Parowan Contest

[JMR]

I flew two days with Karl Streidick in the back of his Duo Discus.
Simply put, it was nothing short of amazing. Funny thing, there was no
magic pixie dust, or voodoo magic, just simple thermal efficiency and
energy management. Oh yeah, he doesn't use a PDA or any of that fancy
software to get himself around the course. It's, get off tow, climb
until start gate is open, start, point nose in direction of first
point and GO!! Thermals were great, even though it was blue skies both
days for us, and we routinely saw 17k while out on course. Truely an
amazing and informative experience. Too bad my experience was marred
by some very rude contest pilots.
I had my family( wife + 3 young kids) join me on this trip so that I
could show my wife that contest flying could be a family event. The
dinner after the practice day my family joined me and then took the
kids away for the pilots meeting. I thought that was very courteous.
The next day, once again the family joined me for the BBQ. As the
eating began to wind down my kids, along with a couple of other kids,
had some energy to burn and were playing around in the hangar. Yes,
they may have been playing a little loud, but nothing ridiculous.
Unfortunately, some individuals decided to yell "keep those kids
quiet!" Whether or not they were joking, I don't care. My wife was so
embarrased she was ****ed at me for days for bringing her and the
kids. People, guys like me and our families are the future of this
sport, if you can't put up with a little youthful banter, SHUT UP and
go somewhere else. Otherwise, take it up with me personally!!!
Justin Rizor
way into the future contest racer--- with the kids, not sure about the
wife :0)

[Andy[_1_]]

On Jul 8, 12:29 pm, JMR > wrote:
if you can't put up with a little youthful banter, SHUT UP and
> go somewhere else. Otherwise, take it up with me personally!!!

Are you the parent of the shrieking girl?

[Tim Taylor]

Justin,

I am sorry some of the people at the contest have forgotten what it is
like to be a child. All of the kids at Parowan did a great job of
behaving when necessary (pilots meetings, talks, etc.). What more can
we expect while we self-centered hedonistic pilots got to go fly each
day and the families had to sit on the ground in southern Utah in the
summer. Hopefully we can have a little patience when it cools down
and the kids want to play. Please assure your wife many of us were
glad to see so many familes with young children at Parowan. Don't
fight stupidity with anger, just ignore them and you will find the
rest of the the people around the sport are very friendly. I hope to
see your "entire" family a contests in the future.

Tim

[Tuno]

My 2.73 y/o was in the mix and my wife was standing nearby. A kid
screaming in a temper tantrum is one thing, but kids having fun are as
innocent as the pilot landing out in Farmer John's field. My wife was
very upset too.

Don't know if it's the straw that broke the camel's back (it didn't
help!!!), but on the way home my crew told me that was her last
contest. (At least until the kids are growed up.) FS: 2005 Seabreeze
LX 32' motorhome, 9500 miles, 8L GM Workhorse, every factory option
but the sat dish, a screaming deal at $91,500. WTB: gently used Honda
Ridgeline. Wanted: hotel roommate for 15M Nats at Uvalde next August.

~ted/2NO

[Brian Glick]

This is too bad. I have helped with many contests, including 2004 at
Parowan. Kids are the future of soaring, and wives\crew are bound to be part
of it. That said, we all have to co-operate and get along. I would urge the
wives that were affected by this to ignore whoever did it, and have much
pride in the fact that the kids were being......KIDS. A glider contest can
be a boring place for kids, unless they are creative and like books and
bikes. My wife has no love of contests, but I don't fly gliders. I tow, run
groundops, and generally do whatever I can to make it all work. She sees no
good reason to come out, and that is her choice. I love contests, all parts
of them, and I especially like meeting and helping out people. All I can say
is, use that nice motorhome and come to Mifflin. We will do all in our power
to make it a worthwhile trip.

Brian Glick
"Tuno" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> My 2.73 y/o was in the mix and my wife was standing nearby. A kid
> screaming in a temper tantrum is one thing, but kids having fun are as
> innocent as the pilot landing out in Farmer John's field. My wife was
> very upset too.
>
> Don't know if it's the straw that broke the camel's back (it didn't
> help!!!), but on the way home my crew told me that was her last
> contest. (At least until the kids are growed up.) FS: 2005 Seabreeze
> LX 32' motorhome, 9500 miles, 8L GM Workhorse, every factory option
> but the sat dish, a screaming deal at $91,500. WTB: gently used Honda
> Ridgeline. Wanted: hotel roommate for 15M Nats at Uvalde next August.
>
> ~ted/2NO
>

[Bruce]

Pity some reprobate has to spoil things.

