Re: [RC] Competition - Diane TrefethenLeaving aside the point made by Bob Morris, a land manager's list of restrictions may not even include "competitions". Nevertheless, in order for us to discuss this issue cogently we need to agree on a definition of "competition". Otherwise, we will be discussing different concepts and that will get us nowhere. I suggest we use Webster's New World Dictionary as a starting point.compete to enter into or be in rivalry; contend; vie (in a contest, athletic meet, etc.) competition 1. the act of competing; rivalry 2. a contest, or match 3. official participation in organized sport 4. opposition, or effective opposition, in a contest or match 5. rivalry in business... 6. the person or persons against whom one competes... SYN.--competition denotes a striving for the same object, position, prize, etc., usually in accordance with certain fixed rules It is not enough to qualify as "competing" to participate *with* another party; one must also *contend* with another. All the definitions of "competition", except #3, encompass this concept. There is also the unspoken requirement that what one is competing for is in limited supply. Like First Place. There is only one of them. Likewise, there is only one of each placing so any event that ranks participants by order of finish is a "competition". #1 and the definition under SYN are good ones and not mutually exclusive. I suggest we use one or both of those. kathy swigart wrote: If you give awards at the end of the year to some people not others based on the number of miles recorded as completed, then technically yes, even "completion only" rides are a competition according to this defintion. And yes, a competition against other competitors, not just yourself. As a definition of "competition", this is incomplete since it doesn't explicitly state that the awards are limited to those who "compete" for the *most* mileage. Therefore we must assume that competing for these awards is implicit since if it is not, like with the Mileage Medallions, there is no competition. Assuming the awards to which you refer are the annual mileage championships, then the answer to this problem is to exclude mileage in these events from counting towards those awards. Lifetime mileage, yes. Annual award, no. Certainly if you offer a BC award as such events (as somebody suggested), then according to this defintion it counts as a competition. Agreed. So sanctioning would have to specifically exclude offering a BC. You would also be well advised to list the finishers in alphabetical order, albeit, with riding time. If you give an award to those who finish and not to those who don't finish, then according to this definition, it counts as a competition. No, not if competing is an understood though unstated part of the definition. There is no competition for completion awards since they are available to all participants irrespective of the number of entrants. It's like a classroom of kids taking a math test where 100% is an A and anything below 60% is an F. While there may be rivalries amongst the students, the test itself is not a competition. Each student's grade (award) depends on that student's answers and is neither related to nor dependent on how anyone else does on the test. Whether individual land managers will choose to define competition this way is up to them. They will probably define "competition" in a way that either promotes their own personal agendas or exposes them to the least hassle/liability. Cynical, but from the horror stories I've read, true. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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