Very sad and frustrated…
One very big slap was taken… And we wake up with wide eyes for that special brief moment in time.
The slap and the awakening:
Paragliding …What’s about that sport? What is the essence of that sport? Why do we do it? the endless quest for an answer…
We humans always need more and more... If there’s only ONE happiness feel, what will ‘more and more searching’ would give you further?
I never liked paragliding competitions even in my youth as it contradicts what ‘free flight’ stands for, IMHO.
My free-flight definition:
Standing on the top of the mountain, with a good breeze coming from the valley below. The sky is clear with beautiful clouds, birds are already circling up to cloud base, and you passionately long to join them for that weightless feel of floating freely far away from your daily survival combat…
Up there, there’s only you, living that exact precious moment of your life. You look far, letting your eyes swim in the vastness of that space. You don’t rush it as the time stopped because you are there. Your mind works differently up there, configuring your XC route. It is the time to enjoy that freedom.
When you land, you cannot speak, as words won’t be enough to describe that 'magical place' you were in.
-That is my personal understanding of paragliding.
The brief awakening:
Are we not creative enough to produce a different format of competition?
What’s the purpose of being fast on such a slow (engine-less) device? Are we not missing the essence of flying?
Why not complete the largest possible triangle on that specific day smoothly? No rush…Just brain strategy.
Why not compete on a more predictable glider? Example: Olympics formats!
Why in the certification bodies, (DHV,para-test…etc…) do the tests only in calm air? and only load tests for some? I thought humans were highly valuable beings!
Why there’s not ONE expert-certified pilot that flies the B,C,D, CCC gliders in real thermic air and rate it on a (safety/recovery) scale 1 to 10. And a scale of 5 could be enough for the new formats comps.
Didn’t the responsible wake up yet? Even the Formula 1 car race now in a 6-cylinder engine! with lots of safety measures..and only 12 drivers are allowed to drive them. Hello ???
Sports competition is created to push the human limit and materials for 'different purposes’…. At least not for the human peace of mind and internal happiness for sure!
We arrived at the peak of our paragliding performance achievement. Now it is the time to invest more in our safety. More work on gliders' internal structures is crucially needed.
I hope that a creative mind will finally take a leap of faith into another competition format.
A simple recipe for happy flying: If you are stressed after you land. You have a clear answer. Listen to it carefully. It could be the conditions you flew in or the glider you chose to fly.
If you are smiling, then you achieved your OWN goal without any format!
Happy and safe landings my fellow friends,
Ziad.