Where I come from a contest without a small horde (pun intended) is unheard of.
The kids, and their parents are the current community and the future of gliding
- we should (and most do) encourage them.

Last contest I was at they erected a whole recreation area for them, and drafted
in a couple of young ladies to keep an eye... Happy kids are noisier than your
average glider pilot, but frequently less childish.

I know competing is a selfish activity but it can't be that much effort to
stretch your social skills to accommodate a couple of kids after flying. Someone
should point out to the said reprobate that if what he / she wants is absolute
solitude it can be arranged - as in "there's the gate. Please close it on the
way out" - If you let individuals alienate families, eventually all you have
left at these events will be the group of misfits with no family, and about as
many friends. But hell it WILL be quiet, except for them grumbling about the
decline in gliding.
</rant>

As an example - we have one family that flies at our club - Mom and Dad share a
single seater, participate in the management of the club and generally are very
useful members. They have two kids, a pre-teen who will probably solo at sixteen
and an autistic daughter who can be a real challenge. If we had not accepted
her, and found ways to ensure her safety, and keep her from damaging the
equipment when her father started as a student we would not have the benefit of
their membership and friendship. We all grew from having her around. In fact her
self absorption is similar to some others, she just doesn't fly.


Tuno wrote:
> My 2.73 y/o was in the mix and my wife was standing nearby. A kid
> screaming in a temper tantrum is one thing, but kids having fun are as
> innocent as the pilot landing out in Farmer John's field. My wife was
> very upset too.
>
> Don't know if it's the straw that broke the camel's back (it didn't
> help!!!), but on the way home my crew told me that was her last
> contest. (At least until the kids are growed up.) FS: 2005 Seabreeze
> LX 32' motorhome, 9500 miles, 8L GM Workhorse, every factory option
> but the sat dish, a screaming deal at $91,500. WTB: gently used Honda
> Ridgeline. Wanted: hotel roommate for 15M Nats at Uvalde next August.
>
> ~ted/2NO
>

[[email protected]]

On Jul 8, 6:19 pm, Andy > wrote:
> On Jul 8, 12:29 pm, JMR > wrote:
> if you can't put up with a little youthful banter, SHUT UP and
>
> > go somewhere else. Otherwise, take it up with me personally!!!
>
> Are you the parent of the shrieking girl?

You must be the example of the jerks....

>Don't fight stupidity with anger, just ignore them and you will find the
>rest of the the people around the sport are very friendly.

Oh really?????? That does not seem to be the case!!!!

Jacek
Washington State

[Gabriel]

Interesting-Parents of unruly kids telling other to Shut up and go
somewhere out.

Those are the probably the same children that are unruly and
disturbing other at restaurant, commercial airplane and other public
places-of course those parents never realize this. Talk about rude.

I am sure that we talking about good kids with parents that have their
own views on child behaviors.

This doesn't have much to do with soaring and contest.

[Andy[_1_]]

On Jul 9, 11:23 am, wrote:
>
> You must be the example of the jerks....

That may be your conclusion but I don't think you were there were
you? Your comment is not only unfounded but inappropriate in this
forum.

[[email protected]]

On Jul 9, 12:22 pm, Andy > wrote:
> On Jul 9, 11:23 am, wrote:
>
>
>
> > You must be the example of the jerks....
>
> That may be your conclusion but I don't think you were there were
> you? Your comment is not only unfounded but inappropriate in this
> forum.

I was.......

[Jack[_4_]]

Probably everyone that responded to this has kids. Many, like mine,
are probably grown and gone off on their own. My kids weren't always
angels, but they were pretty good kids. Disruptive at times? You bet.
The fact is, at a sailplane contest, or just our at the glider club,
they get bored. If they're inventive, they'll figure out a way to work
through that, sometimes loudly. That's just kids being kids. If you
don't like that - and by the way, your kids did it too if you were
lucky enough to have kids - then tactfully find their parent and ask
them to corral their children. The closest I ever came to kicking the
crap out of anyone at the airport was over an adult being totally rude
to one of my kids, who was doing nothing wrong at the time, and wasn't
being loud or disruptive. It's a shame I didn't go ahead.

