Tony,

First, congratulations on your Silver distance flight. I remember the
anxiety I felt before doing mine, and so I fully appreciate what it
took for you to do the flight.

With regard to your comment about proving "my innocence of not cheating
to get a badge", I look at it another way - it's preparation for what
you'll have to do during a contest. There following the rules will
determine your standing, and I'd much rather learn how to do that
during less stressful badge flying (don't know for sure, though,
because I haven't been in a contest yet).

But you do have the right idea - soaring IS supposed to be about fun!
Sometimes it's hard to remember that during a flight, when you're at
1500 AGL, 40 miles from home, and working a crappy 0.5 kt thermal for
all you're worth to avoid a land out. But I can attest that all I
remember a few days later is that it WAS fun - sort of like how you
only remember the good times in college and forget the tests, the term
papers, and the other hard work (at least that's my experience).

-John

Tony wrote:
I guess expensive is a relative term. Getting the glider payed off and
everything ready to go cross country drained all the money I made
working this summer, and now im back to school, working part time as a
CFI (so the money is rolling in of course...) I just dont want to deal
with the hassle of all that, even the rigamarole of getting the silver
badge and whatnot drives me nuts. I thought this was supposed to be
for the fun of it. When doing the paperwork to prove the flight is
more work than the actual flight, it seems a little ridiculous for me.
I think Ill just take my digital, snap a few pictures on the way,
picture of where I land out at, and write up a nice flight report. I
prefer this to the concept of having to prove my innocence of not
cheating to get a badge. This is supposed to be about fun right? and
cheap fun at that?