Back in the day

We used to hold sq events that would draw fifty cars. What has happened?
Too complex, too expensive, loss of interest?

Too many i-phones?

We need to make it cheap and easy.

Just my opinion.

robrice

cheap and easy is boring

I see

210fordracing21 wrote:

cheap and easy is boring

this comes from an apparent SPL guy...

Seriously Rob, I remember those days. It was when Car Audio was new. Now that we have had 25yrs of competition behind us, it is no longer "new".

What needs to happen is to revive interest to the common enthusiast...Awaken that feeling of newness again and then offer incentives to be at the shows.

Just a thought.

Joe

What kind of incentives? Free product would be easiest.

At our free spl contest last week end I gave away a $300.00 amp. Believe me that guy was happy.

There seams to be a quite a few car club guys that have nice cars nice looking systems that are not loud enough for spl or built right for sq so they show up with 10 - 20 cars and crank up the stero they have speakers in the grill and mid's and tweet's in the trunk with ther subs. And no place to compete! Kind of a bummer we don't have nothing for them!

Rob, have you looked at the new USACI SQ rules? We have basic classes for near stock guys to get them excited and then sell them equipment to move up. It gives newbies a place to play and the retailer somehting to sell up from.

OnYrMrk wrote:

210fordracing21 wrote:

cheap and easy is boring

this comes from an apparent SPL guy...

Seriously Rob, I remember those days. It was when Car Audio was new. Now that we have had 25yrs of competition behind us, it is no longer "new".

What needs to happen is to revive interest to the common enthusiast...Awaken that feeling of newness again and then offer incentives to be at the shows.

Just a thought.

Joe

Ya I am an "SPL Guy" I was just saying if you dont pay much then ur not gunna be that loud or clean and clear like yall like! For instance, since i dont know much about SQ, I would like to learn, but anyways say all of us have 500 bucks in our system we compete and nobody is over a 145! Thats not exciting? I was just sayin

Rob, Joe and others...I share the same thoughts. I remember when shows were like that around here. And now it has just dropped over the past few years. But heres the thing...when I would see a ton of cars the entry fee was much higher, rules were tighter,etc. So those things might be a factor but i really dont know how much of a factor. I guess we can all take part of the blame: economy, retailers, shops, competitors, etc.

The sq crystal ball is very cloudy. I am doing what I can. but it really seems that everybody's interests lie in the spl arena.

people dont have the money to compete when they have to save for there 3000 dolla rims

True, that is what I mean. There are so many other things out there that the customers feel like they need or want. Car audio comp. are not at the top of the list.
Rob

I think USACi, MECA, and IASCA have all done their twist on what they propose will draw crowds. It's not working 100%...but car shows are falling off some as well. Now if you look out on a Fri night...money is still being spent for sure. In some areas its the retailers. Magazines being out of print, defunct, or online only doesn't help. However, A LOT of people read caraudiomag online still. I don't really know man. I know you and CarToys are doing your part...as are many other shops. I pulled my hair out as one of the guys reworking the rules for Ralph. I'm just along for the ride to see what it looks like at Finals at this point to see if the work paid off.

I will say one thing though...I remember all the different color fliers I used to get and we'd stick up in the shop for upcoming USAC events. When was that...late 90s?

Yes John the flyers were late 90s now it is strictly on the web site.

Yup.....I remember Mark Barmore sending flyers out to all of us here in TX.

John.....you are right. All the Orgs have tried their own spin. And it doesn't seem to be working. We have gone to more shows this year, and will attend even more the rest of the season. I just don't see that many guys out there doing SQ. Its not that customers are not spending money, there are just not that many people interested in competing anymore. I applaud everyone who is helping and putting the effort in. It will be a shame to see it go the way of the dinosaurs.

OnYrMrk wrote:

210fordracing21 wrote:

cheap and easy is boring

this comes from an apparent SPL guy...

Seriously Rob, I remember those days. It was when Car Audio was new. Now that we have had 25yrs of competition behind us, it is no longer "new".

What needs to happen is to revive interest to the common enthusiast...Awaken that feeling of newness again and then offer incentives to be at the shows.

Just a thought.

Joe

one word MONEY

The interest in the people is just not there like it used to be. Just have to wait for it to swing this way again.

I remember those days, what an awesome time for our sport, but those times are gone, they will never be back. Our idea of what car audio competition is no longer.
Oh, but why do you ask?
I- pod? No.
Factory nav? No.
School? No.
Economy? No.
Its none of these type things. What we try to achieve in our sport is Hard to do, or to do it right anyway. Its boring, who wants to sit around there car all day just to have some jackass come tell you it sucks. Its boring for the spectator, he cant get in and play with your car, there is no interaction, for the spectator who want to go see that? And I have a list of reasons a mile long of why the sport is where its at and none of them are politically correct.

