I don't know when the tradition started, but keeping the course map
secret was certainly an issue when Jeff Perkins did the SFR Pro Solo
back in '89. Nobody but Howard and a couple of other people who would
not even be attending the event saw the map. And if you think you can
somehow get an advantage by chairing an event then by all means go
right ahead. You will find that the constant hassles far outweigh any
competitive advantage you might have by designing the course or seeing
it ahead of time to make the appropriate preparations. It takes an
incredible person who can chair an event and also win his class when
there is any kind of serious competition. I say good luck!
To me it is unfortunate the format of Nationals allows the second
group the luxury of having days to study the course and to peek at the
video from other people's runs. But I don't see anything practical
that could be done about it, and everybody does have the same
advantage...
OTOH, having a web site where past courses are kept for posterity
would be way cool. I'm all for that!
Paul Foster
|