SSA Membership

I may have given the wrong impression. We like to think of recruiting
as going out and inviting people to come try our sport. My suggestion,
based on experience, is that we might do better to direct our attention
to those people who discover the sport themselves, who make the effort
to find a gliderport and visit rather than being introduced to it by a
friend. There are pschological reasons why the prior might stick with
the sport longer. It also demonstrates a more active type of
individual, and if there's one thing all pilots seem to share, it's a
lack of passivity.

The successful formula may be something closer to this: the society
invests in branding the sport... encouraging articles in local papers,
use of gliders in advertising, facilitating access to pilots and
gliders to entertainment companies, etc. The local club/commercial
operation puts special effort into creating an enticing experience for
those potential pilots who have made the effort to find the local
gliderport and want to come out and learn more. We should offer open
arms to everyone. But we should pay special attention to keeping the
self-motivated pilot wannabe coming back to gliderport. This is the
person most likely to join the society becasue he's the most likely to
stick with the sport.

From a purely pragmatic point of view, I'd rather invest in the
motivated prospect than the tag along friend.