SAFA Skysailor Magazine

14 SKY SAILOR September | October 2024 paragliding racing progression. I am lucky living in Bright and being surrounded by some of the best pilots in one of the best flying venues. Watching the international competitions also really helps with my motivation. Failing all that, for some strange reason, watching the F1 seems to get me pumped for racing paragliders. What are your other competition achievements? I have only competed in five international competitions so far, and three Australian cham- pionships. My proudest result was in Korea this year at the Asian-Oceanic Championships where I placed 13th overall amongst a very strong field of pilots I had looked up to for a long time. Part of the Australian team finishing second overall. What is your current ranking? Ninth in the National ladder and 324th in the world, which will hopefully get higher with each competition I attend. What tips do you have for a pilot who is looking to become a competitive paraglider? Go after it! Join a comp or a local task. It’s the best way to learn and share beautiful flying experiences with friends. When I talk about racing it is common to hear, “I’m not competitive, it’s not for me”. I want to clarify that racing isn’t about being competitive, it’s about a bunch of pilots flying to a common objective, good pilots always work together, it’s about teamwork, until the final glide anyways. It’s not about the equipment, the scoring, or results. Whatever gear you have, however skilled you are, show up, watch, learn and listen, and I promise you will be coming back for more. For all the results from the Paragliding World Cup visit pwca.events/all-events. Photo: Courtesy of James Brewer Aussie pilots compete at the PWC 2024