Contest Criteria

Member clubs at a minimum hold a weekend contest* (two days, two separate unlimited class contests) for participants to have a chance to produce a score.  It has become the preferred choice of the vast majority of fliers that the Man-on-Man format and normalized scoring be utilized in OVSS contests, but it is not a requirement to hold a contest under this format.  Also, at the club’s choice, is the addition of other classes, i.e. two-meter or RES, F5J, but it has been shown over the history of the series that clubs that focused on and supported long flight times and five or more rounds of flying only unlimited class  per day had better attendance.

The benchmark of the OVSS is having a minimum of a League of Silent Flight – Level V size contest (20 entries or more) every day of the season, and that has been the case in the majority of contests.

*Except the AMA Soaring Nationals Unlimited Class Contest

Scoring

Scoring is done on a normalized format that bases a contestant’s score for a particular day’s event as a percentage of the winner’s score times 1000.  For example:

Flier A’s Score = 4109

Winner’s Score = 4376

4109/4376 x 1000 = 938.985

Flyer A’s score rounds up to 939.9

(All scores rounded to the tenth of a point)

In each weekend contest that is flown, a flier’s best score is taken to count toward the Season Championship, so in essence, a flier has two opportunities per weekend to generate a score to apply for the Season Championship. The only exception to this is the AMA Soaring Nationals where only one contest opportunity exists to fly Unlimited Class.

In a typical year, there are eight contest weekends and the AMA Soaring Nationals (ALES and UNLIMITED) for a total of ten events. 

Every year the number of contest weekends may change and therefore the number of scores that count towards Season Champion.  See the official score sheet for the current year for total number of contest that will be counted toward end of year scores on the SCORING page.

If a tie occurs for the OVSS Season Championship, the following tie breakers will be used in this order:

1) Most number of wins in the pilot’s five scored contests

2) Five minute man-on-man fly-off at the Fall Round Up with the contest landing task

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For OVSS 2024 end of year scoring, the best 4 (four) scores generated per contest weekend will count toward the Season Championship in both Master and Sportsman classes.  Pilots who fly at the NATS will be credited with their highest of ALES or F5J scores.   A pilot who flies 5 events or more during the season will have the opportunity to drop their lowest contest score(s) according to the final number of contests flown in the season. 

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Classes

OVSS recognizes two classes of fliers for awards in the year-end Season Championships; they are Master and Sportsman. At each contestant’s first OVSS contest of the year, pilots will declare themselves either a Master or Sportsman class flier.  A Master class flier will from that point onward stay in the Master class.  Those choosing to fly Sportsman will fly that class until one of two possible conditions occurs:

1. The flier decides to change classes voluntarily and this forever elevates the flier to the Master class.

2. The flier wins the Sportsman class championship at the end of a season.

Final Thoughts

In developing OVSS, the quest for excellence in the endeavor of soaring is the goal, the fellowship of those who have joined in the quest is the reward.  Enjoy the Series, enjoy the flying, enjoy the passion of soaring.