Sport Class is a big feature of the upcoming US competition
season. What can we do to make it the best experience for the pilots just coming
into competition?

One option is to make it open distance. Instead of Race to Goal, leave the tasks
open so that pilots can get a chance to set new personal bests and go as far as
they can. Open Class competitions have evolved into the Race to Goal format
because top pilots on topless gliders just go too far to have reasonable open
distance tasks. But newer competition pilots on king posted gliders, or single
surface gliders, most likely won't have that problems, so why not open distance?

We already have a handicapping system that allows pilots who are not as
experienced at competition to fly against each other on topless, kingposted and
floaters. But handicapping isn't perfect. We've also often divided up the
competition so that the single surface gliders are competing only against other
single surface gliders.

Sport Class is an entry point into competition for pilots new to competition and
as such the competition organizers encourage participation by reducing the
competition fee. Sport Class pilots usually launch after the Open Class so they
get the better conditions for staying up and also get to see what the Open Class
pilots are doing.

If you would like to come to a competition or two or three this coming year and
would like to fly in Sport Class, but are unsure of what is up with it, respond
to this article in the Oz Report forum with your questions and I'll see if I can
come up with some answers.