Hi Guys.
There is a long post on why soaring is declining.
It's hard to put the finger on a problem when it is structural and
not procedural.
The plain fact is that soaring is a sport for individuals, not teams.
The participant needs the help of people who can't participate.
The best soaring happens out of the view of all non-participants.
There is a limited availability of equipment to do it.
The sites are not convienently located compared to soccer fields.
There are federally mandated barriers to entry, you can't just "do it".

This virtually gaurantees that only really dedicated people will
take up the sport. The structure of the sport forces the participants
to choose between themselves and doing "family things".

Thats how I see it.

Scott.