The highly successful UK Junior XC program vs. USA's nonexistantJunior XC program. Why?

On Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at 9:53:06 AM UTC-6, Sean Fidler wrote:
Some of you might be interested to know that the UK just held its 2015 Junior Nationals a few weeks ago. Nearly 70 juniors pilots (yes, SEVENTY) competed in the event. As an American, I nearly fell over in my chair when I saw the article (and photo of the grid).

Back in the USA, the SSA doesn't even bother to hold a Junior Nationals. I cannot recall when the SSA last held a specific Junior competition? Only a few Junior glider pilots competed in SSA sanctioned contests this year nationwide (even with a hefty discount offer from the SSA). The SSA, to the best of my knowledge, has no real plan or strategy to improve Junior soaring numbers. To be honest, few leaders in the USA seem concerned about truly developing a vibrant junior XC soaring culture. Some even bitterly question if Junior XC or contest participation is relevant or important to the health of the SSA or US Soaring. When is the last time we saw an article, poll or speech on improving youth soaring XC skills/participation/enthusiasm in the SSA or USA?

The UK isn't satisfied with just a highly successful 2015 Junior Nationals. Now the UK is next holding a Junior winter XC series in the coming months. They already have 50 Juniors (FIFTY, not done yet) signed up for the first event in the series. Yesterday, British Soaring (SSA equivalent) was on Facebook soliciting more gliding clubs to "send their dual XC ships with instructors" to keep up with "demand." Amazing.

If the UK is developing this kind of energy and enthusiasm at their youth XC events, what does that say about our nonexistent youth XC training program in the SSA? Yes, these are all XC events and NOT primary training, rides or kiddie playtime. Yes, these events are all equal or larger than the SSA's largest sanctioned contests (Seniors (interesting in and of itself really) and Perry). What benefits does a strong youth XC culture provide the UKs soaring community vs. our own?

The UK equivalent of the SSA has a Junior Development Committee (JDC). Clearly, the UK puts a huge amount of emphasis on this "opportunity." They likely put their best people on it. Does the SSA even have a youth soaring function or officer? Why not? What is more important than a highly developed youth XC soaring culture to a country's soaring future?

How can the UK, a country of only 60 million citizens, be so highly developed in terms of Jr soaring pilot XC skills, proficiency, organization, events and enthusiasm while the USA (a country of some 330 million) doesn't even have an organized Junior program, bother to hold a Junior Nationals or any have real Junior culture whatsoever? They few Juniors we have are left to themselves to figure it out. They have zero funding and little support.

How many U.S. Junior pilots are capable of flying true cross country let alone contest tasks? Developing Junior XC flying skills is not magic. It's simply a function of inspiration, qualified instruction, and motivation. XC soaring is also quite fun to learn and master. It is an extremely satisfying challenge to meet. XC might just challenge our youth pilots enough to keep them interested in the sport. That appears to be the case in the UK. And the UK is not alone, most European countries are also quite successful with their youth XC soaring programs.

What does all this tell us about the health of U.S. Soaring (SSA)?

What does this tell us about our leadership focus, culture, priorities, and strategy? What does this tell us about our soaring clubs (many actively DISCOURAGE cross-country flight!)? What does this tell us about our glider instruction culture? Our mentorship results?

How can the UK (and many other countries to be perfectly honest) be so amazingly successful at developing Junior XC soaring energy and while the US (SSA) is so impressively "unsuccessful?"

We hear the occasional murmurs in the SSA about our falling numbers, poor international competition results, aging demographics, etc.

Does the USA's lack of an organized and a high priority youth soaring program bother anyone else? Is there anything to learn here? Is there anything that we might want to consider changing? What is our "leadership" doing about this problem? Do they even recognize it as "a problem?" Is our lack of Junior participation and XC skill development even on the SSA priority list? On our soaring clubs priority list? What's our strategy? What are our action items for 2015-2016? Are there any presentations scheduled at the upcoming SSA convention?

I hope this sparks a productive discussion.

