Flying High: Zbraslavice Gliding Diary, Part 2

Women's World Gliding Championships see share of frustrating weather and triumphant finishes.

Sam Weigel

Friday, December 19, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The day’s racing task for Club Class was a 367-kilometer ‘bow-tie’ course deep into central Bohemia. [Credit: Sam Weigel]

Key Takeaways:

The author crewed for Sylvia Grandstaff at the FAI Women’s World Gliding Championships, experiencing initial setbacks due to challenging weather and marginal soaring conditions.
The competition highlighted critical glider racing strategies like "gaggle flying" for efficient lift, demonstrating that while group flying is often beneficial, strategic independent starts can also lead to success.
The author observed the contrast between team-oriented European competitive soaring and the individual sport approach in the U.S., noting its impact on international performance.
Despite frustrating "landing out" incidents, Sylvia's team achieved a strong finish on the final day, and the experience re-inspired the author's own interest in gliding.

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When i left off last month, my wife Dawn and I were crewing for our good friend Sylvia Grandstaff as she competed in the 13th FAI Women’s World Gliding Championships (WWGC) in Zbraslavice, Czech Republic.

Unfortunately, the first 10 days of competition had only yielded three flying days, thanks to a low-pressure system that had parked itself over the Baltic Sea and lashed central Europe with relentless bands of low clouds and rain. Furthermore, all three tasks had featured thoroughly marginal soaring conditions, and Sylvia had “landed out” each time, with commensurately poor scores.