On Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 12:30:02 PM UTC-7, wrote:

I'd love to see Andy focus his considerable analytical abilities on investigating the factors that impact contest participation rates: economics--including not just the cost of gliders and equipment and operating expenses but the role of exchange rates and the ability (as with houses) to move up the ladder by selling one's used glider for more than original price to help purchase a new one(THAT'S COMPLICATED); rules complexity (YUP); proliferation of classes (YUP); trends in Europe (NOT SURE WHAT THIS IS); geographic siting (YUP); changing lifestyles and alternative uses for discretionary income and time (ONLY AIN A GENRAL SENSE); etc. I believe I'm on solid ground in saying that one of those factors is NOT whether the dwell time for the start cylinder should be 2 minutes or 4 1/2 minutes or 10 minutes. (STILL THINKING ABOUT THAT ONE - IS IT BETTER OR WORSE TO HAVE 100%OF THE GLIDERS BOMBING AROUND AT 100 FEET BELOW MSH, HALF IN AND HALF OUT OF THE BEST THERMAL AROUND - INSTEAD OF SOME OF THEM CLIMBING UP HIGHER AND COMING DOWN IN SOME SORT OF SEQUENCE?).

I know you were being tongue-in-cheek, but we do think about the issue of participation - a lot. It's not much of a race if nobody shows up.

9B