Sean
7T

Geography plays significantly into the difference. The UK, stem to stern, is about 98,000 square miles and about as long as California. California is 156,000 square miles. Heck, Colorado is 104,000 square miles. I could and did start out cross country flights from Enstone GC when cloud base reached 1800agl since I could and did take a relight if I fell out at the next club on course, about 10 miles. Actually, it was in getting home, one thermal short of home plate. In the US, the next club might be 200 miles away, or more. Enstone GC was winch only, quite affordable. Those of us who could also fly from RAF clubs had it doubly good, 50 pence winch launch, land 5 or more hours later. The RAF clubs also had support from the Nuffield Trust. The US had cheap tows for a lot of years. Not so cheap now, nor is land, so many places are stuck with the high cost of aero tows from airfields that are too short for practical winching. Winching is still seen as a novelty by many, but young people dig it, given the chance. Seems like parents need to have their spawn involved in a number of activities these days. If several activities can't be crammed into a Saturday or Sunday, something's wrong. Spending a full day or weekend scouting or soaring appears to be less appealing as it requires a longer commitment. Not sure about today, but in the late 20th century, when the BGA ruled soaring and gliding in the UK, the laws and rules for glider pilots was about a 20 page pamphlet including about 4 pages devoted to trailer lighting, markings, and speed limits on various categories of roads. Gee, such a small place and soaring can co-exist with so much other air traffic. Imagine that. Don't get me wrong. I haven't flown there since 1995 and doubtless, things have changed. Many often point to European gliding organizations getting government support. Although it may be true that sports council grants and other such programs do provide some support, it's usually based on meeting some performance benchmark. In the US, our tax code allows us to form tax exempt and charitable organizations to meet needs in our local communities by recognizing and defining that need and supporting it through charitable gifts. As a result, donors receive a tax deduction. Great system if used properly. A national junior gliding, member-supported, organization is quite doable and desirable as an affiliate or division of the SSA. Big commitment of stewardship required.

The longer you wait, the longer it takes.

Frank Whiteley

As Gav Goudie alluded to earlier in this thread, UK Junior Gliding was in
dire straights back in 2010. A mixture of a couple of "incidents" and the
recession meant we were down to 15 entries in the 2011 Juniors!

2 groups formed to sort it out.

The first group took on the running of the Junior Nationals. They are
mixture of British Team members and ex juniors who have helped with
everything from directing the Juniors to gaining sponsorship and making
sure the event is seen as a positive for clubs to bid for. The comp is now
one of the best run in the country and is a great platform for young pilots
to test their XC Skills.

The second group - called the Junior Development Team (made up of 4
Current/nearly current Junior pilots lead by a member of the BGA exec) who
would look into the "non-competitive" side of Junior gliding - The aim to
bring in Junior pilots from outside of gliding, and get the smaller clubs
around the country singing from the same hymn sheet by creating a network
of Junior Gliding Centres. If a club wanted to be a JGC then various
issues such as child protection etc which include piles of paperwork that
most club committees don't have the time for was all set out for them in a
template, thus it wasn't such an onerous task. The JGC template has also
lead us to links with the Air Training Corps, Schools and the
Scouts/Guides.

We also have a large Facebook presence and our own YouTube channel run by
the Juniors. Social media has meant we can contact each and every Junior
in 2 clicks with news regarding upcoming events and various bursaries that
are available to keep the cost down.

We created a Winter Series (3 long weekend events at ridge/wave sites per
year) to encourage the Juniors not just to meet once a year at the
nationals but effectively every quarter - thus friendships are maintained
and the pressure of competing is removed in the winter.

Many people put effort into the UK Junior movement. It wouldn't work
without club cooperation, the BGA, volunteers, scholarship/bursaries...the
list goes on.

What we have found is that through the above and many other initiatives is
that we have a thriving group of 50+ Junior pilots and what's more most of
them are only just 18!

Please feel free to email us if you think we could be of any assistance.

