I think, Pat, you have hit it square on the head.
There were reasons for San Francisco's '80s dominance. The fact others
figured it out and are now gaining does not mean the SF program is in
decline. Not sure what to tell your local-only drivers beyond the fact
nothing prevents them from running Nationals. And even if some hotshoe puts
himself in a PAX class, it is still valid to compare times and use him for a
benchmark. It may be nice, even advantageous, to be able to run Tours and
Pros, but it is not a necessity.
And yes, "my hill is bigger than your hill" arguments accomplish little,
which basically was my original point and it would seem you read it exactly
that way. Thanks. Someone else's hill may be bigger than mine, but mine is
still a very nice hill, thank you, and I find it quite satisfactory. :-)
--Rocky
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