Howdy Everyone,
I really enjoy fishing in the contests myself. One of the reasons I volunteered to help Peter in the first place was so that he could have the opportunity to join in the fun once in a while. I figured we could get him into the contests if he wasn't responsible for the "behind the scenes" part of it.
I do not think there is much "conflict of interest" when it comes to the contests. We don't have any "magic crystal ball" that allows us to see into the game programming. (at least I don't

) . The Clubhouse is completely seperate from the game. The only potential advantage Peter or I would have is in making the "rules". But I think you've all been witness to our fishing abilities. On the contests I participated in, I was only in the top 5 once, and that was the contest for catching the SMALLEST fish! Another advantage we would have is the ability to see the scores in advance. We would know who is leading and what to set our sights on.
There are a couple ways to have Peter and I participate in the game that may put everyone's mind at ease. One option is that Peter only participates in the contests that I administrate, and I only participate in the contests that he administrates.
The other option would be that we both participate in all contests, but have the other peron validate our codes. I validate Peter's, and he validates mine.
And finally, it may require that everyone post their scores differently. I'm not sure how that would work out, since we are all in different time zones. I guess we could have all scores posted after the contest is officially ended, but that prolongs the posting of the results by a day.
With that said..........
I thoroughly enjoy myself even when I'm not participating in the contests. The communication with all the members is very rewarding. When I am in charge of the contest, I get to talk with everyone. I get to see all the scores as they come in and see as each fisherperon betters their scores throughout the week. That makes it very fun and interesting for me.
I do unofficially participate in the contests, for my own personal competitiveness. I follow the rules and calculate my score as if I were participating, just to see where I would end up. On the last contest I was in the top 10

(out of 12 participants)
So, unless anyone objects, I will be participating in the next couple contests (Peter will be running them). Please, Please object if you have concerns. You can send me a PM so that nobody needs to know and I will cheer from the riverbank and be very content.
Dave