[PVRCNC] Re: [PVRC] PVRC Forfeits the 2006 ARRL Sweepstakes Competition

[Jim Jordan, K4QPL]

I also support the decision which was made as many have said we would not
feel right accepting the trophy if we didn't win it fair and square.

Having said that, I feel especially bad about members who did not know they
were outside the circle and made personal efforts and sacrifices to put up
scores for the club. This is true for some of our pvrcnc-east members south
of the triangle and for pvrcnc-west with members west of the line in
Winston-Salem. This is really a problem which must be addressed for our
chapters. We also have members known to be outside the existing circle.

In time we will need to look at how best to accommodate all of our dedicated
North Carolina contesters for whom club competition is an integral part of
the sport.

73,

Jim, K4QPL






----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Nitzberg" <wx3b at yahoo.com>
To: <pvrc at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 8:53 AM
Subject: [PVRC] PVRC Forfeits the 2006 ARRL Sweepstakes Competition


> Dear PVRC Members and Friends:
>
> It is with a heavy heart that I must announce our
> Forfeit of the 2006 ARRL Sweepstakes competition and
> Gavel.
>
> This is a decision that I take very seriously, as so
> many of you poured your heart and soul into this great
> competitive event.
>
> You can rest assured that your entire team of
> Officers, along with the PVRC board of Trustees, has
> carefully weighted this decision, discussed and
> deliberated for several days about it, and voted (8 to
> 4) in favor of forfeiting our Sweepstakes victory.
>
> We decided this was the best course of action
> consistent with our high ethical standards as one of
> the finest unlimited contesting clubs.
>
> PVRC completed the 2006 ARRL Sweepstakes Competition
> with the largest turnout of operators in our history.
>  Upon close examination of our participants, however,
> there was measurable activity that occurred from areas
> that were clearly beyond any 350 diameter ARRL
> competition boundary (175 mile radius) that
> encapsulates our membership.
>
> The ARRL rules clearly stipulate that all activity
> must occur 175 miles from "a center".  Given today's
> precision for measuring distances, we subtracted out
> all "out of 350 mile diameter" scores and ended up
> losing the contest by a wide margin.  This measurement
> held even when we permitted a 5 mile margin of error
> in our calculations!
>
> It is important to point out that we were not
> officially challenged or requested to forfeit; we made
> this decision on our own after examining our
> participation carefully.
>
> We do, however, feel confident that had there been a
> formal challenge, the ARRL would have reached the same
> conclusion we did - that we lost the contest, when all
> out-of-club competition circle activity was removed.
>
> This is NOT the fault or responsibility of any PVRC
> member!
>
> It is my responsibility, as your President to make
> sure that we are in compliance with the contest
> sponsor's rules for unlimited club competition.  You
> can rest assured that I will do everything within my
> power to move our club forward, and position ourselves
> so that we are able to confidently comply with the
> ARRL's club competition rules.
>
> I hope that when you reflect on this decision, you
> agree that the delight of winning this competition
> would be best enjoyed when playing the game fairly.
>
> Please join me in extending congratulations to the
> team that earned the 2006 Sweepstakes gavel: our
> worthy competitors and good friends at the Northern
> California Contest Club.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> Jim Nitzberg    WX3B
> President, Potomac Valley Radio Club
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