I'm a newbie here, and this is my first post, so please be patient.

I'm a student glider pilot. In fact, I'm such a newbie that I'm
scheduled to solo this weekend. In the blazing hot Super Blanik.

I have a few thoughts as a recent glider convert that might be
illustrative to enticing people into the sport.

I'm pushing 40, so I'm no kid. I got into glider flying quite by
accident. I was trying to con a friend of mine into giving me SEL
instruction, since I've wanted to fly since I was a pup. He suggested
that I take a few glider lessons, stating that the fundamentals I built
would serve me well when I started flying power (I also think that he
wanted to get me out of his hair, but that's another story).

20-ish flights later, and I'm completely hooked. Why? For one, soaring
is truly flying for the fun of it. With airspace restrictions and
insurance woes, power flying is just not that fun. (caveat, I live
smack in the middle of Class B airspace, and have to commute about 30
miles to fly. Your mileage may vary.) Soaring is also very instructive
as far as the fundamentals...you can just hear/see/feel what the
aircraft is doing better in the L-23 than in a C172.

I'm a bit of a contrarian when it comes to cost. Yes, soaring is
expensive, but less so IMO than flying power. In this neck of the
woods, wet-rate rental for a C172 is a little bit more than $100/hr.
Add to that the instructor fee, and it gets very pricey. The days of
the "hundred-dollar hamburger" are gone...its more like the $300
burger! The AOPA's "Project Pilot" material compares a flying lesson as
"about the same as a round of golf". Where, on the moon? I'm no golfer
but I can't see a round of golf costing $200.

To be fair, there have been $200 days at the gliderport, but not on
average, and as your skill level in thermaling increases, the cost
should go down, yes? And even though sailplanes can be very costly,
compare that glass rocket sled to the cost of a new DA20 or Cirrus. And
don't forget tie-down fees and insurance.

$.02