[ARDF] Open Letter & Petition: Region 2 Rules Request

[Dale Hunt]

Hi Charles,

I'd suggest a good place to start would be a discussion of what characteristics of ARDF and associated skills make it unique and interesting to all of us as a sport.  This can then provide a shared basis for discussing what components of the rules are important to maintain the desired aspects of the sport, and which ones we can make more flexible.  Such a public discussion - both via electronic means and in person (such as at the upcoming Championship in Ohio) will help the members of the Region 2 ARDF Working Group get a sense of how the ARDF community feels about the matter, and craft rules accordingly.

Looking forward to seeing many of you shortly at the vents in August!

          - Dale   WB6BYU
                        ARDF Coordinator, IARU Region 2



> On Jun 9, 2017, at 8:18 PM, Charles Scharlau <charles.scharlau at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Dear IARU Region 2 ARDF Working Group:
> 
> Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the 9th IARU ARDF World Championships in Hungary, held in 1998 when the first six USA participants competed at a World Championships. Since then the sport has taken hold in Region 2, with nearly 30 participants from this continent competing at the 2016 USA ARDF Championships in Killeen, Texas. 
> 
> The growth of the sport in Region 2 is apparent, albeit modest, and the experience and knowledge of our ARDF community and Region 2 ARDF Working Group members has matured. After more than two decades of ARDF in this hemisphere, Region 2 now has the expertise and experience to establish and manage its own permanent rules document.
> 
> While Region 2 rules governing how the sport is administered and conducted should not be allowed to stray far from those of our Region 1 brethren, specific changes could increase the sport's appeal to include a wider segment of our population. In particular, strategic rules changes might help ARDF to expand more readily among the youth, orienteering, and the maker movement communities. 
> 
> The need for permanent rules is well illustrated by a particular adaptation that is sorely needed, and long overdue: the use of personal smart electronic devices (smartphones and tablets) in ARDF competitions. 
> 
> In an acknowledgement of the need to adapt ARDF to the realities of advancing technology, Region 1 rules have evolved to allow broad use of GPS devices in ARDF competitions. That was a profound departure from the traditional map-compass-receiver sport it had been since its origin. But the sport has always been a combination of skills and technology, and failure to adapt would render the sport an anachronism. Region 1 leadership is clearly cognizant of that risk.
> 
> As Region 1 has chosen to advance the sport with the use of GPS devices, the time has come to include smartphones, and similar portable electronic devices capable of running customized applications. Such "apps" running on personal electronic devices can be designed to preclude the use of banned functionality, such as maps and radio communications. Apps can also record if they are closed, placed in the background, or otherwise circumvented. Thus, if an app logs all such events to a file, that log file can be submitted as proof that no banned activity occurred on that device. In that respect, smart devices can be made less prone to undetected abuse than the GPS devices that Region 1 already permits. But, unlike GPS devices, smartphones would also provide ready access to emergency communications at many venues where cellular connectivity is available.
> 
> Permanent Region 2 rules are essential in order to provide an incentive for experimenters and innovators in this Region to invest the time and effort required to develop apps for ARDF. Without a permanent set of rules, there is no ongoing assurance that the use of their creations will be permitted at sanctioned ARDF competitions. That is a powerful disincentive for innovation, and discourages those with such interests from getting involved in our sport.
> 
> If Region 1 wishes to adapt their rules in tandem with Region 2, that would be ideal. But the time has come for Region 2 to take the initiative for advancing ARDF in the Americas. Innovating with our own rule set, and proving the benefits of our rules changes to our Region, will help make the case for Region 1 to incorporate them as well.
> 
> Therefore, I call upon the IARU Region 2 ARDF Working Group to establish permanent IARU Region 2 ARDF rules before the close of this year; For those rules to include provisions for the appropriate use of apps on smartphones; And that all Region 2 ARDF Championship competitions in 2018 and onward be conducted in accordance with Region 2 rules.
> 
> Signed,
> Charles E. Scharlau, NZ0I
> 
> Please spread the word, and sign the petition:
> https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/permanent-ardf-rules-for-region-2