From: Warren Schirtzinger
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2004 1:15 PM
Subject: USHGA name change letter

In my opinion changing the name of USGHA *at this point in time* would be
the same as rearranging the deck chairs on The Titanic.

There seems to be considerable discussion about USHGA's inability to stem
the decline of hang gliding, in part because of the organization's lack of
planning and effectiveness.  If this is true, then USHGA needs to spend its
limited resources on solving these larger problems, not on changing its
name.

A continued decline means that something about the sport of hang gliding
(instructors, lessons, gliders, sites, pricing, etc) or the way that it is
experienced (location, convenience, pilot behavior, flexibility, safety,
etc) does not appeal to prospective buyers.  People don't buy products or
take up a new sport because of the color of a logo, or the name of an
association.

Here's an analogy.  Suppose the management of the American Automobile
Association (AAA) knew their organization was in trouble.  Existing
membership was in decline and new members were no where to be found.  But
rather than fix their core problems, management spends their time and
resources on changing the organization's name to The American Automobile and
SUV Association, because a growing percentage of members drive SUVs.

Changing names when the ship is sinking is a complete waste of time and
money.

If I were to apply my 20+ years of experience in strategic planning and
marketing to the question of changing USHGA's name, I would say that
eventually the name must be changed.  This is because people's perceptions
are very, very slow to change.  And even though the quality of our gliders
and equipment and our safety practices have improved enormously over the
past 30 years, the public at large still associates the term "hang gliding"
with the way it was in the late 60's and early 70's...UNSAFE.

So ultimately we must find a new name for the *category of aviation* we
practice, which includes the use of flex-wing gliders, rigid-wing gliders,
paragliders, ultralight sailplanes, foot-launched hybrids, etc.

But if survival is an issue the cosmetic activities of our
association--which include the magazine, logos, names, colors, branding,
advertising, promotion--must be LAST on the list of priorities.  What good
is a new name if you're losing a core part of your membership every year?
(In a future letter I'll explain why advertising and promotion of high-risk
activities are considered to be ineffective by professional marketers)

Sadly, it appears that this is one of those times when an absence of vision
and strategy at USHGA has allowed a low-priority issue to take center stage.


Warren Schirtzinger
Issaquah, WA
USHGA #60478