JWGC

The 2009 Junior World Gliding Championships are underway. This is an interesting competition for several reasons. There are 46 entries in the Club Class and 36 in the Standard Class, representing a total of 21 countries.

All the competitors are under 26 years old. In addition to the usual makeup of the crews (wives and girlfriends), there are husbands, boyfriends, and parents. They are having a terrific time, apparently, with excellent weather and lots of daylight in which to party (at latitude 61° N).

The contest website is one of the best I've seen, with plenty of stories, pictures and video. Also some of the teams are blogging the event, most notably USA, Canada, and Australia. It's nice to read about a race from a mother's point of view.

The contest runs through July 3.