In 711's absence (why aren't you here Tom?) here are reports from
Mifflin for day 1 and 2.

After a few days of gridding in the rain, we have two contest days at
the sports class nationals in Mifflin. Day 1 started quite late, and
only happened thanks to Charlie Spratt's usual deafness to pilot
pessimism early in the day.

With 260 degree winds, the task call was a 1.5 mile turn area at
McConnelsburg and back. The ridges down south point more into the wind.
This was an excellent task for a sports contest. Low performance
gliders only needed to go to the end of the ridge that starts at
Mifflin and nip the circle. Medium performance can do one transition
down to the ridge through Orbisonia, and higher performance can drop
back again ridge flying down to Dickey's mountain 20 miles past the
turnpoint.

With winds only 20 degrees off the ridge at the airport, but the ridges
curving into the wind, the main strategic decision was when you stop
thermaling and decide to give the ridge a try. The second decision was
how to get back. KS showed the way by confidently going straight to the
ridge, and then transitioning once to get back, directly from the ridge
at McConnlesburg to the Jack's mountain ridge behind Mifflin. Slower
pilots either thermaled more before giving the ridge a try in the
strong cross-wind, or got stuck one ridge downwind of Mifflin under
spreadout and had interesting stories to tell about their returns.

Day 2 was a beautiful ridge day. With winds 22 at 280 and forecast to
go to 300, the task call was a 3.5 hour MAT, first turn Cumberland, no
repeating turnpoints. Again there was a little overdevelopment at the
start to make it a bit interesting. Then all reported by and large a
great classic ridge day, with strong thermals and streets to make
transitions.

Of course, there's always a little something to make it interesting.
The wind angle did not favor the northern ridges, so pilots who went to
Woodward had some interesting stories about how they got back down the
ridge. A rain shower came through Lock Haven just as a group of pilots
made it there, adding interest to that section. And a few pilots here
and there got impatient with transitions. I went down to McConnelsburg
again, paying one easy transition in cloudstreets but getting to fly
with wind straight on the ridges.

Not being able to repeat turnpoints made for interesting geometry and
time management exercises. With no waterballast, turbulence was very
strong, and most pilots flew a bit slower than the ridge would allow
for a little margin of comfort and safety.

Another front is going through today, with very strong winds behind, so
we're taking another day off. The forecast for the rest of the week
looks very good. Weatherman Richard Kellerman offers to buy beer for
the whole contest if the remaining days are not only just soarable, but
"exceptionally good."

John Cochrane
BB