I transitioned from power to glider, am in my 30's, and would like to compete. That might put me into the "sweet spot" of folks who are good candidates to bolster contest participation. Here are my thoughts.

You can change the rules to try to increase participation. But I don't think it'll help. Public exposure to soaring is just plain low. Few people know about it, few people dream of it, and few people understand it. The wide end of the funnel isn't catching enough people.

I think the sport needs to think hard about how to engage young, adventurous engineers, who are a great demographic in many ways. Soaring should be the place you go after you get tired of kite-boarding and your career achievements mean you can afford more than a mountain bike.

(First post, be nice.)