THE WINCHES... De tuned with resistors, tricked with thicker line on the ground side....hindered by retrieve line....they worked great! Even during the downwind launch rounds...they had just enough speed to keep the model's moving...and to provide a fair launch starting height to all. Baron Von Pop Off rule... So much for those anonymous guys who would use a pop off as strategy... SWC allowed one per day...and I'd be surprised if there were more than 4 during the event..and none to anyone who was in the top 20. No lines were broken due to hard pedaling...and that is a fact. The F3J geeks tend to forget that there isn't mono on to pre stretch, so they loaded the lines prior to release as often as launched, but they all have perfected the tap,tap,tap, tap, fast and short pulsing technique that takes in very little line but keeps the model flying upwards. I know - I paid close attention to all of them. Mike Smith has one of the smoothest tap patterns I have ever seen in the hobby..and that Sharon is no small feather to get up the line, yet I'd bet he pulls the some of the least amps during the launch up...DP is great at it too. There was a lot of tips being handed out by all the top point guys as they timed or watched other pilots..or just chatted soaring in general in between rounds. I'd say 'secrets' are being held far less closely to their chests than in the past. JW moved away and now circles in a reverse direction.:-(
The USA F3J TEAM...YOUR Team! I have no idea what some of us are thinking about when we drop $20 on the raffle and not in the USA team fund. USA, get it? That's US, you and me. Which one of you pilots want to send our guys over there less than prepared, less than relaxed and focus'd on representing the United States of America...us...? Is patriotism now a dirty word in California, Oklahoma, Ohio, Washington, New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania or Texas,etc??? I am asking you to respond with actions not words. If you want to reply with something worth saying, let your actions speak for you all. Send Jim Monaco $20, and then post it out loud! I walked in front of every pilot at that event with $20 held high, leading the way for all to show that they are proud to have a team heading to represent. Its a brand new team of guys, one World F3J veteran (Ben Clerx) and two of USA's top pilots, DP and Rich Burnowski. While DP has earned world class status, Rich represents those of us who have attended and competed at club levels, but never in a world format. $20 from all of us puts that part of the process where it belongs...in the hand and mind of the admin guy...and lets pilots and towers and support free to focus on their parts. F3J is not just sailplanes pulled by runners....it is a very complex, strategy intensive, team dependant event. Without absolute focus, our pilots are going to go half prepared...and when they win like that, just think how embarrassed the other teams will feel??? :-) So get your $20's out and the mail to Jim Monaco (_http://www.usf3jteam.com/Donations.php_ (http://www.usf3jteam.com/Donations.php) ) and post it and feel proud that you sent more than well wishes to our USA F3J Team! Lastly, I want to mention the food catered at the SWC...it was wayyyy above normal standards. From breakfasts to Hot Dogs (huge and tasty) to the BBQ dinners...man it was fantastic....so if you guys are going to throw an event...make sure the food is great too ;-). Chico is still the "man" ! :-) Gordy **************Ideas to please picky eaters. Watch video on AOL Living. (http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/ 2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598)
