A 2016 Jr. Soaring Nationals USA?

(drum roll..........) I will offer to host a first ever USA Jr. Soaring Nationals 2016 in Ionia, Michigan the week before the SGP USA (appx. July 16-23). We need to have at least 10 commitments by a reasonable date (March 31). If anyone has any better ideas, please feel welcomed to raise your hand and speak up.

I challenge US soaring clubs to produce (identify and motivate), support (provide gliders, funding and coaches), develop (train and practice) and send (escort the teams, provide vehicles and help fund) qualified Junior entrants and send them to their first contest just for Junior pilots. I look forward to hearing what US soaring clubs are interested in answering my challenge and would appreciate some heads up (soon) so I can gauge interest and decide if I should start seriously planning.

The competition format would likely be sports class, or could even develop a format as docile as an OLC (max handicapped distance).

The Juniors can mingle with some of the very best pilots in the USA and the world that week as they ramp up for the 2016 Sailplane Grand Prix USA (http://www.sgp.aero/usa2016). This environment could be a lot of fun for junior pilots. But the key is that this is a National Soaring Contest, just for Juniors, and hopefully heavily supported (and attended) by their fellow club members and our national soaring authority (the SSA) just as it is in Britain and other developed soaring nations.

Patiently waiting for feedback...

Sean
7T