I started going to the gliderport 45 years ago. I was 10. I remember
names and faces of some really nice people. I remember the jerks, too.
I came back to soaring in spite of the cross, whiney old grandmas that
were around in those days. I wonder if these kids will... And... yes,
most of the people around soaring are really nice, whether some of you
think so or not. But like the original poster, I have no built in crew
because of one ot two self-serving jerks that were rude at the
gliderport.

Jack Womack

[MickiMinner]

What the attendees of the contest refused to believe while there was
that the contest staff had to run the retrieve office out of the
hangar that all the crew thought was the "party zone". We had
incredible difficulty hearing the radios, hearing the landouts, and
couldn't even hear the cell phones, when a pilot landed out. The only
time I remember being stern about the noise level was with older
kids. The younger ones don't know any better, and can't help being
bored and having energy to burn at contests. Anyway, just wanted to
let everyone know that when you see landing cards spread out with
radios and cell phones, that means that contest safety is paramount,
before anything else!
Thanks
Micki Minner

[Andy Blackburn]

Well I can relate to both ends of this thread.

On the one hand, I was there with my two kids who were
attending their first contest. On the other hand I
had a landout on Day 3 and had a terrible time getting
through to the retrieve office. Cell phone coverage
in the Parowan task area is spotty and I called a dozen
times using a borrowed cellphone - the connection never
lasted more then 10 seconds.

The retreive office was set up in the hangar where
pilots meetings were held. It was the only shaded space
of any size that was available. As such it became a
magnet for folks trying to beat the heat - including
kids - including my kids. I got more than one stern
comment myself from retrieve office volonteers who
were trying to hear instructions from downed pilots.
I felt terrible that I was standing between a pilot
and his retrieve. If someone was a bit sharp about
the ambient noise, I'm sure it was mostly under the
strain of trying to get pilots accounted for. Perhaps
it wasn't understood by everyone in attendance what
the retrieve office does or the challenges they faced
in this contest.

Hopefully we can all be a bit empathetic. Soaring contests
are not all that engaging for those on the ground -
particularly since the start and finish gates have
gone. Kids will be kids and seek some self-entertainment,
but the work of contests goes on for the unthanked
volonteers who make sure we get launched and home every
day.

Andy Blackburn
9B

At 23:48 09 July 2007, Mickiminner wrote:
>What the attendees of the contest refused to believe
>while there was
>that the contest staff had to run the retrieve office
>out of the
>hangar that all the crew thought was the 'party zone'.
> We had
>incredible difficulty hearing the radios, hearing the
>landouts, and
>couldn't even hear the cell phones, when a pilot landed
>out. The only
>time I remember being stern about the noise level was
>with older
>kids. The younger ones don't know any better, and
>can't help being
>bored and having energy to burn at contests. Anyway,
>just wanted to
>let everyone know that when you see landing cards spread
>out with
>radios and cell phones, that means that contest safety
>is paramount,
>before anything else!
>Thanks
>Micki Minner
>
>
>

[Bruce]

MickiMinner wrote:
> What the attendees of the contest refused to believe while there was
> that the contest staff had to run the retrieve office out of the
> hangar that all the crew thought was the "party zone". We had
> incredible difficulty hearing the radios, hearing the landouts, and
> couldn't even hear the cell phones, when a pilot landed out. The only
> time I remember being stern about the noise level was with older
> kids. The younger ones don't know any better, and can't help being
> bored and having energy to burn at contests. Anyway, just wanted to
> let everyone know that when you see landing cards spread out with
> radios and cell phones, that means that contest safety is paramount,
> before anything else!
> Thanks
> Micki Minner
>
>
Hi Micki
I agree with you about safety and consideration.

