On Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at 3:28:09 PM UTC-4, wrote:
Read the article regarding the diminishment of guys pursuing badges and a commonly held misconception that it takes greater than 30/1 to do xc, another thought came to mind. Namely, is there a stigma attached to landing out within the modern soaring community? Could this be a reason why guys are not overly enthusiastic about xc flight unless they own or have access to a high performance machine?

I think most of you regulars on here know my thoughts on the matter but I am interested in what you guys think.
Dan

Not in our club (Aero Club Albatross - ACA). We even have a bit of a tongue-in-cheek tagline: "We never turn back". Of course, we require members to do their Silver distance in a 1-26, so the first landouts tend to be not all that far away.

One of the top awards we give out every year is our Golden Retriever, which recognizes the longest/best/most arduous retrieve of the last year. Some of them are pretty outstanding and always good for a laugh.