John,

Good point! I should have said "fun event without the potential of SSA pilot ranking points..." To be clear, I personally I think contest soaring is most fun when SSA pilot ranking points are "up for grabs." The RC has allowed Grand Prix starts in sanctioned contests for 2014 and I think that is great. That said I hope next year the Florida Sailplane Grand Prix event is a SSA sanctioned event. I am pretty sure that it will be.

I also hope that other regional contests (hello CM's and CD's), give regatta starts (with assigned tasks of course) a try this year. Even though the Florida Sailplane Grand Prix Series has not yet experienced booming conditions, the sensation of truly racing with your fellow competitors is absolutely exhilarating. I find it to be a completely different level of excitement than traditional starts and AAT flying for sure. Once we get the right flying conditions, I cannot imagine the fun that will be had based on what I have seen so far in fairly weak conditions.

Obviously Grand Prix format is not for everyone, (class size needs to be smaller, ect) but if the opportunity to give it a go presents itself at your contest, Grand Prix is incredibly fun flying! Don'd be afraid of trying something new. Grand Prix is PURE RACING! Give it a try...

Sean