On the cell phone safety side - voice requires a higher quality and real time
continuous connection. In places where reception is poor you will struggle,
especially where there is very little available bandwidth or lots of signal
attenuation. Add some contention, where suddenly a number of folk are trying to
use the trickle of bandwidth available, and it all falls apart. Conversely
SMS/text messages require a fraction of the bandwidth, are tolerant of far lower
signal quality and will send asynchronously - Press "send" and it will keep
trying till your handset gets a receipt from a tower.
I would encourage anyone relying on cellular service to use SMS first.
"CN down LAT LON damage/no damage" is easy - especially if you save a draft with
the details except for the finer LAT and LON. Make a draft that matches your
landing card. That way you know the pilot has the best chance of getting a
message in. If he/she manages to get a voice call in with details all the
better, but there will probably be lots of time to peck the details out on the
cell... Similarly replying with a pre-created message with "Retrieve departed
HH:MM" is quick and easy - and you know it has the best chance of reaching the
pilot.

On the noise and distraction side - I am very sensitive to noise, it's one
reason I prefer sailplanes to power flying. So I do empathize with noise induced
stress.

Maybe the whole argument here is one of being specific rather than general -
kids have a strong sense of justice. Nothing offends a child (or parent as you
have seen) as much as unjustified criticism. The question is not whether it is
acceptable to have noise and distraction. Some degree of disruption is
unavoidable, especially if there is only one habitable place. But my experience
is again that with a little planning and effort it is possible to make it a good
experience for all. If you can't avoid close proximity to kids, then give them
and their parents a briefing on consideration and safety. Having someone
responsible for horde management works. When you need the peace, a person
delegated by the contest office gets to direct activities so that they don't
cause problems. If this person is involved, he/she will know when to intervene
and when to let the party go, and have the authority to manage the disruptive
ones. If the crew were the problem, then there is a problem, because they should
understand that their actions directly affect the wellbeing of the person they
crew for. I would be most surprised if they failed to respond to some formal -
"this is how we have to behave" talk.

As a partially reformed sinner I can vouch that yelling over your shoulder does
nothing except offend the innocent.

Just my opinion - worth every cent you paid for it...

Bruce

[user]

Hmmm, the kids got energized after the barbeque, so it probably wasn't a
retrieve office issue as many of the peacemakers are suggesting. No, sad to
say, this sport is chock full of grumpy old white men, who open their
anxiety closets once, twice, or three times each year at soaring contests.
Happily, most are polite geezers and will yield the field to the young and
exuberant rather than make a scene. But, alas, some are simply without
grace.

Now that I think of it, they're not unlike the kids, too tied up in their
own little swirl of emotions to think much about their actions.
Unfortunately, their parents aren't usually in attendance to check them
before they run amuck, and most lack the charm of innocence.

But what's this... "individuals..." in the plural? A chorus sings out "Keep
those kids quiet!"

Your wife is right to stay away, but she doesn't know the half of it. That
last thing you want is to have your kids witness a 60-year-old self-made,
self-important, 21st Century renaissance man in the throes of a flight-line
tantrum because his crew did something wrong with/to/on his $130K glider.

Some contest sites are more kid friendly than others. Some contest officials
and contestants more skilled at managing a mob of energetic children. Sounds
like you happened on the lower left quadrant that particular evening in
Parowan.

Opossum Chef





"JMR" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>I flew two days with Karl Streidick in the back of his Duo Discus.
> Simply put, it was nothing short of amazing. Funny thing, there was no
> magic pixie dust, or voodoo magic, just simple thermal efficiency and
> energy management. Oh yeah, he doesn't use a PDA or any of that fancy
> software to get himself around the course. It's, get off tow, climb
> until start gate is open, start, point nose in direction of first
> point and GO!! Thermals were great, even though it was blue skies both
> days for us, and we routinely saw 17k while out on course. Truely an
> amazing and informative experience. Too bad my experience was marred
> by some very rude contest pilots.
> I had my family( wife + 3 young kids) join me on this trip so that I
> could show my wife that contest flying could be a family event. The
> dinner after the practice day my family joined me and then took the
> kids away for the pilots meeting. I thought that was very courteous.
> The next day, once again the family joined me for the BBQ. As the
> eating began to wind down my kids, along with a couple of other kids,
> had some energy to burn and were playing around in the hangar. Yes,
> they may have been playing a little loud, but nothing ridiculous.
> Unfortunately, some individuals decided to yell "keep those kids
> quiet!" Whether or not they were joking, I don't care. My wife was so
> embarrased she was ****ed at me for days for bringing her and the
> kids. People, guys like me and our families are the future of this
> sport, if you can't put up with a little youthful banter, SHUT UP and
> go somewhere else. Otherwise, take it up with me personally!!!
> Justin Rizor
> way into the future contest racer--- with the kids, not sure about the
> wife :0)
>

[Andy Blackburn]

I witnessed the pleas from the retrieve 'office' for
quiet. It was far more often directed at adults (pilots
actually) than kids. It was also generally justified
and not unduly harsh.

