Meilleurs vœux de bonne année!
Janvier n’est pas encore terminé, il est encore temps de vous souhaiter une bonne année 2015. En revanche le Championnat du Monde FAI lui est bien terminé et deux magnifiques champions ont été couronnés: Seiko et Honorin. Un grand bravo pour leur résultat exceptionnel.
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Le petit film qui suit présente une des raisons pour lesquelles je vole, pourquoi j’aime partager ce que je vis en vol. Biplaceur depuis 10 ans et qualifié Hand’Icare de longue date, je fais voler une fois l’an au moins des personnes handicapées ou à mobilité réduite. Faire voler une personne de presque 90 ans est une sensation unique, mais à vrai dire ce n’est rafraichissant qu’une fois posé, et bien posé. Pendant le vol, j’ai eu l’impression d’avoir un verre de cristal dans la main à la place de chaque commande.
Un grand merci à tous ceux qui rendent ces instants possibles:
A disaster is happening in Espirito Santo state, Brazil. Due to repeated strong showers, half of the houses in the state are flooded. Tens of thousands inhabitants are homeless and displaced. Many have died. Lots of roads, on rivers beds, are blocked or cut. The paragliding community follows the critical situation with horror and sadness. Sports issues are secondary in such a context, the Super Final becomes accessory.
Nevertheless a decision has to be taken about that upcoming competition, scheduled in two weeks from now. I received feedback from the PWCA Committee and from local organizers as well. Be aware they are addressing the situation. Taking the right decision is about gathering as much correct information as possible, weighting options and making a decision. All those steps are difficult to take.
Given the current weather and humanitarian situation in Baixo Guandu and more widely in Espirito Santo state (see here and there), I weighted the wisdom of publishing comments, moreover critics, about sportive aspects of our sport. I came to the conclusion that whatever happens in Brazil, we have to consider them.
The minutes of PWCA 2013 Automn Committee Meeting held 15/11/13 have just been published for Christmas. To spare you the reading of the 35 pages, a sign of all the complexities addressed by the organization, I propose here below my own cherry picking of the points that should drive your attention. As strong as I can, I will separate facts from my own opinion. Here we go!
With a slight trace of anxiety I have, again, worked on the results recalculation with time-based scoring for the latest PWC in Serbia. A trace because, given my classification, I could only loose when going through the computing. Good surprise, I stay on first position with a bit more than 3 minutes advance, with no change in the first 7 spots, then a substitution behind. Once again the proof that we split hairs with way too much complex formulas, with scoring methods nobody can understand or explain, where a performance could lead to different rankings depending wether French, Spanish, German or whatever software is used, not to mention two consecutive sub-minor-releases of the same software version that deliver different classifications, in a system defining your own points depending on others’ performance.