physics question about pull ups

On Apr 20, 1:41*pm, Chris Reed wrote:
wrote:
The effect of drag on height recovery isn't too bad, but is enough to
matter. *

In a low-performance glider the drag can be extremely significant. In,
say, a K8 or (I'd guess) an I-26, the height gain is very small in
comparison with 40:1 glass.

A pilot flying at the UK Juniors a few years ago described a racing
finish in a K8, producing no more than a 200 ft climb from a 90kt
pull-up. He said that a K8 in this mode was the ultimate efficient
machine "for converting height into noise".

back to the original question...

Maybe I'm missing something, but I think the approach to the problem
is flawed. How does mass "cancel out" if they are different masses?
Total energy is not the same in each case. All things being equal at
the pull up, speed, glider type, etc. a ballasted glider has more mass
and thus more kinetic energy which would result in a higher climbout
compared to a non ballasted glider. I'm not going to attempt to write
the equation because that would be embarrasing for me. But what am I
missing? Even if we start the gliders before the dive at the same
height the result is the same, the heavier glider has more potential
energy and will have a higher climb. Isn't this simple high school
phyics?