My reaction to the letter was the same - the author's attitude "if I can't be at the top, I'm not going to bother" seems so defeatist.

OLC has been a great boon to cross-country soaring. Although our club has been at the top end, at least in terms of OLC points, we have found that it encourages a lot more folks to try than we ever found before. Our club two-seaters are often carrying loggers and we see a lot more logged flights each year. Even the seasoned cross-country and contest pilots are flying longer and further - often teasing out lift at the end of the day when we would formerly been on the deck drinking beer as the sun set!

Most important, though, even if you are into contests, it can act as your own personal benchmark.

Mike