Thanks

UK Junior Development Team





At 04:34 10 September 2015, Frank Whiteley wrote:
On Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at 9:53:06 AM UTC-6, Sean Fidler wrote:
Some of you might be interested to know that the UK just held its 2015
Ju=
nior Nationals a few weeks ago. Nearly 70 juniors pilots (yes, SEVENTY)
co=
mpeted in the event. As an American, I nearly fell over in my chair when
I=
saw the article (and photo of the grid).=20
=20
Back in the USA, the SSA doesn't even bother to hold a Junior
Nationals.
=
I cannot recall when the SSA last held a specific Junior competition?
Onl=
y a few Junior glider pilots competed in SSA sanctioned contests this
year
=
nationwide (even with a hefty discount offer from the SSA). The SSA, to
th=
e best of my knowledge, has no real plan or strategy to improve Junior
soar=
ing numbers. To be honest, few leaders in the USA seem concerned about
tru=
ly developing a vibrant junior XC soaring culture. Some even bitterly
ques=
tion if Junior XC or contest participation is relevant or important to
the
=
health of the SSA or US Soaring. When is the last time we saw an
article,=
poll or speech on improving youth soaring XC
skills/participation/enthusia=
sm in the SSA or USA?=20
=20
The UK isn't satisfied with just a highly successful 2015 Junior
National=
s. Now the UK is next holding a Junior winter XC series in the coming
mon=
ths. They already have 50 Juniors (FIFTY, not done yet) signed up for
the
=
first event in the series. Yesterday, British Soaring (SSA equivalent)
was=
on Facebook soliciting more gliding clubs to "send their dual XC ships
wit=
h instructors" to keep up with "demand." Amazing.
=20
If the UK is developing this kind of energy and enthusiasm at their
youth=
XC events, what does that say about our nonexistent youth XC training
prog=
ram in the SSA? Yes, these are all XC events and NOT primary training,
rid=
es or kiddie playtime. Yes, these events are all equal or larger than
the
=
SSA's largest sanctioned contests (Seniors (interesting in and of itself
re=
ally) and Perry). What benefits does a strong youth XC culture provide
the=
UKs soaring community vs. our own?=20
=20
The UK equivalent of the SSA has a Junior Development Committee (JDC).
C=
learly, the UK puts a huge amount of emphasis on this "opportunity."
They
=
likely put their best people on it. Does the SSA even have a youth
soaring=
function or officer? Why not? What is more important than a highly
devel=
oped youth XC soaring culture to a country's soaring future?
=20
How can the UK, a country of only 60 million citizens, be so highly
devel=
oped in terms of Jr soaring pilot XC skills, proficiency, organization,
eve=
nts and enthusiasm while the USA (a country of some 330 million) doesn't
ev=
en have an organized Junior program, bother to hold a Junior Nationals or
a=
ny have real Junior culture whatsoever? They few Juniors we have are
left
=
to themselves to figure it out. They have zero funding and little
support.=
=20
=20
How many U.S. Junior pilots are capable of flying true cross country
let
=
alone contest tasks? Developing Junior XC flying skills is not magic.
It'=
s simply a function of inspiration, qualified instruction, and
motivation.
=
XC soaring is also quite fun to learn and master. It is an extremely
sati=
sfying challenge to meet. XC might just challenge our youth pilots
enough
=
to keep them interested in the sport. That appears to be the case in the
U=
K. And the UK is not alone, most European countries are also quite
success=
ful with their youth XC soaring programs.=20
=20
What does all this tell us about the health of U.S. Soaring (SSA)?=20
=20
What does this tell us about our leadership focus, culture, priorities,
a=
nd strategy? What does this tell us about our soaring clubs (many
actively=
DISCOURAGE cross-country flight!)? What does this tell us about our
glide=
r instruction culture? Our mentorship results?=20
=20
How can the UK (and many other countries to be perfectly honest) be so
am=
azingly successful at developing Junior XC soaring energy and while the
US
=
(SSA) is so impressively "unsuccessful?"=20
=20
We hear the occasional murmurs in the SSA about our falling numbers,
poor=
international competition results, aging demographics, etc.=20
=20
Does the USA's lack of an organized and a high priority youth soaring
pro=
gram bother anyone else? Is there anything to learn here? Is there
anythi=
ng that we might want to consider changing? What is our "leadership"
doing=
about this problem? Do they even recognize it as "a problem?" Is our
lac=
k of Junior participation and XC skill development even on the SSA
priority=
list? On our soaring clubs priority list? What's our strategy? What
are
=
our action items for 2015-2016? Are there any presentations scheduled at
t=
he upcoming SSA convention?=20
=20
I hope this sparks a productive discussion.=20
=20
Sean=20
7T

