Very interesting to read your thought and concerns regarding tasks.

US looks completely different from Europe. Here(in Europe) do we mainly (almost only) fly the Assigned Speed Task (AST, speed over given distance) and the Assigned Area Task(AAT, distance over given time in defined areas, recalculated to speed) defined by the IGC Sporting Code. Different pilots has different preferences regarding the two tasks, but if the CD calls out to many AAT will definitely the AST-guys complain loud. I guess that the long term is the ratio between AST:AAT close to 1:1. In a single competition is it more AST if the weather is good and homogeneous and more AAT in unstable conditions with predicted showers. Never or seldom does the CD calls for AAT to reduce the out landings in the big competitions, maybe in the smaller ones. There is a long tradition in Europe to fly AST, and when we fly AAT do we want the areas to be reasonable small (5-15km). To some extent do we actually fly to little AAT at the top level to be prepared for the WGC, the opposite as you describe for the US pilots.

There is a long winter ahead
/Per, G7