We attended nearly all the barbecue events and I missed
the chorus of 'grumpy old men' on Sunday. That one
I can't explain. We generally had a fine time and kids
were allowed to be kids - the fireworks on the 4th
in particular were of a far more enjoyable variety.

9B

At 14:48 10 July 2007, User wrote:
>Hmmm, the kids got energized after the barbeque, so
>it probably wasn't a
>retrieve office issue as many of the peacemakers are
>suggesting. No, sad to
>say, this sport is chock full of grumpy old white men,
>who open their
>anxiety closets once, twice, or three times each year
>at soaring contests.
>Happily, most are polite geezers and will yield the
>field to the young and
>exuberant rather than make a scene. But, alas, some
>are simply without
>grace.
>
>Now that I think of it, they're not unlike the kids,
>too tied up in their
>own little swirl of emotions to think much about their
>actions.
>Unfortunately, their parents aren't usually in attendance
>to check them
>before they run amuck, and most lack the charm of innocence.
>
>But what's this... 'individuals...' in the plural?
>A chorus sings out 'Keep
>those kids quiet!'
>
>Your wife is right to stay away, but she doesn't know
>the half of it. That
>last thing you want is to have your kids witness a
>60-year-old self-made,
>self-important, 21st Century renaissance man in the
>throes of a flight-line
>tantrum because his crew did something wrong with/to/on
>his $130K glider.
>
>Some contest sites are more kid friendly than others.
>Some contest officials
>and contestants more skilled at managing a mob of energetic
>children. Sounds
>like you happened on the lower left quadrant that particular
>evening in
>Parowan.
>
>Opossum Chef
>
>
>
>
>
>'JMR' wrote in message
ups.com...
>>I flew two days with Karl Streidick in the back of
>>his Duo Discus.
>> Simply put, it was nothing short of amazing. Funny
>>thing, there was no
>> magic pixie dust, or voodoo magic, just simple thermal
>>efficiency and
>> energy management. Oh yeah, he doesn't use a PDA or
>>any of that fancy
>> software to get himself around the course. It's, get
>>off tow, climb
>> until start gate is open, start, point nose in direction
>>of first
>> point and GO!! Thermals were great, even though it
>>was blue skies both
>> days for us, and we routinely saw 17k while out on
>>course. Truely an
>> amazing and informative experience. Too bad my experience
>>was marred
>> by some very rude contest pilots.
>> I had my family( wife + 3 young kids) join me on this
>>trip so that I
>> could show my wife that contest flying could be a
>>family event. The
>> dinner after the practice day my family joined me
>>and then took the
>> kids away for the pilots meeting. I thought that was
>>very courteous.
>> The next day, once again the family joined me for
>>the BBQ. As the
>> eating began to wind down my kids, along with a couple
>>of other kids,
>> had some energy to burn and were playing around in
>>the hangar. Yes,
>> they may have been playing a little loud, but nothing
>>ridiculous.
>> Unfortunately, some individuals decided to yell 'keep
>>those kids
>> quiet!' Whether or not they were joking, I don't care.
>>My wife was so
>> embarrased she was ****ed at me for days for bringing
>>her and the
>> kids. People, guys like me and our families are the
>>future of this
>> sport, if you can't put up with a little youthful
>>banter, SHUT UP and
>> go somewhere else. Otherwise, take it up with me personally!!!
>> Justin Rizor
>> way into the future contest racer--- with the kids,
>>not sure about the
>> wife :0)
>>
>
>
>

[Stewart Kissel]

That last thing you want is to have your kids witness
a 60-year-old self-made, self-important, 21st Century
renaissance man in the throes of a flight-line tantrum
because his crew did something wrong with/to/on his
$130K glider.


Although 94.5% of glider pilots don't fit this profile,
it is unfortunately true that the 5.5% who do that
probably drive people away from the sport. Not sure
if there is much of a solution other then warning the
unwary of this possibility. To bad John Shelton was
not still writing 'Pez'....he would have a lot of material
to work with on this topic.

