Victoria Murray-Orr wrote:
Current women's world gliding champion Mette Pedersen
of Denmark, will take on the might of the world's top
male pilots as the sole female contestant in the New
Zealand Gliding Grand Prix in Omarama from 21-27 January.
This is the first time a female has competed directly
against men at this high level of international competition.

At age just 28, Ms Pedersen will not only be the only
female pilot but also the youngest competitor. She
will compete against the current men's world champion,
John Coutts (NZE) and the number one ranked pilot in
the world, Sebastian Kawa from Poland as well as national
and former world champions from France, Italy, Germany,
UK, USA and Australia.

Ms Pedersen said being the only woman invited to the
Grand Prix was a great honour and the event promised
to be very challenging.

'Flying this competition will be a huge challenge,
primarily because of the level and experience of the
other competitors,' she said. 'I've never been able
to turn down a challenge, no matter how bad the odds
are! The only way to improve is to compete against
pilots better than you. Being a girl in a man's world
is always special and you very rarely see girls at
these high level competitions; sometimes you're welcomed
and sometimes not so much! Physically there is nothing
limiting me to performing as well as the men but my
primary goal for the event is to learn from the other
pilots and my own mistakes, thereby improving day by
day.'

Ms Pedersen has been a glider pilot for 15 years, flying
out of her home-town of Billund in Denmark. Her drive
and determination to succeed is demonstrated by her
approach to the sport. Lack of professional coaching
in gliding means she draws on other sports for guidance
and is the only competitor to work with a sports psychologist
to analyse her strategies and harness the power of
the mind. With a BSc in chemical engineering, she has
left the laboratory and spends her time flight training,
competing or instructing young pilots at her flying
club.

The New Zealand Gliding Grand Prix takes place in Omarama,
North Otago from 21-27 January with the final three
days of the event open to the public. As well as the
high speed racing, spectators will enjoy aerobatic
displays and a host of on-ground entertainment. For
more information and tickets, visit www.g06.com or
www.ticketek.co.nz.