Is that what kept Windy out of the number one spot all this time?
I hadn't noticed anything particularly bad about Windy's hourglass and I am essentially certain that that is not what has kept him from winning. The fact that it was all done during the runs of the *best guys who have ever flown the event* - Walker, Fitzgerald, Fancher, Casale - is certainly a factor. The fact that he did it during the period where we went from 4-5 competitive guys to 25 or so every year is certainly is another. To consistently make the top 5 so many times proves he is a remarkable talent. Anyone who hasn't been in the mix for the flyoff has no notion how difficult it is to fly well on Top 20 day. At this point I am smart enough not to go into the details of why *I* think he hasn't won. I am sure we will get plenty of colorful theories on the topic (having heard them for, oh, the last 20 years).
But the idea that a single maneuver might consistently cause someone (anyone) to just miss assumes that we are close to flying perfect flights. That's not the case at all. Even the best flights from the best ever (and I have been fortunate enough to see as many of those as almost anyone over the years) contain *numerous* fairly obvious errors. Everybody has their favorite errors that just persist over time, but those are generally have minimal effect on the outcome. Random errors are usually what makes the difference, and whoever makes the least number and magnitude of random errors wins the contest. Most the stuff people worry about - style, halo, judges bias, color of "stunt pants" etc, is entirely in their heads.
Do the least number of errors when it counts and you are probably going to win. What you have to do to minimize the random errors, given that the equipment is competitive* and the skills are present, is to
put yourself in to the right frame of mind. The required state of mind varies from person to person. I know in my case that it's a very fragile and narrow range of *just enough aggressiveness* to attack the corners and maintain concentration, but *not too much*. My personal level is *very much more relaxed* than most people. Too laid back and I make one set of mistakes (2008 NATs Top 5 final flight - where I had them covered all week until the very last flight) and trying too hard I make a different set of mistakes (2007 NATs Top 5, pretty much all three, and first day of 2007 Team Trials). I have proven pretty much immune to mind games from others, but I can certainly do it to myself. Other people get, to me, wound up beyond conception, and need to, in order to maximize their performance. Many more get wound up beyond conception and it completely screws them up. You have to find that perfect mental state, and then maintain it during the pressure - and then any one of maybe 10-15 guys can put in NATs-winning performance.
Brett
*btw, achieving competitive equipment is a HUGE factor, far bigger than most people think. The days of getting it "good enough" and then going out and burning 20 gallons of fuel, if they ever existed, is *long gone*. I have certainly had my say on what it takes so it's a little off the point I was making here. But a lot of guys are STILL making it very hard on themselves by not fully developing their stuff - mostly trim and engine run, and trying to overcome it with practice.
Topic: Awesome Magazine (Read 1749 times)