The Olympics is an inappropriate venue for what we do. If Soaring were
to be included, it should only come after car racing, horse racing,
speedboat racing, soapbox derbying, street luge, bmx, skateboarding,
rock climbing, hang gliding, paragliding, skydiving, airplane
aerobatics, and a dozen or so other like sports more popular than
sailplaning. The Olympics already serves enough arcane sports. At
least those carry with them a sense of antiquity. New sports really
should be added based on participation as well as suitability to the
Olympic ideal. We don't much rate on either count.
To put it another way, if you toss an iron frisbee or hurl yourself
into sand boxes, you really need something like an Olympic gold medal
to justify the effort. Soaring has its own unique rewards that need no
extra adornments.
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