilots who have an interest in competition and when will the changes go into effect?

One thing we find interesting is that changes to the USHPA Competition Rulebook shall be made during the Fall BOD meeting, to keep things from changing during the competition season. The USHPA Competition Rulebook states:

1. 4. Amendments

Amendments to these rules shall derive from the USHPA Competition Committee (CC). The Competition Rulebook shall be amended once annually, if necessary, at the scheduled fall meeting of the USHPA Board of Directors. Recommendations and comments from USHPA Directors, meet organizers, meet directors, ranked competition pilots and others shall be used to determine whether or not amendments are necessary.

So the Competition Committee can't change the Rulebook until a year from now. And notice that the Competition Committee is supposed to take comments and recommendations from ranked competition pilots (they have the list of those pilots) before and during the process of revision. Perhaps they should contact all of them now that it is almost too late in the process.

The Competition Committee is also directed (and required by the USHPA Competition Rulebook) to contact meet organizers and meet directors to solicit their ideas about any changes that they might want in the Competition Rulebook. Jeez, I just haven't heard from them. I wonder when they are going to get around to it. Shouldn't those individuals be asked at the beginning of the process?

It sure would have been nice if there had been some consultation all along with interested parties instead of this secret process. This might have helped keep the Workgroup from going off the deep end. This might have focused them on the actual problems.

Oh, did I mention that the Workgroup is essentially made up of paraglider pilots (not that there's anything wrong with that - disclaimer, I am a USHPA rated paraglider pilot and have over 150 flights, although that was long ago)? Explains a lot, as apparently it is their concerns that are addressed in the Working Draft with little to no institutional (hang glider pilot) memory informing the discussion.

Much more on the Draft Plan very soon.