Whoops, sorry John. I thought I was in another thread.

Damn, you've become so much the defacto "rules pariah," that I just
assumed you were on another contest safety rant.

I see now it is a more general safety rant... which I find completely
appropriate. Apologies again for jumping too quick.

High speed passes have their time and place and should be practiced by
competent pilots in a controlled environment. There's a need for
practice... but this too should be carefully controlled.

Perhaps a distinction should be made between contest/speed finishes
and showboat finishes, the prior used to optimize speed and the latter
to serve the pilot's ego. I've found that it's usually showboat
finishes by competent pilots that inspire less experienced pilots to
embark on a program of self-managed education, occasionally with dire
results.