On Jan 23, 3:16*pm, " wrote:
Some comments re the apparent decline in *"Contest" *flying :

*Our club ( Central Indiana Soaring Society ) runs a year long contest
each season using rules based on a similar contest system run by the
Chicago Glider Club . No less than Seventeen
( 17 ) contest days were flown in 2008 . Of the Fifteen (15 ) *pilots
that participated only 4 have flown sanctioned contests in the US
previously, and only one ( ZA ) still flies them each year .
Obviously no one is presently looking to make the US teams but all
enjoy " contest " flying, and it seems that within our club contest
flying is alive and well . In my opinion a number of these pilots
could do well in Regional contests .
If *feedback is sought, perhaps someone ought to ask the folks in
Chicago and other clubs like ours why the pilots are happy to fly
contests *"at home " *but not at SSA *sanctioned events .
The accent in our club is on keeping it very simple , and obviously
it's very inexpensive . A recorder is needed ( any kind that can be
downloaded ) and all gliders are scored using the SSA published
handicaps. *I think these are some of the main factors that attract
the contestants.
While not all the participants seek to make the "big times" in soaring
I am convinced that every one of them have greatly improved their
flying skills learned from participating in the club contest and would
actually do quite well in *Regional Contests , if they could be
attracted to enter .

Ron (ZA)

Perhaps there may be a few more like me out there.

Back when I was in hang gliding (for 23 years), competition and record
setting were big deals for me, and I have some fond memories of the
experiences, and a few unsettling ones, and a number of awards and
records to look back on. I find it interesting that, now that I have
changed over to soaring (in 1996), all of my interest in competing has
disappeared. I have over 1500 hours in soaring, flights longer than
8 hours, flights over 500 miles, and have yet to even go for a bronze
badge. I do go to local competitions, and fly as a sniffer. So, I’m
out there, and have a good time, but am not one to be found on any SSA
contest list. There may well be a number of soaring pilots who look
down on me for my way. If so, so be it.

In hang gliding I lost a lot of friends to accidents… same in
soaring, including my two best friends in soaring (both on competition
flights). Perhaps age, or experience, or family needs, or Bruno
Gantenbrink (http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/safety-comes-first-e.html),
or all the above, have had an impact on me.

I thoroughly love X-C soaring. But, the beauty and thrill often
detour me, and I slow up to look at things, spend a little more time
in a thermal with a Red Tail, smell the roses, take photos. When I’m
out on course with the racers, and they push on low and over tiger
territory, I slow down, take light thermals, put my 80 ft /min sink
rate / 50:1 glide to work. I remember pushing the envelope and
winning in hang gliding… and a few times getting into situations where
luck came in handy so I can still be here to talk about it now.

Competition numbers, as well as overall pilot numbers in both hang
gliding and soaring seem static at best, and more likely tapering off
somewhat. Cost and family needs are certainly factors in each. Where
the contest experience has potential for stupendous rewards, such as
Region 9 – Parowan, there is certainly no lack of interest, or numbers
of contest entries. Perhaps a greater number of contests with such
potential rewards might increase participation numbers.

Like everything in life, if you want to really excel in anything, you
need to put a lot of time and money into it. As I used to tell my
students, yagottawannadoit! And, there are a lot of folks who are
very interested, but not willing to invest as much in the potential
trade-offs (time, money, safety, whatever). As I said at the start,
perhaps there may be a few more like me out there who may be affecting
the competition numbers. Regardless, for those who are very into
competition, go for it.

One last comment… When I was on the USHGA Board of Directors I
remember well all the haggling and arguing every year about
competition rules. Lots of intense feelings, lots of well intended
comments, and volunteers willing to take it all in and help the
organization and contests continue. I seems soaring has the same
involvements… and somehow, contests always seem to take place every
year.

Bob T.