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

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

On Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at 11:53:06 AM UTC-4, 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

Before we can host Junior Nationals with 70 plus participants we need to start producing the pilots needed to accomplish this feat. Soaring was not pioneered by a bunch of old men flying expensive super gliders, in many instances the early pioneers were barely more than schoolboys, in small groups resourceful enough to further their ambitions on a shoestring budget.

Take a look at this topic from August 2014, A proposal to increase membership, cross-country pilots, competitors, and world champions (USA)

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!to...ng/KU845t6yWNY

and do a find on posts that contain "KSS" or "Piotr Szafranski".

The message I get is organization of training in a group setting produces the best results. Add in cheap launch facilities and you can produce new pilots and advance them to competent soaring pilots rapidly and inexpensively which opens up soaring to a whole new group of participants including youth.. An understanding needs to be gained that in the early development of a soaring pilot high launches and high performance equipment produce little add on value and in most instances are detrimental to rapid advancement in the early stages of pilot development. Focus on individuals instead of organized group training is inefficient and slows down the whole process and produces anemic results

Piotr Szafranski claims Polish gliding has been successful using the principals of cheap and simple equipment and organization of flying activities in group settings accomplishing both efficiency and rapid advancement while containing costs. He also hints the advantages of group training achieve more inclusiveness and sense of belonging giving people even more incentive to stay in it for the long run.

We have plenty of noise about making soaring visible and getting people to try it but that is where it stops and we abandon the newcomers to their own devices. Recruitment is just the first stage in the development of a soaring pilot. Managing the new pilot's progress from ab-initio to solo, to soaring pilot and then cross country pilot are the stages we neglect that are essential to the final graduation to contest pilot.

Club Class is the only contest class that is growing. Seems to fit the above model. Make soaring affordable to young people and reduce the barriers to advancement and we might one day be able to put on a Junior Nationals.

On Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at 11:53:06 AM UTC-4, 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

I think Phil Gaisford and Bob Fletcher are showing us that we don't need a strong junior program here. We can just take our champions after they have been trained in the UK.

The UK Junior National Championships is successful due to the tremendous
hard work and effort put in to it by the people who want to see it be a
success and provide the opportunity for others that they have been given
previously. It's a hugely exciting comp to be at and compete in and the
friendships forged will last a lifetime. It's had its lean years also so
it's great
to see this year back at capacity plus!

Yes, there is huge talent, competitive spirit and camaraderie among those
eligible to compete and be coached for future years but this is not limited
to
the UK. I'm sure the UK geography helps - even the most distant pilot has
less than 10hrs to drive to most venues.

You have the pool of talent and youth in the USA (I truly hope you do
anyway) and you have no excuse with weather.... so get involved and take
the lead Sean!

GG (14 year ex UK junior...)

At 15:53 09 September 2015, Sean Fidler wrote:
Some of you might be interested to know that the UK just held its 2015
Juni=
or Nationals a few weeks ago. Nearly 70 juniors pilots (yes, SEVENTY)
comp=
eted in the event. As an American, I nearly fell over in my chair when I
s=
aw the article (and photo of the grid).=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?
Only
=
a few Junior glider pilots competed in SSA sanctioned contests this year
na=
tionwide (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
soarin=
g numbers. To be honest, few leaders in the USA seem concerned about
truly=
developing a vibrant junior XC soaring culture. Some even bitterly
questi=
on if Junior XC or contest participation is relevant or important to the
he=
alth of the SSA or US Soaring. When is the last time we saw an article,
p=
oll or speech on improving youth soaring XC
skills/participation/enthusiasm=
in the SSA or USA?=20

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
month=
s. They already have 50 Juniors (FIFTY, not done yet) signed up for the
fi=
rst event in the series. Yesterday, British Soaring (SSA equivalent) was
o=
n 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
X=
C events, what does that say about our nonexistent youth XC training
progra=
m 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
SS=
A's largest sanctioned contests (Seniors (interesting in and of itself
real=
ly) and Perry). What benefits does a strong youth XC culture provide the
U=
Ks soaring community vs. our own?=20

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

How can the UK, a country of only 60 million citizens, be so highly
develop=
ed in terms of Jr soaring pilot XC skills, proficiency, organization,
event=
s 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.=
=20

How many U.S. Junior pilots are capable of flying true cross country let
al=
one contest tasks? Developing Junior XC flying skills is not magic.
It's
=
simply a function of inspiration, qualified instruction, and motivation.
X=
C soaring is also quite fun to learn and master. It is an extremely
satisf=
ying 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
successfu=
l with their youth XC soaring programs.=20

