March 7, 2009

AMA has distributed the official 2010 USA Junior Free Flight Team Selection Program (Jr.TSP). The Competition / Technical department at AMA, Colleen Pearce, (765-287-1256 ext. 252), will send you a copy. The NFFS website will be updated soon, as well. This program will select the USA Jr. F1A, F1B, and F1P teams for the Junior FAI Free Flight World Championships scheduled for the summer of 2010 in Romania.

The point system previously used has been deleted.  The new program uses the results of the Jr. Finals along with a qualification process. The Jr. Finals has two parts, the first being a Jr. only contest on July 26, 2009 (the Sunday before the NATS starts). The second is the regularly scheduled F1A, B, and P NATS events. The previous point system with the America.s Cup contests has been eliminated. Now, like the open team selection programs, the juniors now have a qualification process. The juniors now need to accumulate 75 minut
es of time at any AMA contest sanctioned for F1A, B, or P. Two contests must be flown after the NATS (even if the junior has accumulated 75 minutes). Qualification times will be retroactively scored back to January 1, 2009 after registering with AMA. A significant difference between the Jr. Program qualification and the Open Program qualification process is that the junior does not need any qualification time to fly at the Jr. Finals. The 75 minute qualification must be achieved prior to the end of the program, Dec 2009, to finalize a team position.

The Jr. Team Selection Committee has received questions regarding how many events a junior may fly at the Jr. Finals and the Jr. World Championships. The 2010 Jr.TSP does not specifically speak to these issues, so we will clarify here.

The Jr. may fly all three events at the Jr. Finals. Those that have contacted us have also been advised to carefully consider the decision to fly more than one event. The first seven rounds on July26 will fly all three events in the one-hour window. Flying two events in a one-hour round requires excellent preparation of models, chase help, and most importantly the ability to focus while flying two different events. Also note the Jr.TSP requires at least 75% of the event.s winning regular time to qualify for a team position. That is, making a few flights in a low entrant event would not necessarily qualify a Jr. fo
r a team position.

Should a Jr. qualify for two or three team positions, that Jr. will choose the event she or he wishes to fly at the Jr. World Championships. The Jr. TSP has a provision to fill uncontested team positions. An uncontested team position is defined as any of the top three positions not by filled by a Jr. achieving 75% of the winning score at the Jr. Finals. The filling of uncontested positions will start January 2010 and conclude on April 30, 2010. A Jr. who qualified for two or three events can declare her or his Jr. WC event and then apply for an uncontested team spot per the Jr.TSP.

We are looking forward to another two years of outstanding development of our junior flyers. Walt Ghio is coordinating the F1B and F1P Jr. Development Program.  Watch for messages on SEN soon.

Jr. Team Selection Committee:
George Batiuk
Art Ellis
Jim Parker