Some observations on the effect of U.S. glider handicaps on SC Nationals

BB wrote:
The trouble with looking at the glider is that it doesn't consider the
pilot. In the US, the vast majority of top-level pilots own
recent-generation gliders. When they go to a sports class event,
usually because it's fun or geographically convenient, they bring their
gliders with them. This analysis assumes that pilots are randomly
assigned to gliders, which isn't the case.


John beat me to the punch. I'd suggest we ask our friends in Europe
to give us some insights on pilots vs. ships. For instance, I know
from reading S&G that several of the top juniors and young guns in
England show up on the scoresheet for various national races -
standard, 15M, Club. My assumption is that: a) distances to travel
are significantly less, so it is feasible for someone to compete in
more than one nationals and b) the prevalence of club class gliders in
large syndicates or clubs (vs. the US penchant for individual
ownership) means it is much easier to line up a Club Class ship if you
want one.

So, let's model this in the US. Suppose we ran a true Club Class
nationals in an accessible location which did not conflict with any of
the other FAI class nationals. Would top-seeded pilots show up? I
posit that the answer is a qualified "yes"; some significant number
would. They would do what Tim Welles did this year and beg, borrow,
or steal one. Is that 5? 10? Dunno. But, getting back to the
lament about "club class gliders doing well", I think the answer is
that the "gliders" would do well in direct proportion to the top pilots
flying them.

Just a case in point: My performance in my LS4 in 1998 and 1999 vs. my
performance in 2006 in LS8 was much less a function of aircraft than it
was of piloting skill. I've now flown 3 Sports Nationals, improving
my placing in each. Along the way, I happened to switch to an LS8, but
trust me, that had nothing to do with getting into the top tier. I'm
a low learner, and in the first 10-12 or so years of racing, I could be
counted upon to make at least 3 really stupid mistakes per contest and
a dozen sort of stupid mistakes.

Going back to my tennis analogy from earlier. I finally got so fed up
with one guy who came back a dozen times to have me restring his new
racket (ie. "the equipment is the problem"), I made a deal. If I
beat him using my old Wilson Stan Smith (wood racket = club class) vs.
his Wilson Hammer (graphite aero = ASW-27) with him spotting me 1 point
per game (handicap), then he would sign up for a series of six lessons
(shameless commercial ploy). 6-2, 6-0. Hey, I was 21, and 6
lessons at 50 bucks a pop bought me a season's worth of aero tows!