On Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 10:57:59 PM UTC-5, wrote:
The OP’s question about what it would take to develop our next American World Gliding Champion is interesting and thought provoking.

We have had three Glider Pilots win a total of four World Gliding Championships in the past fifty (50) years and a total of four Americans winning five titles in the history of the sport.

I don’t believe that our lifestyle is conducive to the challenge at hand. Most American families can’t afford to participate in Gliding activities, let alone devote their entire summer vacation (which many struggle to afford in the first place) to a Gliding Contest.

Two of our five World Championships belong to George Moffatt, who had the advantage of being a School Teacher for a living. That gave him his summer months off of work. Additionally, his Wife was also a glider Pilot so he had complete support for his soaring activities on the home front. How many guys are out there with the same type of favorable circumstances?

Dick Schraeder came close to winning a World Championship, finishing third. He had his own business and machine shop on his own private airport with equipment which permitted him to construct his own gliders. His family did spend their summer vacations traveling to contests with him via motorhome. How many other wives and kids are going to sign up for that in this era?

Wally Scott was another great glider Pilot who finished in the top ten twice during the World Gliding Championships. His family owned and operated a movie theater or theaters at night, which permitted him to go Soaring during the day.

A.J. Smith and Doug Jacobs won the other two championships in the past fifty years. Paul MacCready won in 1956. I am really unfamiliar with their circumstances so I won’t comment on them. The point is that the majority of glider pilots that won or came close to winning a World Championship benefitted from unique circumstances which permitted them to devote the time necessary to succeed internationally. The average, vast majority of Americans do not have these types of advantages to work with or the availability of time and resources needed to succeed.

On the women’s side, Sarah Arnold has finished in the top three on two occasions in the Women’s World Gliding Championship. Here again, she has the unique advantage of owning her own commercial glider operation. Do you think she has time to practice?

My impression is that most of the folks that can afford competitive equipment today and have the time and resources to Soar on a regular basis are retired individuals with little desire to pursue a World title or are past their prime to compete at the highest levels of competition. There has to be someone zealously devoted to that goal with the necessary resources and favorable circumstances to even have a chance for a World Championship.

Time or money pick one. If we really want a US world champion getting together and sponsoring a talented Jr or just aged out of jrs is the way to go. They have the talent and potentially time if they haven't gotten married or careered yet. Someone just needs to loan them a new racing machine. If soaring was a pro sport(I'm glad it's not) most of the people now racing would be coaches. The racing would be done by younger pilots. If a country wants to win that's how to do it. Champion pro sailors don't own the boats, Champion pro drivers don't own the cars.