Gee John, maybe the travelling band of 'getting rich off the contest pilots' wing runners and tow pilots have not made it to the contests you are flying 8-) *I do not disagree with your desires and the requirements you present however most contests are lucky to enough tow planes and scrounge for wing runners.

Maybe you can sit out a round and perform the tasks of educating the 'high paid' help on the ground and show everyone how it is done. *Better yet, maybe a written manual for all the volunteers clamoring to assist at contests. *That's it, create a badge for ground crew and make sure it is a pre-req.

Ron 'tongue in cheek' Gleason

You're right, and I wasn't clear enough how much I as a contest pilot
appreciate all the help I get from the dedicated volunteers. Which, in
a sense, contributes to the problem -- I'm not the type to bark orders
at someone who spends the whole day hanging around on a hot airport
for the great privilege of hooking me up, running my wing, or towing
me sometimes more than once.

Still, we do have to get the word out. There is a substantially
different technique needed to run a wing of a full glider in a cross-
downwind on a hot day at a contest than to run the wing of the club
ASK21; there is a different tow technique needed to get the same
glider safely off the ground and in the air than to tow the club
ASK21.

John Cochrane