After the previous day’s successful albeit slow flight, I made it my goal to try and follow/ fly with other people today. It didn’t take me long to find a great group to fly with ~ The South Africans were more than willing to let me shadow them.
It was pretty difficult to stick with them in the chaotic start gate mostly due to the challenge of trying to keep track of specific people. Once we all began the task, it was incredible and unlike anything I have ever experienced before. I flew in the back behind the other three pilots and just got to basically follow them. It was like watching a ballet being performed right in front of my eyes. With minimal verbal communication, as only the words “building” “solid” “right turn” “last turn” and “leaving thermal” were spoken, it was clear they have practiced and perfected this dance. Their corroboration in choice of energy line to maintain made them able to find the best air almost immediately, and then use it to press off at the speed of heat!
The first turn was simply beautiful, that’s the only way I can describe it. I managed to stay wingtip to wingtip with them for the first 60-ish percent of the flight. After that I began to fall off a bit, remaining roughly one thermal back. This was close enough to have them mark a thermal or two but too far back to be team flying.
The second turn of the racing task was right in the middle of some weaker air, but I was able to limp into and out of the turn and back to the good stuff, so that was a relief. At this point I was more or less by myself with mixed feelings. On one hand, I got scratched off the group; but on the other hand, I had been able to stick with them for a while and that is no easy feat. In any case now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts, as I was alone and low and a long way from home. I limped along for about 60km going into the second turn as well as the beginning of the third leg until I was finally able to connect with a 5kt thermal that brought me quickly up to 7,000ft. From there, still alone, I ripped it on a good convergence line just about the rest of the way home at 150kph.
Landing back at the field I knew that I was going to have very similar results as yesterday. I flew 303k @ 86kph about 10kph faster than my flight yesterday! Still second to last finisher… the winner flew 105kph and the top 30 not too much slower than that. Nevertheless, it was truly an amazing flight! I had never team flown before and to not only see this being done, but to be a part of it was quite the experience! Now I know I can do it!
With rain in the forecast and the Opening Ceremony this weekend I won’t have another flight before the contest begins on Sunday. I certainly feel nervous, but mostly I’m still just excited. I will have had 9 days, 4 flights and almost 20hrs of flying in preparation so I am as ready as I am going to be. I am acclimated to the time, I am familiar and comfortable with the glider and the instruments and I am confident. Confident not that I’ll place high on the score sheet, but confident that I am ready to compete to the best of my ability, and confident that I’m going to learn a ton. I’m excited to see how much better I can be by the end of this amazing experience!

You can find the latest contest scores at:
https://www.soaringspot.com/en_gb/junior-world-gliding-championships-2022-tabor-2022/results