On Wednesday, October 8, 2014 10:58:34 PM UTC-4, gotovkotzepkoi wrote:
XC;890208 Wrote:

What's sad is each of the 300+ viewers can read my egregious typos and

run-ons in my original post...



Many great points in there, Charlie Papa. Most striking is the idea that

minting new solo students does not necessarily achieve the desired goal

of carrying on the sport.



8 of us soloed one summer in the early 80's at Harris Hill. (Thank you

Howard Trampeneau, Cliff Wilcox, and Ed Jensen!) I am the only one still

flying gliders. It is really a shame, too. What a great, dynamic group

of guys and girls.



They fell away at 2 general stages.



1. End of high school / Leaving for college

2. Married and starting a family



Here is what I think should be done to keep a young person in Soaring

through the college years:

1. Before leaving for college they should have at least a Silver Badge.

Better yet dual cross country flight experience or check out in a high

performance sailplane. This is the most important indicator of junior

member retention.

2. Offer collegiate membership rates to members who are leaving for

college and students who are attending college nearby.

3. Make sure they continue to get emails and newsletters throughout

college years.

4. Have some club events during Holiday breaks. At HHSC we have the

Snowbird Contest. It is a little guys contest with spot landing and

exact duration tasks. It takes place the Friday and Saturday after

Thanksgiving with a banquet Saturday night. We give out some club awards

and wrap up the season. It is great to see returning college students

attend. (70+ years of Snowbird fun at HHSC. Always looking for more

clubs to come.)

As for marriage and the new family years, ask yourself:

1. Does your club have a quiet and comfortable place for a new spouse to

read a book?

2. Does your club welcome new people and children? Not just old guys

heads down and swearing while they fuss with their electronic boxes.

3. Are there social events?

4. Is there a swing set and slide?



XC



A glider club that I visited in Germany has all four of points 1-4

above. The club is Paterzell in Southern Bavaria. It has a small

playground, a nice club house with a restaurant and patio overlooking

the field. It's genuinely a nice place to hang out for non pilots. A

marked contrast to the the burnt grass, dust, sheds and antique gliders

at the majority of US operations.









--

gotovkotzepkoi

Sounds like another great place to visit!

Here is the link for the HHSC junior's web page. There may be some useful information there for someone wanting to start a junior program.

http://www.harrishillsoaring.org/HHSC/Juniors.html

I'll also pass along the link for the annual Snowbird Contest. Good time and a great way to keep those college aged pilots engaged. Along with a tradition of New Years Day flying, the contest also helps maintain some flying currency through the off season.

We would love to see more clubs represented.

http://www.harrishillsoaring.org/HHSC/Snowbird.html

XC