A couple of things:

1) "Noel, are you keeping up?" Of course I am! :-) Isn't that what
good soaring pilots do - "keep up"?

2) Regarding "Winning" - I have the revised edition and have read it
twice. I'm reading it a third time in the weeks leading up to the
contest, just to stay fresh (since I'm in the middle of work hell and
its early in the season to get a lot of flying in). I also practice
with Condor Soaring, and constantly read Bob Wander's material and
John C's material, and others. I'm a voracious reader and I always
try to over-prepare for new experiences (this is why I was able to get
my PPL SEL in only 43 hours - its not becuase I'm the world's best
pilot; but I was ALWAYS prepared). I give credit for that to my Boy
Scout (Eagle Scout) training... :-)

3) The "300 foot finish window" suggestion is a no-go. A range of
altitude with an exactly equal penalty to offset the time-gain won't
work, because a zero-sum solution doesn't encourage folks to do
anything but push hard to go as fast as possible and just nick through
at minimum altitude... You end up right back at the same situation
we're at today. :-P Worse yet, you may wind up with people trying to
pull up at the last second to regain altitude and avoid that penalty
and "game the system" - if they make a better-than-expected final
glide to that minimum altitude.

The finish is a thorny issue indeed, and I don't think there's a
perfect solution out there anywhere. Its good fodder for endless
debate, however!

Take care,

--Noel
P.S. While the low-pass finish is neat for spectators, are people
really going to sit around for 3 or 4 hours at the airport just to
watch a few high-speed passes? I don't think that's the real reason
for declining entries or crew numbers. I think it has more to do with
societal changes, busy schedules, rising costs of transportation and
lodging, and (most of all) the insular nature of the soaring community
and its aging members. I keep threatening to write an article for
SOARING on this topic, from the perspective of a young (31 year old)
newbie to the sport...