What does all this tell us about the health of U.S. Soaring (SSA)?=20

What does this tell us about our leadership focus, culture, priorities,
and=
strategy? What does this tell us about our soaring clubs (many actively
D=
ISCOURAGE cross-country flight!)? What does this tell us about our
glider
=
instruction culture? Our mentorship results?=20

How can the UK (and many other countries to be perfectly honest) be so
amaz=
ingly successful at developing Junior XC soaring energy and while the US
(S=
SA) is so impressively "unsuccessful?"=20

We hear the occasional murmurs in the SSA about our falling numbers, poor
i=
nternational competition results, aging demographics, etc.=20

Does the USA's lack of an organized and a high priority youth soaring
progr=
am bother anyone else? Is there anything to learn here? Is there
anything=
that we might want to consider changing? What is our "leadership" doing
a=
bout 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
l=
ist? On our soaring clubs priority list? What's our strategy? What are
ou=
r action items for 2015-2016? Are there any presentations scheduled at
the=
upcoming SSA convention?=20

I hope this sparks a productive discussion.=20

Sean=20
7T

My local club generally has around 5 kids under the age of 18 in training. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It's all about consistent availability of tows and instructors. Speaking as a father of two pilots. My daughter first soloed at 14-1/2 and my son is about to do the same. Kids these days have lots of things pulling on their time. I know we all have heard stories about in the "old days" working at the field for tows and instructor time and how people worked their way through, but these are really very unique events. For young kids to participate in soaring they need parental support, and lots of it. Oftentimes they need some enticement too. Flying old 2-33's around the patch is about as fun as watching paint dry. It wasn't until I mentioned to my son that he could fly my ship that he really started working at it hard. My deal with him was that when he passed all the requirements for a private license I would pay for the insurance and he could fly my Discus. He is barely over 14 and is about to take the written exam (which he will smoke), and is nearly ready to solo. Once he completes his solo flights and passes a simulated test to PTS standards (he isn't old enough to take the actual test), I will give him his checkout and let him go. The kids involved in the UK programs have support similar to what my kids have. Strong clubs with plenty of modern hardware and knowledgable instructors plus something really cool to aspire too. They don't race in 2-33's. Make it exciting and cool and we won't have just 70, it'll be 7000. Otherwise it will be zero as there are too many other options.


Mark

Before we can host Junior Nationals with 70 plus participants we need to start producing the pilots needed to accomplish this feat. Soaring was not pioneered by a bunch of old men flying expensive super gliders, in many instances the early pioneers were barely more than schoolboys, in small groups resourceful enough to further their ambitions on a shoestring budget.

Build it and they will come. The Australian Junior Nationals started over a decade ago with a handful, and this year there was 31 juniors racing (with a third of the population of the UK).
A big part of the event is experienced senior pilots who bring along two-seaters and teach presolo up to early XC junior pilots how to race alongside the juniors. Dozens of juniors come just for the training, and the next year they come back to race.

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

Say a teenager devotes the time and energy into becoming a junior racer in the states. Races a couple of times in nice loaned gliders, turns 18(21?) then what back to the 1-26? Backseat of the 2-33? What becomes of young adult racing pilots?

On Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at 11:53:06 AM UTC-4, 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

i think that the club class nationals has been a good start, and will continue to be important. last year we had a group of 9 pilots take a photo and everyone in it except maybe danny sorenson (how old is he?) was under 40. at least three of us were under 30, and two pilots were juniors.

this year, we had daniel, JP, and Boyd participate at the same nationals. i was there too, and i am not yet 30. that's four pilots at the same event under the age of 30. i think we are inching our way slowly in that direction.. Harris hill saw 1 18 year old kid fly two contests this year as a guest, and four others that fall into the junior category fly cross country. and two more of us between 25 and 30.

I don't disagree that we aren't doing good enough, but i see some hope! if we actively initiate a strategy for bringing up junior contest pilots, i think we will see the number grow.

one thing running against us is the geographic limitation. it looks like the farthest anyone there would have had to travel, and this is the EXTREME case, would be 500 miles.

this year i drove 1800 miles to participate, and if boyd wanted to come to the club class nat's this coming year, he'll have to drive 2740 miles. honestly, he'd probably fly and borrow a glider, but flying here still costs. i recognize that he could definitely fly a different contest, but if we are talking a junior specific contest, some would end up traveling a long way.

so i think one thing we need to learn how to overcome or deal with is the geographic aspect of mass junior participation like you describe.

this is a good discussion to have.