There has been an ongoing debate on this subject and it needs to be cleared up so we all can move on.

The outcome of this post will ultimately determine the guidelines of what defines an amateur.

I would like to here what you would consider an amateur. No arguments, no BS. From here, we can define "What is an amateur" once and for all.

After this post, Amateur guidelines will be posted and adhered to.

[ June 12, 2005, 07:54 PM: Message edited by: Dann0 ]

adhered to how? Amateurs are going to be limited to not posting their opinions from now on? How are you going to stop me from being an amateur?

Well...

The word amateur is taken from the French word "amour" and translates into "for the love of" which basically means you do it because you love it and you do it for free.

I have been in this debate before and my 2 cents is that if you did not buy your gear for retail prices (ie paid wholesale or you are "sponsored") or if you ever received a paycheck in the electronics industry you are NOT an amateur.


Let the flaming begin... [img]graemlins/jammin.gif[/img]

I may have miss read the topic -- there are lots of people who are not involved in the industry (ie amateurs) who have vast knowledge of 12volt.

Furthermore, I am sure we have all run into a few so-called professionals who should not be allowed near cars.

and then the nazis marched into cca and the purple kool-aid was passed.

I knew this was going to go nowhere...what a waste of time. I cant wait for this Burlington show to happen. I'll be at the front lines kicking non ams out at my owne discression. Thats how it will work with shows I have a say in!

ahh...so you want to get an idea of what an 'amatuer' should be at a COMPETITION..

You should have made it more clear initially (maybe you did in another post).

I would say an amateur should be titled so if he/she can be described as in any way fitting a list of criteria.

Personally I would say that criteria should include:
1 - number of competitions entered (you should have to have been entered/competed in under around 10 shows I would say)
2 - sponsorship/dealer affiliation (if someone IS sponsored or affiliated, maybe they should not be an amatuer)


Anything else would have to be up to people that know more about comps than me....but I think any way you slice it, you cant please all the people all the time. If you want to win the casual competitor, you cant cater to those 'borderline' guys, but at the same time someone may possess a great deal of knowledge prior to entering their 1st comp, so the 'real' newbies would probably not like that either....

Maybe the IASCA/governing body types could formulate an 'official' list and propose it to their parent organizations.


Its all fun anyways, I dont know why everyone gets so bent out of shape.

you dont sound like a very happy person. like seriously man whats your issue with amateurs. i'm sure at one point in time you were an amateur aswell hell we all were. my idea of the definition of someone thats an amateur is someone that has passion for this hobby and enjoys it in such a way that they are not seriously involved in it and just partake once in a while with comps and have systems that they enjoy on a daily basis. non ams i would have to say are people that seriously compete and people who work in or are related to the 12 volt industry. sure sometimes they ask stupid questions or get in stupid arguments. but 1. although annoying it is pretty amusing in the end most of the time 2. if they dont ask they will never know. pull the stick out man and have fun with this ****.

An amateur should never have been paid for competing, ie either prize money or freebies from sponsors, an amateur should not be sponsored, and should pay for all their own gear registration fees etc and.... either pay for their install or do it themselves.

An amateur is someone that does whatever he/she does without getting paid... Non-professional. Even getting paid for something once in a blue moon does not make you a pro.

Pamela Anderson is no amateur. The guy & girl next door getting it on in front of their camcorder are.

I deejay weddings & partes as a part-time hobby. I even get paid occasionally. I have no desire to do this full-time, it's just something I do for fun. I am still an amateur, always will be.

I work in the 12 volt industry. This makes me a non-amateur when it comes to my car stereo hobby, even though I've never done a true install that most of the guys around here have. However, a guy showing up with two locomotive batteries to power an amp at 15.5 volts for a competition HAS to have professional connections.

As for your 'tude with little explanation... I'm assuming you're hosting some kind of car audio competition, and you don't want pro's there? Either advertise it as such - "Sorry, amateur competition only, no industry-related pro's will be allowed", which, just sounds bitchy, or better, add another class or two for the pro's that do show up.