>only change the name to NOVICE class! Then keep the present
>Beginner class for the true beginner, giving them a taste of
>competition without having to learn the full pattern. I
>think we all agree that an extra class would help some of
>the 'overlap' and that adding one one the bottom would
>benefit more flyers.
Here's where we don't agree, Mark. I don't think we need another class. More classes just leads to more confusion. We have beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert, some propose another class above Expert, you want a class between beginner and intermediate.
I think Beginners should begin with the pattern. I think it is just plain dumb to have them learn a crippled pattern with maneuvers that aren't all the same and then have no way for them to transition to the rest of the maneuvers or doing them the "normal" way. I would vote for beginners flying the regular pattern, but would really like to see it without the final four maneuvers before the landing. Eleven out of fifteen to start with, and the same maneuvers in the same order. That gives the beginner a little easier task to master, but also makes it easy for him to simply add the other four when he is ready to progress that far and then move to Intermediate.
As it is, some people just can't find their way out of Beginner, and when they start in Intermediate they are really starting all over again. So you suggest "Begginner 1" and "Beginner 2" I suggest making Beginner what it should be so we have no need for "Beginner 2".
Leonard Neumann