RADIO CONTROL SCALE AEROBATICS - 2003/07

IF YOU’RE interested in Scale Aerobatics
you most likely read my coverage of the
2002 Tournament of Champions (TOC) in
the April Model Aviation. Hopefully you
also read Bob Hunt’s editorial in that same
issue, and you know that the founder and
sole benefactor of the TOC—William G.
Bennett—passed away this past December.
Not only will Mr. Bennett’s passing be
felt dearly by those who knew him, but the
impact will be felt for years to come by
precision and Scale Aerobatics enthusiasts
as well as aviation modelers worldwide.
Some time for grieving and a realization of
the full impact of our loss needed to pass
before we started to wonder about the
obvious. But I know that for many of you,
the question of the TOC’s future is burning.
For insight I went to TOC Contest Director
Steve Rojecki. He has been involved with the
TOC since roughly 1978. He first started
doing the demo flights for the judges in 1978, 1979, and 1980. After
that, the contest was held every other year. Steve then competed in
1984 and won that year. The contest skipped 1986, and Steve
competed in 1988 and 1990 with a fifth and a second respectively.
In 1990 Mr. Bennett, owner of the Las Vegas Sahara Hotel in
Nevada, was looking for somebody new to run the tournament and
put a new spin on it. Steve volunteered, and since 1990 he’s been
the person closest to William Bennett involved in the contest. He
has run the event from start to finish.
In my conversation with Mr. Rojecki we discussed the TOC’s
history and future. The TOC was the vision and passion of one man
who surrounded himself with the best talent to make that vision a
reality. The tournament was not created to be financially stable. It
existed as part of William Bennett’s desire to contribute personally
to model aviation.
It cost more than $400,000 to run the TOC each time it was held,
and that financial contribution was Mr. Bennett’s personal gift to us:
the modeling public. With William Bennett’s passing, so goes the
Mike Hurley, 11542 Decatur Ct., Westminster CO 80234; E-mail: [email protected]
RADIO CONTROL SCALE AEROBATICS
An estimated 6,000-plus people attend TOC every day of contest;
many more follow it closely to monitor advances.
Contest Director Steve Rojecki (right) allows Miss TOC to present
Quique Somenzini his 1997 winning award check.
Chief Judge Fred Johnson (black hat) addresses TOC pilots, judges before Round One.
Flying each pilot’s country’s flag demonstrates respect for
participants and attests to TOC’s world-class caliber.
July 2003 113
114 MODEL AVIATION
TOC. There were no trust funds or provisions left to secure the
future of the event, and no instructions regarding the TOC were left
in the event of his passing. The Sahara Hotel feels that it cannot
support the Tournament without Mr. Bennett.
Does that mean it’s over? As far as the Sahara Hotel being the
driving force and financial backer, it does. In its original form the
TOC is gone forever. But the leadership that ran the contest is
willing and able to continue.
I was not privy to any details, but Steve did make it clear that he
has been in contact with potential supporters who are interested in
continuing the tournament. At the time of this writing nothing has
been finalized, and any future contest may be several years out.
Steve did state that if a sponsor or group of sponsors made it
possible to continue, and if the new supporters wanted him, he
would be interested in running future contests.
William G. Bennett discusses the finer points of Scale
Aerobatics with the Tournament of Champions judges.
This column is, by its very nature, one of opinion, and I’m going to
give you mine in regards to the future of the TOC. There may be
attempts to re-create, start, hold, or simply copy the TOC. I’m sure
that most of those will be earnest efforts to continue the tradition of
the TOC, but some will try to capitalize on its huge following and
success.
If the TOC is going to continue and retain its value and
credibility, it must adhere to its original form as much as possible.
First and foremost, that means that it needs to be governed in the
same way, with the same goals and philosophy and by the same
people.
The TOC has always been an invitation-only event. As such, it
bestowed a level of honor and respect on everyone who was invited
to be involved. To be a judge meant that you were the best, and to be
chosen to compete put you among the top 21 pilots in the world.
Likewise, every person involved in the TOC’s operation had the
same elevated status.
Public committees and open forums have no place in ruling what
has had a long established set of guidelines. Mr. Bennett was the
sole leader in how the TOC was run, and to invite open opinion and
change would destroy the essence of this contest. For the TOC to
remain as close to its original idea and to keep its credibility and
status, it needs to be run with the same leadership, ideals, selection
criteria, and judging staff.
I also believe that the tournament should remain in Las Vegas.
To move it away from that unique atmosphere would change the
contest at its core. It’s obvious that to finance the tournament some
things are going to have to change. Sponsors may be brought in,
admission may be charged, and vendors may be allowed to
participate. These are all things that Mr. Bennett would never have
allowed, but they may be needed in his absence.
The TOC has been a boon to the manufacturers that have been
involved. Many companies’ sales lived and died by their products’
performances in each tournament. It’s clear that there is a continued
need for a high-profile event that showcases the elite of modelaircraft
performance and flying skill.
It is my hope that the TOC lives beyond the years of the
visionary man who made it all happen. It’s going to be a rough
transition, but when the smoke clears let’s hope that we don’t lose
the character and the grandeur that William G. Bennett created in the
TOC. MA
Don’t miss the AMA Nationals at
Johnson City TN (May 23-June 1)
and Muncie IN (June 27-August 1)