Time for a review of my disastrous (although it doesn't "feel" that way) Santa Cruz Flats Race with an eye toward providing the Oz Report reader with applicable lessons (as I don't seem to have the emotional makeup required to "learn" them) regarding how to do well in a competition.

At my last competition, the New South Wales State Titles, I was doing very well. I was in fourth place and looking to move into third, if not second (on the last day) before my ride to minor glory got cut short through my lack of good foot launching skills, and I crashed on launch. I'd also done well at the Forbes Flatlands gathering plenty of points for the NTSS ranking that put me into first place in the US. So you'd think that I would be able to put it all together in a friendly (to me) spot, in Casa Grande. It was not to be.

The major problem? I was impatient on the ground and in the air. I just was unwilling to wait in the launch line, so I launched early, even though I had priority staging (task committee privilege) every day. Launching early led me to starting early (first start time) and not with the fast guys and often on my own. This significantly reduces one's chances of finding lift. This also means you don't have the best guys to help you make decisions about when to climb and when to leave.

The launch area on the right (click for a better view).

On the first day I went at the first start time, while most of the pilots who made it to goal on that day took the second start. I was alone almost the whole way. Going to the second turnpoint of the 64 mile triangle I was finally following a pilot but failed to follow him well enough to stop and search for lift as he did before the second turnpoint at Eds. I was too oriented to getting to the turnpoint.

On the second day, a day that no one makes it back to goal, I was again on my own. I left the start cylinder low and others waited behind me. I had attempted to take the first start time when I was high, but no one went with me, so I went back but got low. I took the second start time, but was lower than the previous start time and I was on my own. Without cu's to mark a good thermal it is hard to get all the pilots together at the start circle for a start together.

On this flight I had a great time making a very low save, while Leo and Phill watched above me, but that didn't help me later. I was impatient when I finally got high before the turnpoint at Red Rock and didn't get myself in a good position to go upwind. I was worn out by then, low, and heading up wind and not in a fit state to go across an area with difficult retrieval.

On the third day, I got to fly with other pilots, including Jeff Shapiro. This helped greatly. I was able to make it into 11th place on this day. I started with most of the other pilots and worked closely with other pilots on all the legs. I was impatient near the end of the day working broken weak lift, which is why I didn't place even better.

I was able to make my second low save of the meet circling up over Michael Williams. I was patient for most of the flight, although not all of it. I'm not a happy camper in broken weak lift. Weak is okay. Broken is not.

On the fourth day I pull a real boner. The lift is weak but consistent as again I get off early, real early. I am climbing with five or six other pilots in the start circle and we are getting higher than I've been all week, almost to 8,000'. We are also drifting down wind, but not too fast. I'm still inside the start cylinder by a mile and a half with a little over half an hour to go before the first start clock.

What we were flying in.

Then I pull a fast one. I race to the edge of the start cylinder to get a start time 30 minutes and twelve seconds before the first start time. If one starts before the first clock your start time (and flight interval) is rotated (shifted) around the first start time, so this would give me the third start time by 12 seconds. It would also put me on my own out in front with no help. Just so impatient and so emotional.

The day looks like the best day so far, the task is to go down wind. I'm feeling my oats and want to get to goal and broken down before anyone else gets there.

But then it turns out that the rigid wings have started at the same time without telling us. As I run to the hills to the east I find the rigid wings high above me (except for Campbell, who joins me) and now I've almost got folks to fly with.

Unfortunately, I quickly lose Campbell and don't see him again. I fly to a dust devil where a couple of rigids are high and I get to 8,000'. I'm feeling good, but there is no one around as the rigids have disappeared. I fly on my own to the south to get upwind a bit and hit the ground by myself.

 On the fifth day, we have a big bow tie task to the northwest with light winds, for once. Again I am in the air early and doing well in the start cylinder. I do well every day in the start cylinder getting high, but not the highest, making good decisions about where to go often, and staying with some of the best pilots. I'm 500' below Jonny and Andre when they take the first start clock (7 minutes late) and head north northwest. I go with them, but under them.

Being that far below is not great, and very soon I am on my own again as the next pilots won't take the next start clock but the one after that. On my own I get stuck low working weak broken lift near Maricopa and soon everyone comes over my head and Jonny and Andre work high above me. I'm screwed, and still on my own.

I do find a couple of friends hours later coming back from the upwind leg and they help a bit, but it's way too late. Fortunately, no one makes goal (Nene lands .5 km from goal) so my very slow flight is not as bad as it could be and I end up 17th for the day.

On the final day, it all goes to hell. Again, I am off early, but the lift is weak and low and we spend lots of time around the launch area working our way up very slowly, so that there are lots of pilots around and we are huddling together to try to get up. Even the rigids have come back and won't start their task until 45 minutes late.

At the edge of the start cylinder we are working our way up slowly when the first start time comes up and five or six pilots head out. I decide to go with them. Bad mistake. Again, I'm just a little bit lower, but low enough that I don't have enough altitude to make it to the hills ahead where I see one rigid wing pilot turning. I hit 700 fpm down and land right way for last place for the day.

Those pilots that waited for the second and even third clock do much better and make goal.

So my meet is a lesson in impatience and unwillingness to hang back in the start circle, get as high as possible and go with the fast guys.

While I "felt" bad on my last day at the meet, I didn't feel so bad on the other days. Usually if I don't do well at a hang gliding competition I experience unpleasant feelings and have a hard time sleeping, but not this meet. I think I was in a bit of a daze during the meet, coming back from the knee injury and having so many responsibilities (weather, task committee, scoring, reporting).

But there is always next time, and maybe I'll find a patience pill.

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