I think I have figured out why N2IC was upset by what I said, though I
admit to having been dumbfounded by the forcefulness of his quick
comeback. Having come in second five years in row, as he pointed out
to me (seriously, I haven't been keeping track and had no running
total on who came in second when -- I do now though), N2IC thought I
was referring to second place guys cheating, or denigrating what #1
did or something. That's not at all what I meant. I meant first
place guys (and not referring to Steve this year in SS CW at all) who
cheat, making the #2 guy the virtual REAL winner. I am NOT saying if
he or others in his position spew out sour grapes about who won and
deprived them of a win, that that's wrong. I just wasn't getting into
that issue at all.
So, I think Steve thought I was talking about many-time #2 finishers
-- and what I WAS really talking about was many-time #1 finishers who
did it (allegedly) by cheating. I was absolutely not referring to
N2IC, K5TR, or N6TR. I have heard of no allegations of cheating by
any of them and if I had heard such a thing I would not be passing it
along.
I think I did already apologize in the last one, but I think that one
and Steve's last one to me asking for a public apology in CQ Contest
passed in cyberspace. But, really, Steve, I was not saying you
cheated to be #2 or to be #1, and I apologize if that is the way it
sounded. Personally, I do not think #2 is "losing," as some people
have said on the record here -- bad news for the 2,000 guys who didn't
come in #1 I guess, and I will avoid feeling insulted on behalf of
Puerto Ricans for the implication that the only reason it is worth
being in Puerto Rico is to win, and anything else sucks. Heck, you
guys are motivating me to buy a place in Puerto Rico and build a "real
superstation" (as opposed to the single 60-foot tower with a 15/20
duobander and a 10M monobander on it, and a 40M wire beam that's about
20' off the ground, and an 80M inv. V that we have now...I suppose
when you described the station in last year's SS writeup as a
"superstation" it was an attempt at belittling the accomplishment of
anybody doing well from it. Are you doing the writeup again this
year?) and be on Sweepstakes 'til I'm about 100 to win it as many
times as I can. Otherwise, I was inclined to feel like, "been there,
done that."
I did ask two bikini-clad girls on the beach Monday afternoon if I
could have my photo taken with them, holding a cool one in my hand,
with the caption, "Puerto Rico sucks if you don't win Sweepstakes,"
but they when I asked they said no. I don't think I would be going to
Puerto Rico if the only reason I went was to be #1 in Sweepstakes.
There's more to Puerto Rico than that, more to the experience of it
than that, and frankly, more to Sweepstakes than that. I do not go to
Puerto Rico to win; I go to "contend." As I see it, that's the same
reason N6TR went to W5WMU several years in a row. I assume he thinks
W5WMU's geographical location and SS-effective low stacks station
would make him more competitive than he would be at home in Boring,
Oregon. I found it ironic when he said "It must really suck to go to
Puerto Rico for Sweepstakes and lose." My first thought was, "Well,
he should know." Not about Puerto Rico. But I guess it must have
sucked to go to Louisiana from Oregon "just" for Sweepstakes, and
"lose." It sure is heck "just" coming in second! Yeah, tell that to
the couple thousand guys who would consider a top-10 finish the height
of their "contesting career." Just once. I think some people are a
little jaded and their outlook is warped, frankly.
People have a tendency to see themselves as the center of the universe
(and each of us -IS- the center of our own universe), and view their
own advantages as "givens," and gripe about other people's advantages.
It is very, very hard to win Sweepstakes from the northeast or
midwest, for instance. By comparison, it is much easier to win it
from the Gulf Coast or Southwest. I have quoted K6LL several times
before as saying he believed the optimum SS QTH was Arizona. N2IC's
finishes from NM seem to prove that point. Or do you think it's
entirely his operating skills? Heck no, the Gulf Coast (K1TO won SS
CW from Florida in '98, Louisiana -- W5WMU with N6TR guest operating
-- my flight to Puerto Rico is 3 hours and 40 minutes...how long is
the flight from Oregon to Louisiana? -- to the perennial Texas
contenders, K6LL in Arizona, N2IC in NM -- and in SS phone the West
Coast comes into its own too) has a geographical advantage over "the
black hole" or W3/2/1. Do you think the perennial contenders from
Texas and nearby states are really better operators than N2NT/N2NC,
K3MM, K5ZD and others in the northeast? Or W9RE, N9RV, etc. N4AF
down in NC? And I'm sure I'm leaving out some -- KD4D, NN3W, NI1N,
K3ZO, many others... Those guys are all very, very good and would be
in the top 10 every year if they were in a more geographically
favorable area. So, you guys belittle a win from KP2 or KP4 because
you're p***ed that the geographical advantage may be (or is) better
than your own geographical advantage? Grow up, guys. Well,
congratulations, because this year I think the propagational playing
field was level. Or do you think I would only have had 1,200 QSOs if
I had operated from a good station in Texas?
So, does going to Puerto Rico for Sweepstakes and "losing" suck? No;
what sucks is having to compete against guys who whine and gripe and
complain year in and year out. Belittle what I do as much as you
want; there's nothing I can do to stop you; but not being "gracious
winners" cheapens whatever accomplishments you make. Personally, I'm
pretty happy with how I did this year, even though it's not #1. And,
on the record, I am not "counting my chickens" on ending up as #2
either. Maybe NP4Z "cleaned my clock" -- since I haven't seen his
score posted and did not spend the weekend monitoring him, and maybe
NP2B, KP2F and KP2M beat me too, since I know "anybody can win from
the Caribbean." I expect them all to be up at my score or higher
then. And we all know Felipe is a very, very good op and with a
multi-tower station at a great site (better in all those respects than
WP3R, by the way), and a station that should be "hitting on all
cylinders" inside the hamshack too, optimized and tweaked for SO2R,
etc. As close as things are, I know my claimed #2 may erode to
something lower. "It's all good," as far as I'm concerned. My sense
of personal well-being does not rise or fall on whether I "win"
Sweepstakes in any given year or am relegated to the 2,000 depressed
and dispirted "also-rans." Actually, I'm pretty excited that both my
kids got good roles in the Christmas play...and that's more about
"real life" than Sweepstakes.
73 - Rich KE3Q
--
Rich Boyd
301-430-5296 regular phone
301-980-7424 cellular
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