Perhaps I have no right to join in on this topic. I am not a regular
competitor, although I still attend about a dozen events a year. I am
not eligible for any Ladies class. But I have been a close observer
of autocrossing since back when they were called gymkhanas.
Consider this. You have a competitor whose wife comes and drives (in
the Ladies Class.) This competitor and his wife are likely to remain
in the sport for some time if either or both of them do well and have
fun.
Eliminate the Ladies classes and the wife, having been required to
run in the open class against her husband and all other comers
quickly becomes frustrated with the sport, gives up and stays home
(the driver probably married her for traits other than pure
competitiveness.) Pretty soon she is asking her husband why he has to
spend so many weekends in distant parking lots when there are other
really nice things they can do together on a sunny Sunday.
To the extent this is likely, by eliminating Ladies classes you may
well lose not just one but two competitors. I have seen it happen
time after time when the wife is not active even with ladies classes
available. Eliminate the ladies classes and I suspect we will all
have a harder time retaining married members.
Of course, at one time the SCCA was concerned about the "greying" of
the SCCA. Eliminating Ladies classes could help accelerate a cure for
driver baldness. <GGG>
Lloyd Loring <lloydl@skyenet.net>
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