Task one. On this day I placed eighth and had a generally great run. I was clever enough to take the first start time and skilled and lucky enough to be in the right spot at the start time to have a good start. A good start puts you with the good pilots. Good pilots help you go faster.

The task had plentiful lift and I took advantage of it, leaving lift often when it got weak. I didn't take as much advantage of it as I should have at Myrtleford hill, not searching the hill for better lift, getting there first so that I wouldn't have others to help me find the best lift quicker, leaving the hill too quickly when the lift wasn't as strong as I would have liked. A minute more there would have been useful. I wouldn't have spent as much time in weaker lift near the Pinnacles if I had been higher coming off Myrtleford Hill.

My major error was slowing down to take lift on the final leg when I was running a ridgeline to goal. I had run this ridge before and had weak lift then, and was wary of just running the ridge in whatever lift was there and using the average lift to make it to goal quicker. I could have reduced my time to goal by ten minutes. That would have put me in first or second place.

While my vario showed I didn't have goal, the fact that I would be running a ridgeline that was producing lift should have assured me that I would make goal. I failed to properly recognize that the reality trumped the prediction of net zero sink/lift to goal as displayed on the 6030.

Generally, I was not prepared for the consistent lift that I found on the task and was caught in my thoughts about previous weak lift days that brought about significant struggles getting to goal.

Task two. Hubris. Joerge, another pilot and I were so high that we couldn't see our fellow competitors getting high eight kilometers away. We didn't go out to the edge of the start cylinder where you want to start the race because we saw them all getting low and held back, afraid of getting low (and proud of ourselves for being so high). When I went out to the edge of the start circle it was too late, they were already high, some at 12,500'. Then I panicked.

I went at the first start clock when I should have waited and gotten high or at least stayed high enough until the second start time. No need to go with folks who were much higher than I and already had a huge advantage. I was just throwing away the day. Sure the thought was if the day was weak (which it obviously wasn't as we just go high), then I needed to go with others for their help. But, with a strong day, and lots of folks making goal, the ticket was to use them out in front to find the thermals faster and race harder. This is what Jonny, Attila and Balasz did.

I could have gone to the edge of the start cylinder earlier, and in fact attempted that once, but stopped one quarter of the way to gain the mere 1,000' and then came back to my original position behind the launch. I didn't see the pilots only six kilometers away getting up, when I still had a chance to get to the edge of the start cylinder in time to join them and get up with them. Fear. Comfort seeing Joerg and the other pilot still at 10,000' just behind me, but away from the start circle edge.

The guys high circled at the edge of the start circle for five minutes after the start gate opened before they left. They were already five minutes behind. The guys that would start at the next start clock would have that five minute advantage on them. I knew that at the time, but didn't take advantage of it. Fear.

I gave into the fear, instead of listening to the greed.

Task three. Hubris. I went out in front of the lead gaggle, when I really needed to stay with them for one more climb. I was near the very top. Why waste this position? I didn't have to risk everything. Sure, go out and lead, but lead when you have followers. An extra minute is not going to matter that much.

I had been finding lift repeatedly and just was full of myself. I felt that I could find lift any where and didn't need the help of the gaggle. Of course, the gaggle had been helping all along, as had other pilots, but it just went to my head that I was doing great and could do no wrong. When you're hot you feel hot and I felt hot.

The long glide on the not so good line was the big mistake. I should have taken a line quite a bit to the left as the gaggle behind me did. This actually had a better shot at the clouds that I was approaching, but of course, it was off the course line. I just felt I could fly fast, hit the strong thermal first and show those guys. I needed to pay attention more to the up coming clouds and go to them even if the course line was off to the side. Normally I do this, and why I would ignore this on this occasion? Just too arrogant.

After that everything fell apart as documented by my article on that day: http://ozreport.com/12.012#2. I was unable to restart my thinking based on the new circumstances. I had been on top and now I was on the bottom. I needed to regroup and get the best I could out of the day. Instead I went for a low probability chance of recovery back into contention. I was thinking about how far I fell the day before and wanted to gain it all back.

Task four. Mixed objectives. I started great. Got in the launch line at the right time. Got up in the best lift. Headed to the best area in the start circle with the best chance of staying up. All was going well. Then I got too little lift too close to the ridge top by Mt. Porepunkah. Instead of sitting pretty, I was holding on and barely staying above the trees deep in the forested areas. Instead of thinking strategically, I was trying to survive. It puts a burden on your emotions. I wanted the air to save me, when it didn't seem that I could save myself. Just give me a good thermal like that killer one I had just experienced at launch under the dark gray sky. There were cu's over here also, why weren't they pumping?

I was too emotionally concerned to look ahead and see a way out. Trying to balance the goal of staying in the start circle, getting the latest start time and staying up. That was too many things to do. I needed to look for the best way to stay up and forget about the start time. Besides, who was going to make goal on this day? I needed to think that one out in advance, I know from what he said, that Attila was thinking along those lines. Go early, leave early, and get as far as you can before the day closes down.

Greed, fear, hubris, confusion of motives and objectives.

More on winning or not, later.