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Setting Goals

Sage Advice - Setting Goals

The purpose of this column is to introduce or discuss some of the finer points of contest flying. Eventually I intend to share some of the techniques, strategies, and construction tips I have found useful.

The advice offered is directed at the intermediate pilot because all pilots performing at the master's level, and most pilots operating at the expert level, already understand and employ similar techniques. However, even if you are not into competition, I hope that you read something that will further your enjoyment of this great sport of soaring. By the end of the year, hopefully the intermediate pilot will have learned enough to advance to the next level.

To be proficient in any endeavor, a competitor needs a plan. It's not by accident that the same pilots stand up to accept the awards in contest after contest. They understand what it takes to win and how to achieve that goal. In the six years I have been contest flying, my plan has been to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. Perhaps you’ve heard a song to that effect. This plan may seem trite, but if your goal is rapid improvement, eliminating your mistakes will put you on the fast track.

A competitor needs to be focused and prepared. To that end, I do three things at the start of each season:

1. I establish my goals for the season;

2. I review last years contest log; and,

3. I prepare a new log for the upcoming season.

Your goals for the year should reflect your ability and your level of commitment. In other words, there needs to be a reality check. However, you also want to set your standard high enough to present a constant challenge.

As an intermediate flyer you should not set as your goal the winning of several contests or the winning of end of year awards in your category. Instead, your goals should match your abilities against other pilots in your category. As an example, rank the pilots in your category, their level of commitment, the equipment they campaign and how many of them you beat last year. If there were ten pilots in your class and you beat five of them, then set your goal to be in the top three. If you were 20th overall last year out of the 45 pilots on the TPG circuit, then set a goal to improve your average score by 5% and hope to advance to 15th overall.

The importance of setting a realistic goal is to avoid frustration caused by an inevitable setback. The road to the top is not a straight line. However, with a realistic goal, you should be able to realize steady minor victories. This positive reinforcement will help convince you that you are on the right path.

I actually write my goals down in my contest log and refer to them throughout the season. If I am not tracking toward my year end goals, then I reassess and identify what the problem might be.

If you compete in more than just the TPG circuits, such as the Southern California Soaring Clubs (SC2) circuit for example, then you should have a separate goal for other contests as well. Remember however, that at the SC2 contests you will be competing against the best pilots from numerous other clubs so you should temper your expectations accordingly. If you go to a major two-day contest, like Visalia, your goal should not be too optimistic. A typical goal might be to finish in the top 50%, or on page three (of five) of the results.

Your goals should include more than just your intent to improve your club standing and your contest results. They should also include a statement of where you are now and where you want to be at the end of the year. This should include a detailed analysis of your deficiencies and how to rectify them. Address your limitations and correct them. As an intermediate pilot, your list might look similar to the following:

• Structure your practice sessions to improve your deficiencies.

• Befriend a master pilot and ask him to be your mentor

• Upgrade your equipment

• Make time available for practice

• Pair up with a dedicated partner

• Train your timer

• If you need glasses, get them

• Read more soaring publications on technology, such as R/CSD, QFI, Soartech, etc.

• Attend more contests; get used to flying in all conditions

• Fly at other fields and with other pilots (SC2 circuit)

• Attend monthly club meetings and absorb guest presentations

• Participate in more than just thermal duration. In TPG, you have a multitude of choices.

• Do what the big boys do: launch when they launch and fly what they fly

Identifying areas that need improvement is only the first step. Actual improvement will only come with consistent follow-through. I get a big kick out of a fellow TPG pilot that starts every year with the statement that he is "going to practice and improve this season." However, he continues to repeat the same methods with the same limitations...namely flying only at contests. He is still flying at the same level he was three years ago.

The purpose of the goals I have mentioned is provide you with a methodology for monitoring and tracking your performance. If you have set your goals properly, you should receive constant feedback and positive reinforcement.

I have already mentioned a contest log several times. The purpose of the contest log is to allow you to prepare, review, reflect and hopefully learn. I typically fly in about 35 contest per year. When you fly in that many contests, it's hard to remember how you did several weeks ago, much less how you did at a specific field with a similar task several years ago. I arrange my log in a loose leaf binder with a page for each contest. At a minimum, I note the location, the contest director’s name and phone number, the date, the tasks, round by round, the weather and any unusual conditions. My comments are narrative and reflect round by round what I did right and what I did wrong. I also make note of my round by round score, my total score, the winner's score and the number of participants.

Organized in this fashion, a contest log can be helpful on many different levels. For those that participate in the League of Silent Flight, having this information at your fingertips will help to determine and verify contest points required for the various levels. I have also used my contest log to identify scoring errors. Any competitor who still thinks that all contest results are correct has not flown in enough contests. On another level, if I am flying at an unfamiliar site or an unusual task appears, a quick review of my log will tell me how I have done in the past. My log serves as a reminder of the road to victory or at least the mistakes to avoid. Finally, a review of my log will assist in comparing expected weather, lift patterns and cycles.

To summarize, we have discussed setting goals and establishing a contest log as the framework around which you plan your season. This procedure allows you the opportunity to review your previous successful strategies and, even more important, avoid your mistakes. You can monitor how the season is going and make changes as necessary to continue improving.

Always remember, Luck may be defined as — "When opportunity meets preparation". Be prepared for the opportunity and you will, on a more frequent basis, find your name being called when they hand out the hardware. Start now!