Now with that being said, mabey we need to RETHINK how competitions are done, and not in anyway, shape or form of how we think about it now.

Create a technology class...where its only partially about sound. The more automation, integration with Iphone, internet, mobile office, etc. That would be some cool things to see added to scoresheets as the industry heads more in this direction. Just a thought...

I kind of like that, a carputer category. Or a "not intended for car use" category where you see the cool mods people have done to add functionality to their vehicles.

Matt_Sibley wrote:

Create a technology class...where its only partially about sound. The more automation, integration with Iphone, internet, mobile office, etc. That would be some cool things to see added to scoresheets as the industry heads more in this direction. Just a thought...

Not even close to what Im thinking. that would make it more difficult.

The wheel is still round.

unless you are wankel....LOL

i think the boreing has it.


we just went to the Cape Girardeau, MO show

great store "stereo one"

we show at 10

its hot as hell

judging started after 1 when the store officials asked them WTF.

we got out of there at 7:30

that sucked.


we decided that the the main reason the shows started sucking was...

the damn things took to long.

start the judging at 9:00am keep it going till noon. if it is a small show then you are done by 1 pm.

who wants to set around for 8 fukn hours in 90+ temps.

that is the biggest problem with getting people to go.

it's boreing because you can look at every car in 2 hrs period.

also

if you want to know the truth.


this is for all of you that don't support buying at a store.

YOU are the reason this sport has died.



"back in the day" dealers are the reason people went to the competitions. dealers hosted them. dealers built the cars.

once the internet became the whorenet YOU people started buying offline. therefore the "groups" of people dwindeled to each MF for himself. since you tell everone DONT to buy it from a store they screw you. then how the fuk fo you think there will be any shows. you are cutting you own throats.

i can defenitely tell a regress of workmanship coming from installs at the competitions also. most people dont even try to make it better. so how are you a competitor at heart if you Dung Pile looks like crap.

MAKE IT BETTER. Support you local dealers. find ones that will give you the deal and work with you to make your car BETTER.

i remember when we took over 30 cars to shows
now iam lucky to keep 2-5 people interested because all you MF think you are the bomb and think you can do it all by yourself....and you are all by yourself instead of a group of car people who have fun going to each event because it is a group thing.


'''comments are generalized and not directed at any one specific person'''

You should always support your local car audio retailer who supports the hobby. He can help you in your effort to excel.
robrice

A couple of guys have it right, money. And not just the money the we as competiors spend on the system, travel, fees, etc. Also, if you look at the average age of the SQ competiors you will notice that they tend to be older, so you also have to count in family.

The other side of the money coin is the organizations themselves. It's a heck of a lot easier to just throw a meter in a SPL system and have a number is seconds. So the more SPL competiors you have, the more money to be made. LinearPower (Ray) has a post where he voices his concerns about our "sport".

Crush makes some very good points. I did 2 days at Scrapin in 110 degrees of heat index with the fairgounds says no outside food/drinks so you get captured into buying $2.50 bottled water and $6 burgers. Not sure if I want to do that again.

Can't forget "brand bias" (money again), show-offness/customization (money again) or the fact that young competiors are not interested in having some "old guy" tell them that the horns in some track were 3" too far left or right or the kick drum was too strong. And then be told completely the opposite at the next show. Especially when the only time they play the music used in judging is when they are being judged.

Robrice - In my case there are no local dealers that support the hobby. The big chains and web are killing them, so they have to watch their dollars very closely. A friend of mine owns a local shop and he struggles at times. I do buy from the local dealers when they have what I need.

John

When we go to a jointly held car/truck show with the stereo contest, we are put in the back corner from EVERYTHING (Tunica Ms, and Scrapin' the Coast are examples) now that is just the stereo contest itself, now the SQ guys are even shoved further in a hole, or in the latest case one of our guys tried to register his vehicle ALL day long for SQ at a midwestern contest and kept being put off till the last minute, after his arrival at the show that morning they located him in a parking lot across the street from the main competition. No one has a chance to see what SQ is about, look at, or hear the quality of work being done.

The organization makes no moves to promote the Stereo Competition at these multi-function shows. It would be easy to walk the parking lot at Scrapin' the Coast or other events and say Hi, hand out fliers, offer first time discounts etc.. to the car show people and invite them to find out what the stereo competition is about and more specifically if the administration is REALLY interested in re-vitalizing SQ get them interested in entering the show or actually becoming a member of the organization. There are no real promotional efforts being made, and its a hollow promise of support the administration is showing for the SQ part of the shows.