The US Team selection process in future years

Good direction - and discussion

Since I have no skin in the game, but have been involved in Olympic selection is another sport, maybe I can add in a positive way.

We had huge problems and some sport still do with Team selection - it is not just us. Pure result selection diminishes organizers stress but sometimes the team can be weaker. Pure subjective selection always leaves someone not selected bitter.

The direction Tim Taylor is suggesting seems pretty logical. I agree.

There are only a few things that seem odd in Soaring selection compared to my experience.

1. the athletes (pilots) voting? I am not sure I like that idea. They could vote people onto a selection committee...... the Coach had allot of influence - do we have a National Coach?
2. a percentage of slots were allocated based on pure performance and a lesser amount of slots were subjective (coaches choice). this gives some flexibility to bring someone who is the type who performs best on the big stage.. (there are some who only perform well in high profile competition, it a fact of life)
3. Selection was/is done in phases and way in advance of the competition, but with the coaches discretion should someone fall off the performance wagon - this minimizes surprises.

In ending I would say one thing - look at almost every Sport where selection happens....... The ONLY ones who get it right are the Last Years World Champions - everyone else is still struggling to get it right

WH