Eric Greenwell wrote in message ...

I don't think that is a bad thing, IF our rules promote soaring in
this country. I think that should be a higher priority than selecting
and training gliders to do well at the World level.

Real big IF! Hate to say this, but soaring isn't very popular in this
country. We mainly have a lot of weekend local hackers, and a few
crazed racers. A few small programs to introduce the sport to youth,
but the emphasis is almost universally on getting a licence, not on
progressing to XC and racing. The field I fly at has a very active
soaring school, turns out lots of new glider pilots, but we have a
hard time getting any of them to join our club and fly our G-102 (GPS,
glide computer, O2, XC encouraged, 20$/hour or $500/year all you can
fly!) - they mostly seem to want to grind around in 2-33s or 1-26s
until they get bored or run out of money, then we never see them
again. I think it is because soaring is not being sold as a sport -
with the ultimate goal of being World Champion; instead it is being
sold (literally, to make money for the commecial schools) as a "cheap
way to fly" (it isn't), and a fun way to spend the afternoon floating
around the sky (which it is, to a point). As a result, when the new
glider pilot sees us "glassholes" push over and launch for a race, I
think their reaction is "Bunch of rich jerks with their expensive
toys" (which is emphatically not true - except maybe for the jerk part
- in my case) instead of "Neat, racing gliders, that's my goal!" Look
at all the bicycle riders zipping around in full-monty spandex these
days. They may not be racing, but they sure can look like Lance! And
them "10-speeds" sure aren't cheap anymore, either!

And please don't give me the "Well you have to be more approachable,
you are scaring them away, they get the cold shoulder, hold their
hands..." whine. I've heard it, and at least out here, it is total
BS. We try, but as they say, you can't push on a rope. There has to
be motivation, and for many it just isn't there. For the lucky few
who get hit by lightning and see the light (whew, big mixed metaphor
this early!), we have all the self-motivation we need.


I'd like to hear from Team members on how much our rules interfere
with our success, because I have the impression that the only one that
has hampered us in the past is our "no team flying" rule. This rule is
scheduled to become a World rule in a few years, if I remember
correctly.

Me too, if we could hear what they really think. But do you really
think they are going to bite the hand that sent them to the Worlds,
and may do it again? "Yep, we done ****ty against them furriners cause
the SSA and SRA suck! Bye, gotta go fly me a two hour TAT, I just love
them free 15 minutes!". Sounds like a line in a PEZ cartoon!

I saw where they are going to limit entries to one per class per
country, which would effectively eliminate team flying - maybe.
Cooperation across classes may still be possible. We'll have to see.

But what do I know, I'm just a lowly local and regional racer, not a
sky god.

Kirk
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