It was predicted to be an excellent soaring day in southwestern Czechia. It didn't quite turn out like that.

After more than a week of wet and cloudy weather, the passage of a cold front gave us a clear and chilly morning, along with a promise of good thermal lift to over 6000' under cumulus clouds. The tasks seemed well suited to this: Racing * tasks of nearly 500km for all 3 classes, that would take pilots well west (i.e. upwind) just barely into German airspace. (There are apparently zero border-crossing issues.)

Good lift developed early, the launch got underway at 11:00, and 115 pilots were soon disporting themselves at good altitudes in the skies near Tabor. The run west went well for most, but good cumulus clouds and climb rates grew scarce by around 16:30. Most pilots struggled to get home, and more than a few fell short. In all, nearly 50 pilots failed to finish, and approximately 15 others incurred penalties for finishing too low. What had looked like a no-problem day proved to be anything but.

Unfortunately, all four US pilots were among those who failed to finish. This produced three actual outlandings (all safe, if not entirely mudless) and one motorized journey home: by Jared Granzow, in his JS-3 Jet. (At dinner, a sensitive nose could detect a faint aroma of jet fuel – one of the less obvious hazards of modern glider technology.)

It's high time to introduce the full US Team at WGC2025:

  • Sylvia Grandstaff from Yorkville CA – Club Class pilot flying an LS-4.
    • Crew: Mike & Julie Brooks from Webster TX
  • Tony Condon from Wichita KS – Club Class pilot flying an LS-4
    • Crew: Peter vonTresckow from Madison WI
    • Crew: wife Leah Condon (not yet here in Tabor, but eagerly awaited)
  • Jared Granzow from Powell OH – 15-Meter Class pilot flying a JS-3 Jet
    • Crew: Shion Enomoto from State College PA
  • Mike Sorenson from The Woodlands TX – 15-Meter Class pilot flying a Ventus
    • Crew: father Ken Sorenson from Waller TX
    • Crew: twin brother Matt Sorenson from Plano TX
  • John Good from Mill Creek PA – Team Captain

The tunnels under Tabor's city center are reckoned a popular attraction here. They began to be dug in the 15th century, and were much extended over hundreds of years, serving as food storage and refuge from fires & occasional raids by unfriendly neighbors. Their total length is around 14 km (on multiple levels); they reach depths exceeding 50 ft. About 500 meters can be visited by tourists.

* The IGC calls a task with large turn cylinders an Area task; when the cylinders are small, it becomes a Racing task. But the only way to score well on either task type is to guide your glider through the air more quickly that your competitors do – a process commonly known as "racing".

-John Good