Turning away from soaring because of how the glider looks just doesn't
seem valid to me, but that's just me.

This isn't about us - we became glider pilots in spite of difficulties
and discouragements. For us, It really didn't matter much what
trainer was used because we really, really wanted to fly. We need to
look less at why we became glider pilots and more at why vast numbers
DIDN'T become glider pilots. I'd guess that for every one of us there
are many more who just walked away. Those missing pilots are why the
number of glider pilots are decreasing.

To use skiing as an example again, that sport existed for decades with
hard-core enthusiasts using wooden ski's and rope tows but didn't make
the big time until equipment and facilities were drastically
improved. Clever marketers who concentrated on improving the
"customer experience" made it a multi-billion dollar sport. Soaring
has the same potential.

This discussion should be about the thousands, perhaps tens of
thousands, who didn't become glider pilots because they were put off
by unattractive gliders, trashy operations etc...

Yesterday I gave 6 young people their first rides in an ASK-21 - they
all wanted more. However, at lunch break, I couldn't help noticing
the picnic table was 6 feet from an overflowing garbage can. We can
do better.