[Papa3]

On Jul 10, 2:57 pm, Stewart Kissel
> wrote:
> That last thing you want is to have your kids witness
> a 60-year-old self-made, self-important, 21st Century
> renaissance man in the throes of a flight-line tantrum
> because his crew did something wrong with/to/on his
> $130K glider.
>
> Although 94.5% of glider pilots don't fit this profile,
> it is unfortunately true that the 5.5% who do that
> probably drive people away from the sport. Not sure
> if there is much of a solution other then warning the
> unwary of this possibility. To bad John Shelton was
> not still writing 'Pez'....he would have a lot of material
> to work with on this topic.

As a dad with two kids who have attended a few contests (first
retrieve by my son was at age 5 months), I share the concern from
parents.

On the other hand, let's be fair, it's not just soaring. Any
activity like soaring where high-intensity people gather for a high-
intensity sport will lead to some amount of friction. I grew up
around tennis, and, though 95% of the people were wonderful, there
were 5% grumpy old men who always had a complaint about the kids.
It was worse when I started crewing for a friend of family in
sailboats at age 12 at the "yacht club" (which was, admittedly, pretty
low down on the spectrum of yacht clubs and the boats were only
Lightnings, but still...).

Those of us with kids have to go even more overboard to try to make it
fun for our families. Unfortunately, places like Parowan make that
really, really difficult. An airport in the middle of the dessert is
probably a tough sell. I've decided that there are some places
where I just can't bring the family. Instead, they come to places
like Harris Hill or New Castle where there is lots for the kids to
do.

BTW, no criticism whatsoever implied regarding the Parowan operation.

P3

[Marc Ramsey[_2_]]

Papa3 wrote:
> Those of us with kids have to go even more overboard to try to make it
> fun for our families. Unfortunately, places like Parowan make that
> really, really difficult. An airport in the middle of the dessert is
> probably a tough sell. I've decided that there are some places
> where I just can't bring the family. Instead, they come to places
> like Harris Hill or New Castle where there is lots for the kids to
> do.

Actually, Parowan is a comparatively nice place to bring a family,
located in the midst of a growing town with an ice cream parlor and
other amenities (including trees), fancy condos to rent in a nearby ski
area, national parks and other interesting places within a short drive,
etc. If one wants to guarantee that they'll never have crew again, try
Tonopah 8^)

Another data point: my wife and daughter would occasionally accompany me
to selected non-desert glider ports, until my daughter reached 6 or so.
At that point, keeping her entertained away from home and friends was
more work than my wife was willing to put up with...

Marc

[Papa3]

On Jul 10, 4:14 pm, Marc Ramsey > wrote:
> Papa3 wrote:
> Actually, Parowan is a comparatively nice place to bring a family,
> located in the midst of a growing town with an ice cream parlor and
> other amenities (including trees), fancy condos to rent in a nearby ski
> area, national parks and other interesting places within a short drive,
> etc. If one wants to guarantee that they'll never have crew again, try
> Tonopah 8^)
>
> Another data point: my wife and daughter would occasionally accompany me
> to selected non-desert glider ports, until my daughter reached 6 or so.
> At that point, keeping her entertained away from home and friends was
> more work than my wife was willing to put up with...
>
> Marc

I stand corrected. Now, if I can just sell the "It's only a 2,000
mile drive" line, I'm set!

[Rick Culbertson]

Fellow soaring friends,

Kids will be kids and that's all I observed, I found they were
creative and generally entertaining to watch. Andy and Micki
appropriately pointed out the retrieve office noise issue but I don't
see how that was improper or legitimately offensive. I attended all
but one of the evening dinners and didn't hear or see the nasty stuff
reported above but I wasn't looking for it either. I did notice a few
moments when the parent(s) seemed a bit over taxed attempting to keep
tabs on the excited group of kids... that seems pretty normal to me
and perhaps a source of some self imposed and shared stress.

Yes, this certainly is a selfish and time consuming sport, we climb
into cockpits alone (usually) fly off on some amazing but hard to
describe adventure that no one can assist you with (unless you land
out) then return to the real world with a grin, by design it's very
one sided. For some of us it's a big part of the attraction.

