Forget Dying; Is Soaring Dead?

If the percentage of sailplane pilots who race drops
from 5% of the total group to 4%...does this indicate
the sport is dying? Perhaps.

Racing, particularly in the non-handicapped groups
has always appealed to an energitic minority. Having
pilots excited about what part of the sport interests
them is certainly a good thing, but does racing drive
the sport? For instance the Open Class...how does
that category fit into the sport as a whole?