Geography plays significantly into the difference. The UK, stem to
stern,
=
is about 98,000 square miles and about as long as California. California
i=
s 156,000 square miles. Heck, Colorado is 104,000 square miles. I could
a=
nd did start out cross country flights from Enstone GC when cloud base
reac=
hed 1800agl since I could and did take a relight if I fell out at the
next
=
club on course, about 10 miles. Actually, it was in getting home, one
therm=
al short of home plate. In the US, the next club might be 200 miles away,
o=
r more. Enstone GC was winch only, quite affordable. Those of us who
could=
also fly from RAF clubs had it doubly good, 50 pence winch launch, land
5
=
or more hours later. The RAF clubs also had support from the Nuffield
Trus=
t. The US had cheap tows for a lot of years. Not so cheap now, nor is
land=
, so many places are stuck with the high cost of aero tows from airfields
t=
hat are too short for practical winching. Winching is still seen as a
nove=
lty by many, but young people dig it, given the chance. Seems like
parents=
need to have their spawn involved in a number of activities these days.
I=
f several activities can't be crammed into a Saturday or Sunday,
something'=
s wrong. Spending a full day or weekend scouting or soaring appears to
be
=
less appealing as it requires a longer commitment. Not sure about today,
b=
ut in the late 20th century, when the BGA ruled soaring and gliding in
the
=
UK, the laws and rules for glider pilots was about a 20 page pamphlet
inclu=
ding about 4 pages devoted to trailer lighting, markings, and speed
limits
=
on various categories of roads. Gee, such a small place and soaring can
co=
-exist with so much other air traffic. Imagine that. Don't get me wrong.

=
I haven't flown there since 1995 and doubtless, things have changed.
Many
=
often point to European gliding organizations getting government support.

=
Although it may be true that sports council grants and other such
programs
=
do provide some support, it's usually based on meeting some performance
ben=
chmark. In the US, our tax code allows us to form tax exempt and
charitabl=
e organizations to meet needs in our local communities by recognizing and
d=
efining that need and supporting it through charitable gifts. As a
result,=
donors receive a tax deduction. Great system if used properly. A
nationa=
l junior gliding, member-supported, organization is quite doable and
desira=
ble as an affiliate or division of the SSA. Big commitment of stewardship
r=
equired.

The longer you wait, the longer it takes.

Frank Whiteley

Did anyone know that the UK Junior nationals utilizes a Junior CD, manager, weather-person, etc! How brilliant! If anyone cannot see the genius behind this, I feel sorry for them.

Country size: We could divide the United States into 5 or 6 equal segments of greater population than the UK. To perform equally in terms of juniors, we would need a Junior nationals of some 350 youth pilots! Or 6 regions of 60 Juniors. Geography is not a real problem from this realistic perspective. Geography is a poor and tired excuse for US soaring numbers. We are performing at something like 1% the UKs level right now in terms of Jr's when population size is considered. Essentially, we are a joke.

The question is what are the benefits of a vibrant Junior Cross Country (not pattern flying) program? We would not know in the USA right now because, we absolutely do not have none. We only have a few bright Juniors who are able to participate regardless of the lack of organized junior XC structure or an established junior cross country culture. They are trying to build this on their own with a Facebook page, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/USJRSoaring/

It has 63 members (including a number of adults). It should have 1500+ and 100 of them should be aiming for next years Junior National Championships (but I digress).

Imagine the Junior talent the United States would enjoy if we had 70 such kids flying their own contest every summer. Britain (1/6 the size) has a vibrant youth XC soaring (not pattern licenses) program with literally several hundred Junior pilots either involved or aiming to participate.

The question is what do we value as a soaring country? What are our priorities? What does our soaring leadership value? Where do we invest time and effort? What does the SSA value? What do our soaring instructors value and what are their skills? And most importantly, what do US soaring clubs value? Many of our "soaring?" clubs that actually discourage cross country soaring! I always find that fact amazing.

I would hope that our current SSA leadership sees the importance of organized and successful Junior cross country culture and takes action to rebuild one now. It's a question of priorities. One wonders what else is more important to be honest. As SSA leaders, they have the opportunity to study the problem, put a plan together, organize a team, and inspire a massive country that is essentially forsaking its junior pilots. But this must start at the top and remain a serious priority. Articles, reports, etc.

The SSA convention is in a few months. Let's hope the topic of developing Junior XC soaring is prominent, front and center and not glazed over or status quo (non-existent). We have numerous examples of how other countries are supporting their Juniors. Will our current leaders respond?

I look forward to seeing what happens!

Sean
7T

Oh and did I mention that most of the USA has far better soaring conditions that the UK ever dreamt of......

On Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 9:00:10 AM UTC-6, Sean Fidler wrote:
Oh and did I mention that most of the USA has far better soaring conditions that the UK ever dreamt of......

Nonsense.

:-)

But look at what our sometimes mediocre soaring conditions do for the skill
of
the pilots flying in them...

And we don't dream, we go and fly in those conditions also :-)

At 15:00 10 September 2015, Sean Fidler wrote:
Oh and did I mention that most of the USA has far better soaring
conditions
that the UK ever dreamt of......

As a one time (long ago) junior who had to give up for a while, I think we're missing the big picture here. Not big team training sessions, not nationals.

If you're a junior, and sort of by definition can't afford to own a glider, where do you get access to a relatively modern glider suitable for learning cross country and contest skills?

European clubs have glass single seat gliders, and encourage memebers to go cross country in them.

The vast majority of American clubs don't have glass gliders, and heaven forbid anyone should take one cross country, least of all the "new kid." The exceptions -- Harris Hill with both good gliders and a strong junior program, for example -- prove the rule.

John Cochrane

On Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 4:20:14 PM UTC-4, John Cochrane wrote:
As a one time (long ago) junior who had to give up for a while, I think we're missing the big picture here. Not big team training sessions, not nationals.

If you're a junior, and sort of by definition can't afford to own a glider, where do you get access to a relatively modern glider suitable for learning cross country and contest skills?

European clubs have glass single seat gliders, and encourage memebers to go cross country in them.

The vast majority of American clubs don't have glass gliders, and heaven forbid anyone should take one cross country, least of all the "new kid." The exceptions -- Harris Hill with both good gliders and a strong junior program, for example -- prove the rule.

John Cochrane

From what I see, most Harris Hill juniors do their first cross countries in the 1-26 or the 1-34. Mostly the 1-34.
I think it is not at all important to have glass available for early cross countries.
For early contests, a 1-34 is fine in sports as long as tasking takes it into account. It is "just" more work to rig and derig.
Liz Schwenkler, from HHSS, won her first regional in the 1-34 and later was the first woman to win a US Nationals since the 1950's. Along the way, she had loaner gliders as she needed them.
It isn't the ships, it's the culture.
UH

On Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 4:20:14 PM UTC-4, John Cochrane wrote:
As a one time (long ago) junior who had to give up for a while, I think we're missing the big picture here. Not big team training sessions, not nationals.

If you're a junior, and sort of by definition can't afford to own a glider, where do you get access to a relatively modern glider suitable for learning cross country and contest skills?

European clubs have glass single seat gliders, and encourage memebers to go cross country in them.

The vast majority of American clubs don't have glass gliders, and heaven forbid anyone should take one cross country, least of all the "new kid." The exceptions -- Harris Hill with both good gliders and a strong junior program, for example -- prove the rule.

John Cochrane

And Aero Club Albatross. Eternally grateful for the amount of latitude I had with the club equipment from Day One.

As for Erik, he is also working on spawning a junior into the mix. He is training his son and I'd imagine he'll be tearing up the sky in no time.

The discussion regarding equipment is somewhat moot. 1-26s, 1-34s, Glass ships, it really doesn't matter. The bigger issue is the difficulties in logistics and support. Many juniors can't even drive and getting access to a tow vehicle with a hitch is quite difficult. For a year, my "commute" to the airport was three hours one way, taking trains to get to Newark and two club members driving me the rest of the way. Those two club members, Steve and Intis made all the difference for me at that time. They also both crewed for me for my first several cross country flights, with Steve participating on the whimsical retrieve on my Silver Distance. A story for another time.

On the other hand, a good friend of mine at another club who got access to a high performance glider was unable to get this sort of support and did not get involved with cross country flying for quite a while. He just did two cross country flights and his first outlanding. His last flight was 170 miles on quite a challenging day and now is totally hooked.

Another junior pilot found his club to be very hesitant in crewing for him or landing away from his airfield. He does very little cross country flying out of his homebase, most of it in camps and in contests.

This is by far the most difficult hurdle to cross as a junior pilot. I had been very lucky with the resources I have had and the support I received. I hope that other juniors will experience these things and it would be an honor for me to have the opportunity to give back to future junior pilots in a similar capacity. It sure made a difference in my flying.

Best Regards,
Daniel