Sheesh. Where to begin? Critical thinking skills anyone?

On 3/4/2017 9:17 AM, wrote:

"Duh!" platitude snipped
For those who have tasted flight, their eyes will be forever turned
skyward.
Utter nonsense...no evident critical thinking skills associated with this
claim/wishful thinking.

And for those who have tasted the excitement of racing alongside
another sailplane, they will forever want to compete.
More utter nonsense. BTDT and enjoy other aspects associated with soaring
considerably more.

Sailplane racing is
a sport in which a 16 year old can compete against an 86 year old.
And...?

It is
the most pure form of aviation that exists.
So? This is important to those uninterested in flight exactly why?

Hot air ballooning,
helicopters, power aircraft to gyrocopters, can quickly reach a state where
you feel you have mastered that craft.
More utter (ignorant? intentionally dismissive?) nonsense. Another obvious,
likely irrelevant to the issue ostensibly under discussion, statement snipped...

What are, in your opinion, the weakest links to sailplane racing?

My opinion is that the complexities of the game have become too
overwhelming it takes the fun away.

Back in the old days, it was as simple as who can fly the furthest
downwind. That's simple to understand.

Technology, spot tracking, no more cameras at the points have changed our
sport, but is it really for the better? Are we embracing these
technological advancements to rise our sport or has it been used to demise
our sport?

More than often in the past decade have we seen dismal turnouts for
classes. 12 pilots for the standard class national championship showed up!
That's pathetic!
No question the above passionately-held
opinions/observations/implicit-questions contain real elements worthy of
thought, and, action (neither of which are in short supply in the SSA/US
soaring community, IMHO). But...

It makes me wonder, does the SSA leadership want a sold out contest? Or do
they want a small turnout to reduce the competition they face? Actions
speak louder than words! Or is it that this has become a good old boys
club and we want to keep it small like a gentlemens hunting club.
You left out, "Or do they like to rattle my cage because I hold my opinions so
strongly, even if my conclusions seem to some (more than me, I suspect)
simplistic beyond belief, if not outright off the (many) mark(s)? That's
independent of the implicit disrespect in said opinions - and I would make
that claim even were I in 100% agreement with you. Just because others hold
opinions differing from yours doesn't automatically make those others worthy
of sarcasm, anger, or ad-hominem dismissal. Reasonable people can agree to
reasonably disagree,

It's shocking that a pilot can get a rating, buy a glider and finish last
place in a regional contest and then with minimal qualifications qualify
for a National Contest!

This alone clearly shows that what has been done to keep the sport the same
size, or increase its participation levels has been a failure.

Indeed it would be "nice" if every qualifier for a National Contest might
seriously be ultimately envisioned as capable of competing for the podium at
the international levels. How to achieve that (if we assume it is possible) is
one (not THE) Big Question.

But the logical leap in-between your immediately-above two paragraphs is
(multiple choice): not patently obvious; breathtaking; illogical; unwarranted;
silly; ludicrous; etc.) Point being, to attempt to make a direct cause/effect
correlation between individual actions on the part of (SSA [e.g. a program],
an individual club [across the vast spectrum of the US and widely-varying
local circumstances], one person [acting on their opinions]) and the overall
health us U.S. soaring is at best hugely simplistic.

Lest I be accused of/dismissed as being a "naysayer" or some such, know
upfront that would be 100% incorrect. Au contraire, I consider reasoned
discussion a crucial part of intelligent, rational, illumination - and
ultimately definition - of a problem - *and* - associated decision making
designed to ameliorate or maybe even improve the situation.

Soaring (IMHO) is a wonderful, life-enhancing, sporting activity in which I've
enthusiastically (and gratefully) participated since discovering it
immediately post-college...and I sincerely hope it will continue to be long
after I am gone. Sailplane racing is (Duh!) a part of the sport.
Unquestionably - and I'll bet my retirement this is not an opinion held only
by me - while the health of sailplane racing in the U.S. would be enhanced by
an improvement in the health of sailplane racing, the correlation between the
health of sailplane racing in the U.S. and the health of *soaring* in the U.S.
is arguably very loose indeed.

May you have all the luck and good fortune you hope for in your quest to
improve the health of U.S. sailplane racing...and may - in that event - it
also prove to be more closely coupled to the overall health of U.S. soaring
than I suspect. But - I also suspect - making a greater effort to keep your
arguments (as distinct from opinions) focused, civil, mutually respectful (as
seen by both parties, not merely unilaterally), and excruciatingly non
ad-hominem will enhance the power of your arguments.

Respectfully,
Bob W.