All you expert pilots are I'm sure fully capable of flying in such a manner as to back up your arguments and I'm sure that you are very safe due to your refined skills. But, is your particular point really relevant to the overall safest best practice that the sport as a whole should be teaching and modeling? Are you always in peak form at the end of an epic XC? Are all of your friends in soaring as reliably skilled as you?

I said it before but I'll say it again:

The majority of gliders are more stall and spin resistant at medium to steeper banks than at shallower bank angles. (This is aerodynamically different than most airplanes). A continuous 30 degree bank from downwind to final exposes a pilot to a longer period of stall/spin-at-low-altitude risk than two brief periods of stall/spin resistant steeper banked turns. (Or 3 turns in the clipped base pattern).

Turning flight presents a more dynamic visual picture then straight flight. Most normally equipped humans are better at assessing and reacting to the changing energy state of the glider (relative to landing area & speed) as well as detecting conflicting traffic and other hazards during wings level straight flight than during turning flight. This may be due to the less dynamic visual presentation in straight flight. This is especially true while under stress.