Soaring is a sport with too much baggage.
It won't grow in America without some cultural
shift in the way we view ourselves. On whole
Americans are too selfish for the sport to work here.

If you want to do it "American Style",
you usually need a glider of your own, somewhere to
tow from with a tow plane and at least one other skilled person
(towpilot) available on your schedule. You will probably need
a crewman (wife usually) to sit on the ground reading a book
while you do your thing. The flying comes first in most cases.

If you go soaring "European style" it is usually at a club venue
off winches with a larger body of participants. The reasons
European clubs are more successful center around the social
aspects of their cultures and the fact the flying is important, but
there is a more communal spirit to soaring. It is a bit less about flying
and a bit more about belonging to a community.

I'm off my soapbox....

Scott in Texas.