On Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 6:30:04 AM UTC-5, Jim White wrote:

Evan, your argument has a massive hole in it. Ask yourself why, if these
great things have 'been going on for literal decades', there is still a
problem?

Hi Jim,

Mine wasn't an "argument", it's a provable statement.

Anyone that's attended the mandatory pilots' safety meeting at *any* US contest the last 20 years saw the CD ask for a show of hands for racers new to that venue -- those guys get a mentor *assigned*. You can refuse of course, but my point is: you don't even need to ask. Mentors I have had include Hank Nixon, John Seymour, Doug Jacobs, Ken Sorenson, Rick Walters... the very best of the best. All of these guys were fantastic to work with. I just wish I were a sharper student!

Numerous racing clinics have been held. I'm aware of week long clinics run by Doug Jacobs and Karl Striedieck, I know that there have been others. I was able to sit in on a couple of days with Doug and G Dale at Sugarbush in 2004 and it was intense, well focused, superb. I can't rattle off dates or numbers, but these are not terribly *un*common.

Karl Striedieck has been hopping back seat rides in his Duo at contests all over the country for the last decade. I don't believe the P2 ordinarily gets to do any flying, but you do get to see what goes on in Striedieck-world first hand, and guys I know that have taken the opportunity give it two thumbs up.

Lately (last 5 - 6 years) "Bus" classes have started running at regionals in the Northeast. Experienced guys bring the club K-21 or G-103 to a regional and rotate their students through the front seat on racing days. All backed up with ground school, of course.

My point is: The help and encouragement is there for the taking. What I can't do is freely distribute the motivation to jump on the offer and make it stick. Clearly, the one word reason for declining participation is "motivation". Addressing that is a different thread.

Best regards & see y'all at a competition next year.

Evan Ludeman / T8

PS. Just casually watching who's buying what in 2015 - 16, I see a bunch of 20m and larger two seat gliders getting purchased by guys with many decades of single seat XC and racing experience. Two that I know pretty well have made clear that their *main* purpose for doing this was to see if they could push some new pilots past their initial trepidation and into XC flying.. I suspect others are thinking similar thoughts. Opportunity in 2016 abounds.