And the Party is Over, Nearly
Well, the 15 Meter and Open Class Nationals are in the book. The 15-meter guys and girl were sent on a 3:30 hour Turn Area Task that left from Start A, Andrews, Eunice, Tatum, Morton, Intersection of 180 + 3, Hamilton, and Finish. Turnpoint radii were 25km, 10km, 10km, 25km, 20km and1km. The weather was expected to be great and it was. There were a few wrinkles with a rain shower in the Seagraves area that complicated some of the pilot’s flight. Off tow everyone had a pretty easy ride up to 12,500ft and it was nice to be one of the first up. For the short wing ships, the task was pretty good. Climbs along their route were in the 6-8kt range and speeds were pretty high. Today the Kiddie Gliders finished behind the Open Class again.
The Open Class folks went on a 3:30 hour Turn Area Task that started at Start A, Andrews, Jal, Crossroads, Morton, Seagraves and Finish. Turnpoint radii were 25km, 20km, 20km, 20km, and 20km.
Todays 15-meter class was won by Rick Indrebo at a speed of 161kph (100mph) over a 565km (351mi) task. He beat Gary Ittner by nearly 7kph (4mph). Erik Nelson was a close third place behind Gary. Rick was the next to last ship to be launched but just smoked the course.
For the Open Class, Jim Lee continued his blazing performance around the course. He finished the 577km (358mi) task at a speed of 164kph (101mph). In second place was Dan Mockler less than 2mph slower than Jim. Third place was Dick Butler who just needed to finish in his normal steady pace. All in all, today was a great way to finish the competition.
Overall, the winners in the 15 Meter Class were, in third place with 8445 points was Gary Ittner, in second was Erik Nelson with 8481 points and in first place was Rick Indrebo with 8755 points. This was Rick’s second 15-meter championship win in a row. Rick receives the Schreder 15 Meter Class Trophy.
The Joe Giltner Memorial Trophy is given to the fastest speed during a contest day. The winner for this year’s speed trophy is Rick Indrebo at a speed of 165.10kph (102.58mph).
In Open Class, the overall winners were, in third place with 8254 points was Dan Mockler. I had never met Dan and I have enjoyed getting to know him during this event. In second, with 8365 points was Jim Lee. He really came on strong after a penalty was assessed during one of the competition days. It’s funny, but I was Jim’s mentor during his first Senior Soaring Championship at Seminole Lake. Kathy and Jim are close friends and I’m so happy on his finish in this race. In first place with 8548 points, which isn’t his first win in Open Class after seeing the trophy, was Dick Butler. He flew an extremely consistent contest, devoid of mistakes and with the southern charm that makes him a fine gentleman. We both graduated from Auburn University in Aeronautical Engineering so you can say it was hard for me to root for anyone in the top three.
The speed trophy for the Open Class is called the Larissa Stroukoff Memorial Trophy. The winner of the speed trophy in Open Class is Dick Butler at a speed of 166.23kph (103.29mph).
This contest was a lot of fun for the pilots but it could not have been held without the support of a very large team of volunteers. The SSA staff pitched in and did a fine job. The dinners and support were outstanding. Alexa was especially helpful on the launch crew. The Llano Estacado Soaring Society did a fine job also. Without their support, it would have been very difficult to put on this contest.
Our Contest Director, Marshall McClung was again the best. Already this year, he has CD’d Region 5 North, Mifflin and the Cordele contest. The tasks he sent us on were a challenge but an excellent test for choosing the National Champion. We were safer because of his attention to detail and concern for everyone on the field.
Michelle Sorenson and Denise Layton did the vast majority of the hard work. Running a contest from home when the site was 6 hours away, is certainly a challenge. Missing a major department head at the last minute did not help either. But these two fine ladies made it look easy. Michelle, you help us at the Seniors every year and we really enjoy you and Ken in any contest we show up at. So, Michelle and Denise, thank you very much for the contest. You dedication to the sport and keeping the SSA going, is very much appreciated.
Well, dinner is almost ready and they are about to give out the awards, so I will close with this. Thank you, Pete Alexander for the opportunity to fly with you as part of Team 98. The past 3 contests have been a great learning experience for me and I look forward to flying in Uvalde with you in 5 weeks. Pete is not only my pilot but a great personal friend. Thanks Pete!!
Have a great night and congratulations to Rick Indrebo and Dick Butler, National Champions for the 15 Meter and Open Class respectively.
To all those at home, I can tell you it is more fun flying in a contest than reading about them.
Take care and have a safe drive or flight home.
Cheers,
Rich Owen
Team 98 Backseater