2016 Competitor of the Year

Hazel captures annual top competitor crown

Mike Hazel, a force on the Northwest control-line competition scene since the 1960s, captured his first Flying Lines Competitor of the Year crown in 2016, scoring points in Combat, Navy Carrier, Racing, Speed and Stunt.

The annual Competitor of the Year title recognizes the flier(s) who scored the most points in Northwest control-line competition standings as compiled by Flying Lines.

Mike Hazel, of Mehama, Ore., is known to Northwest competitors not only as a multitalented competitor but as a contest director, club president, AMA official, modeling journalist and airplane designer. He is a longtime member and former officer of the Eugene Prop Spinners, current driving force behind the Western Oregon Control-Line Flyers (Salem, Ore.), former Model Builder control-line columnist, former Flying Lines newsletter editor, current WOLF Call editor, former AMA associate vice president, current Dist. XI contest coordinator for CL and Free Flight, and designer of several airplanes including the successful Yippee rat racer. He has been director of many control-line contests, including the Northwest Regionals and the Fall Follies.

His name first appears in the COY standings in 1982 -- and he also appeared in the COY standings as half of the Nitroholics Racing Team.

Second place in the 2016 standings went to Robert Smith of Roy, Wash., who scored all of his points in a dominant year in Combat. Third was Mike Haverly of Auburn, Wash., who scored all of his points in Stunt.

The number of people or teams scoring points in competition in 2016 was down by two from 2015, with 53 people scoring points instead of 55. Note that this is not the total number of competitors, only the number of people placing first through fourth place in sanctioned competition.

As usual, stunt had the greatest distribution of people scoring points, with 33 people, the same as in 2015. Speed and Combat came next with 10 people scoring points (Speed had 11 in 2015 and Combat had 9 in 2015). Racing rebounded with 8 people scoring points, up from three the previous year. Six people scored points in Navy Carrier, down one from 2015. One person scored in Scale, down from five in 2015.

Again, these totals reflect only placement, not actual number of competitors. The presence of out-of-region fliers in a contest can result in no points, or fewer points, being scored toward Northwest standings for some events.

The Competitor of the Year recognition has been given since 1980, the second year of Flying Lines newsletter publication. Here is the history, giving the top three finishers each year:

Competitor of the Year, 1980-2016

1980: 1, John Thompson 2, Bill Varner 3, Jim Cameron
1981: Dick Salter, Thompson, Dave Green
1982: Dick Salter, Thompson, Mike Hazel
1983: Green, Thompson, Glenn Salter
1984: Green, Dick Salter, Gary Byerly
1985: Green, John Hall, Mel Lyne
1986: Green, Mel Lyne, Dick Salter
1987: Dick Salter, Glenn Salter, Green
1988: Not available
1989-90: Flying Lines not published
1991: Joe Rice, Rich McConnell, Tom Strom
1992: Rice, Todd Ryan, Hall
1993: Ryan, Rice, McConnell
1994: Ryan, Chris Cox, Nitroholics Racing Team
1995: Ryan, Jeff Rein, Don McClave
1996: Ryan, Stephen Cox, Rick Meadows
1997: Ryan, Paul Gibeault, Stephen Cox
1998: Ryan, Lyne, Dan Rutherford
1999: Ryan, Shawn Parker, Mike Conner
2000: Ryan, Lyne, Scott Riese
2001: Chris Cox, Ryan, Lyne
2002: Jeff Rein, Bruce Hunt, Nils Norling
2003: Dan Rutherford, Keith Varley, Lyne
2004: Rutherford, Paul Walker, Chris Cox
2005: Pat Johnston, Riese, Hunt
2006: Johnston, Hunt, Walker
2007: Johnston, Walker, Rein
2008: Hunt, Walker, Johnston
2009: Rein, Hunt, Robert Smith
2010: Hunt, Rein, Walker
2011: Alan Resinger, Smith, Pete Peterson
2012: Chris Cox, Walker, Smith
2013: Thompson, Walker, Howard Rush
2014: Thompson, Walker, Smith/Buzz Wilson
2015: Cox/Rush (tie), Dave Royer
2016: Hazel, Smith, Mike Haverly

Click here for 2016 final event standings

Current standings are on the NW Standings Page

Below are the final 2016 Competitor of the Year rankings, along with the categories in which points were scored.

* = also scored points as a team entry. After score is indicated category and team's points, which are not included in individual points.

2016 OVERALL STANDINGS

1. Mike Hazel -- Combat, Navy Carrier, Racing, Speed, Stunt -- 59
2. Robert Smith -- Combat -- 51
3. Mike Haverly -- Stunt -- 46
4. Howard Rush -- Stunt -- 42
5. Chris Cox -- Stunt -- 34.5
6. Paul Walker -- Stunt -- 33
7. John Thompson -- Combat, Racing, Stunt -- 32
Jeff Rein -- Combat -- 32
9. Dave Royer -- Stunt -- 26
10. Tom Brightbill -- Stunt -- 24
11. Dane Covey -- Stunt -- 22
Fred Underwood -- Stunt -- 22
13. Jim Green -- Combat -- 21
Randy Powell -- Stunt -- 21
15. Mel Lyne -- Combat -- 20
16. Alan Resinger -- Stunt -- 19.5
17. Russell Shaffer -- Navy Carrier, Speed, Stunt -- 17
18. John Knoppi -- Combat, Racing, Speed -- 16
19. Walter Hicks -- Scale, Stunt -- 15
20. Gene Pape -- Combat -- 14
Bruce Tunberg -- Racing, Speed -- 13
22. Mike Potter -- Navy Carrier -- 12
Bob Parker -- Navy Carrier -- 12
John Leidle -- Stunt -- 11
Mike Massey -- Stunt -- 11
Pete Peterson -- Stunt -- 11
27. Jeff Cleaver -- Speed -- 10
28. Joe Yau -- Stunt -- 9
29. Jim Booker -- Speed -- 8
Richard Entwhistle -- Racing, Stunt -- 8
Addis Elmore -- Stunt -- 8
32. Tim Wescott -- Navy Carrier -- 7
33. Chris Sackett -- Speed -- 6
Arkady Gorodetsky -- Stunt -- 6
Dennis Cousineau -- Stunt -- 6
36. Steve Helmick -- Stunt -- 4
Scott Newkirk -- Speed -- 4
Pat Chewning -- Stunt -- 4
Bill Mix -- Navy Carrier -- 4
40. Buzz Wilson -- Combat -- 3
Pat Johnston -- Stunt -- 3
Greg Machen -- Combat -- 3
Bob Baldock -- Stunt -- 3
44. Paul Bedford -- Stunt -- 2
45. Keith Varley -- Stunt -- 1.5
46. Doug Powers -- Racing -- 1
Rob Moseley -- Stunt -- 1
Ron Bennett -- Speed -- 1
Leo Mehl -- Stunt -- 1
Mike Denlis -- Stunt -- 1
Glenn Little -- Stunt -- 1
Will Naemura -- Speed -- 1
Gary Harris/Mark Hansen team -- Racing -- 1

Flying Lines keeps track of standings in all AMA rulebook and Northwest official events, in all Northwest sanctioned contests.

2018 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2017 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2016 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2015 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2014 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2013 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2012 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2011 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2010 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2009 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2008 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2007 Final Standings and Competitor of the Year

2006 Final Standings and Competitor of Year

2005 Final Standings and Competitor of Year

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This page was upated Nov. 4, 2018