Alphen aan den Rijn Sunday February 14 2010 ritzdeluy@hotmail.com
HAPPY VALENTINE !!!!
While Belgium suffered nearly 1000 km of traffic jam on Wednesday, Afghanistan was hit by terrible avalanches after heavy snow, killing at-least 160 people. The people in the East of the USA are still cleaning a meter of snow in front of their houses and Melbourne was hit by a severe thunderstorm causing chaos in most of the state Victoria and flooding in the town, so badly that people could swim at places.
The weather this year is ” impressive” world wide, both in a good and bad way and as glider pilots depend on weather , they will be , as I am , interested in what this weather does!
In Austria glider pilot and millionaire Karl Rabeder has decided that a “5 star life ” does not make him happy and he is planning to raffle his house on a lake looking at the Alps, to sell his farm in France , his car and….his 6 gliders !!!! The money will go to orphanages, small business and development projects in Central and Latin America.
Well, to be honest I do understand him! Hope he “finds” happiness now!
As last year I would like to inform you about Fatraglide. [Thanks Tibor!] They prepare a jubilee competition as it is the 10 th time they fly this International Mountain competition at the airfield “Martin “.
New is that they offer prize money for the 3 prize winners in each of the 2 classes, 500,-300,-and 100,-Euro, plus a special bonus for the best junior of 200,-Euro!!! I like that special …for the best junior!!
You can find all the details on www.fatraglide.sk and…included in the entry-fee is, like last year, a unique design T-shirt [by www.wingthing.com] , so if you are interested go and look to their site! Competition is from May 1 – 8 and May 9 is a reserve day.
Also the 10th anniversary of the Pribina Cup 2010 ,the first BIG competition of the season 2010. There will be a limit of 50 participants in each class with a maximum of 150 pilots in total in all classes! The comps are as always in Nitra during the Easter holidays. During the next plenary meeting in Lausanne we will hear, if Nitra will win the bid to have the EGC for the smaller ships and 20 m. multi- seat class in 2011.
Not a lot happening in our soaring world! This is a real in-between period again , so let’s look at something different BIG and SPORT; The Olympics.
I noticed that the Dutch Olympic team lives above Australia and they are “neighbours” from Canada! I guess they will have a lot of fun!!! And for sure their new neighbours will be invited by the Dutch in the famous Holland Heineken House!
The opening ceremony was just awesome. I loved the fiddlers and the tap dancers, the way they honoured their original population and the fairy-tale-way way they showed the environment.
Of course I had a tear in my eye when I saw how the young only 21 year old luger got killed in that horrific accident, while practising and doing what he loved most and he was good in. The one minute silence and the way his team was supported by the crowd, coming in into the oval, was more then impressive. These Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver have been dedicated to this young man, Nodar.
Had a great Carnival time and …..looked with OVER 5 million Dutch people to the 5000 m. race from Sven in Richmond and had tears again when he won his first Olympic GOLD!
Off to look at the 3000 m. for ladies now . See you on Wednesday
Ritz