Scoring Discussion
For the WGC, Gliding Federation Australia (Australian “SSA”) provided most competitors their own LiveTrack24 system. The GFA owns and maintains 75+ LiveTrack24 “tracker” units (mobile based) which are fully owned and paid for by the GFA in order to provide their member pilots the service of high quality tracking at all Australian contests for free as part of being members of the organization (SSA?). For the WGC, a 10-15 min position delay (10 for racing tasks, 15 for area tasks) was intentionally added in order to "prevent" the competitors from using real-time data for a tactical advantage.* But this was perhaps part of the gaggle problem, more than a solution…
Leeching is a silly word really.* I don't like it.* It's intended to embarrass pilots. But it doesn’t work, never has, never will. Leeching is so 1970's.* We all need to grow up about it and deal with reality. Sailplane competitions are still, generally, races in the majority of the world. Even in the US tasking, we occasionally are racing.* True leeching is much more common in contests with a wide skill range in which certain pilots "hedge risk" by closely following well-known pilots they perhaps fear will be faster if left to fly alone.* Hedging risk is of course not illegal in our sport, it's actually a very smart tactic from time to time.* It's really the faster pilots job to avoid being leeched in my opinion. If you put yourself in a position to be “leeched” then you have made a fairly significant mistake. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Sebastian Kawa cannot start in the middle of the main gaggle, at the optimum time and expect not to be followed. You must find ways to avoid or lose leeches quickly if it is truly a threat to your scoring.
True leeching (my experience) happens far more regularly in the USA, despite the 80% wide radius area tasks and dramatically different scoring system which is in part designed to encourage (highly reward) finishing even if everyone else lands out (FAI scoring devalues the one finisher dramatically so that taking that risk doesn’t pay off).*
At the WGC level, I believe that almost all the pilots are capable of A) trying to "break away" (start early), B) hold in the gaggle looking for an opportunity for a small gain or C) do the "typical (start anytime you wish) sailplane competition tactic" (used regularly in the USA) of starting last and using the many markers ahead to be more *efficient (less centering and searching). *
The difference is that at the WGC level, starting even 3-5 min behind the fast gaggle (smart, efficient, working together) will often leave the late starter behind, alone and "off the back." *In US contests this is usually not the case (broader skill range), so we have a regular tactic of top pilots starting very late and using others as much as possible.* Also, to counter the late starter, the WGC pilots (teams) seem to be very happy to wait around the start area for a huge amount of time, so that any “later” starters will risk of not finishing the task.* Open start windows with no limitation is a huge issue in my view.* This policy ensures long waits with large gaggles in close proximity killing time, but keeping close tabs on each other.* Risk*time=Chance of an accident. So the current starting rules are utter stupidity and this single issue is the main problem with traditional soaring competition format in terms of safety and gaggles, not variance in scoring incentives.
In regards to Flarm, Flarm radar is a capability that was not yet available to the US team.* Despite some efforts to develop this capability for our team, it has not worked out and has not been used in WGC competition, period.* In Australia, I received zero Flarm radar info.* Huge thanks to our guys who put significant effort into building the system and testing, but developing Flarm radar is extremely hard to do well, and requires significant manpower and team practice to use it effectively.* Just having the data is only the beginning.* We also need the experience (both on the ground and in the air) on how to use it effectively in the very tactical WGC environment.* This real tactical decision making is a huge challenge, far greater than the perfection of the technical challenge of getting the Flarm radar system working properly. *
But other top teams are rumored to have very sophisticated Flarm radar systems (user interface, mobile stations, etc).* I'm not sure, but let's assume this is true.* This means they do have a real time tactical picture of the entire racing class (15m, 18m, Open) and are relaying this information to their pilots in the right proportions, at the right time, so their pilots in the air can make better tactical decisions (they also have on-site weathermen, etc). *
Flarm radar is, perhaps, a huge advantage to the larger WGC teams (if real) and many of the little teams without it (naturally) feel that Flarm radar should immediately be countered/made obsolete by simply requiring all competitors to run mobile trackers (great penalty for tampering or failing to turn on) and therefore leveling the “tactical playing field” and removing the great advantage the major teams enjoy with Flarm radar (minus the cumulative experience they have already developed communicating information and making real-time tactical decisions with it).
Again, they don't use the info to leech IMO.* Leeching is a terrible description, word.* Leeching for these guys is a joke really.* FAI Sailplane racing tactics (WGC) is really fun (the rules used all over the world except for the USA) in that the tactics are much like the Tour de France.* You have a peloton (several really spread out along several lateral lines and starting at different times, of course).* You have break always who gamble by starting early and hoping to be faster alone and/or for the gaggle to wait too long and run into weakening conditions late in the day and C) the "autobus" of the guys who fall behind the main or fast gaggle or start too far behind to catch it.* These general team based tactics are extremely fun and interesting.* They are almost exactly the same in a racing task or an area task. *
The WGC pilots are rarely leeching IMO.* The whole group (if smaller than 10) is generally working together (sharing the lead position or working together) and trying to help their gaggle perform well.* Just like a stage of the Tour de France with a breakaway, sharing the lead draft position and pulling to pack, constantly rotating.* This was mainly my experience in the WGC event. *
Leeching isn't necessarily what's happening if certain pilots are hanging back, it's more likely smart tactics. There is an important difference between leeching and tactics.* If the tactical situation makes sense, some will sit back and let the others do the work (fly slower, climb a little higher before leaving, etc).* To lead out (again and again and again) or to try and get away from the gaggle is to take on more risk.* The gaggle behind (and out of view) may find a strong climb you missed (to the side of your line) and soon overtake you, perhaps leaving you well behind low..* So the smart play may be to try and always keep the gaggle in sight (laterally or behind), not leave first unless the tactical situation is worth the risk, and working together as much as possible, just like a breakaway in Le Tour.* And in some cases, like the tour, certain pilots (riders) choose not to share the load and to let others do all the work.* This could be called leeching, but in many ways, they are letting the pilots ahead take the risk and hoping to pass them when they make a mistake, not just planning to stick to them like glue no matter what (my definition of a leech).* So there is a big difference (as with so many things) in the traditional US term for "leeching" and what I saw in Australia (smart tactics). *
And, being tactically followed (or leeched) is part of racing in any sport.* The best pilots must learn to deal with it, and use it to their advantage. If you're calling someone a leech, you're getting frustrated. Advantage leech!* Complaining is useless and counterproductive. This is part of the sport, like it or not, unless we dramatically change the rules and the sport.
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