I've noticed over the years some folks have a built in instant and
personal dislike for contest pilots, yes as in all walks of life
unlikable individuals can be easily found, the key word is
"individuals". My personal experience with my fellow contest friends
is, as a "group" they are passionate about life and engaged in living
a full life. I find them generous and very interesting folks from whom
I have personally benefited greatly in knowing and consider them life
long friends. Now, for me that's the kind of people I want to be
around. When ever I go to a soaring contest it reminds me of a family
reunion, every family has a curmudgeon or two but you still love
seeing your extended family and friends none the less.

My wife attended this contest, (her 2nd) enjoyed herself in spite of
the "record heat", made new friends and took quite a few pictures of
the kids, I'll post some of them on the SSA Parowan contest report
site soon. I think you'll see as did every one attending the joy in
the little ones faces so perhaps the one or two negative comments
noted above were a rarity not the norm.

BTW, this contest, Region 9 Parowan was an absolute blast, well run
and what a beautiful place to fly! I have nothing but praise for all
involved. Perhaps we should start a new thread of the positive side of
the 2007 R-9 experience!

Respectfully,
Rick - 21










On Jul 10, 9:14 am, Andy Blackburn >
wrote:
> I witnessed the pleas from the retrieve 'office' for
> quiet. It was far more often directed at adults (pilots
> actually) than kids. It was also generally justified
> and not unduly harsh.
>
> We attended nearly all the barbecue events and I missed
> the chorus of 'grumpy old men' on Sunday. That one
> I can't explain. We generally had a fine time and kids
> were allowed to be kids - the fireworks on the 4th
> in particular were of a far more enjoyable variety.
>
> 9B
>

[Brian Glick]

Eric

AS I know you very well, I can say this. You would have a blast flying
Parowan, and the most popular question would still be "WHERE'S MARY!!!!" You
will never escape that one!!!!


Brian

"Papa3" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> On Jul 10, 4:14 pm, Marc Ramsey > wrote:
>> Papa3 wrote:
>> Actually, Parowan is a comparatively nice place to bring a family,
>> located in the midst of a growing town with an ice cream parlor and
>> other amenities (including trees), fancy condos to rent in a nearby ski
>> area, national parks and other interesting places within a short drive,
>> etc. If one wants to guarantee that they'll never have crew again, try
>> Tonopah 8^)
>>
>> Another data point: my wife and daughter would occasionally accompany me
>> to selected non-desert glider ports, until my daughter reached 6 or so.
>> At that point, keeping her entertained away from home and friends was
>> more work than my wife was willing to put up with...
>>
>> Marc
>
> I stand corrected. Now, if I can just sell the "It's only a 2,000
> mile drive" line, I'm set!
>
>
>
>

[Papa3]

Brian Glick wrote:
> Eric
>
> AS I know you very well, I can say this. You would have a blast flying
> Parowan, and the most popular question would still be "WHERE'S MARY!!!!" You
> will never escape that one!!!!
>

Trust me - I get that question wherever I go; it's not just at soaring
contests!

[John Seaborn]

Rick puts it exactly right in the post above. Having started flying as
one of those noisy kids I can count on one hand with a few fingers to
spare the times fellow soaring pilots, crew and organizers have been
less than hospitable or that I have witnessed blow-ups. In fact my
experience has been just the opposite. The soaring community is an
interesting and diverse one, nothing if not welcoming to those who put
in a little effort. But understand that soaring competitions are just
that - competitions - with pilots focused on the flying while
suffering all the competitive slings and arrows that the sport has to
offer. Contests are not just big parties designed to give the Club Med
experience to all. They have a goal and they are generally run to
achieve this goal which sometimes can seem abrupt to bystanders. The
07 Parowan Regionals was a delightful event but any competitive human
endeavor has an element of adventure stress for participants which
again is not often understood or shared by visitors. My general
experience is that while respect for fellow pilots competitive skill
is earned, respect for ones humanity if a given. One of the reasons
that competitive soaring is so compelling is that it can be tough,
taking the participants out of the comfort zone and to locations that
may seem like backwaters but are reflective of the places and life
styles most people in the nation live every day. If you want to paint
competition pilots as a bunch of selfish hot headed, ego driven
codgers with bad interpersonal skills you have it very wrong. I have
never understood the sniping between groups in the sport. We are just
a tiny band of aviators who do it for the love of it while sharing a
common passion. Isn't that enough?