On Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at 8:29:16 PM UTC-6, wrote:
According to Websters Dictionary,

"Race":

Noun. A competition between runners, horses, vehicles, boats, etc., to see which is the fastest in covering a set course.

Verb. To compete with another or others to see who is fastest at covering a set course or achieving an objective.


By definition, a MAT is not a set course. Therefor, nobody who wins or loses an MAT can honestly say they won or lost a "race."

An MAT is viewed as a glider fun-fly by the rest of the world.

So why do you think a head to head race is the only valid form of soaring competition? Is skill in finding lift on your own not worth isolating and measuring in a competition?

You might also note, since you seem to have dropped out of competition, that the "long MAT" referenced above is an assigned task with the option to cut it short and finish after the minimum time is up. Like an auto race that ends on the lap after the winner finishes whether you are on the lead lap or several laps back, you still get credit for finishing if you cross the line.