The early birds are on the grid already. It’s 8.15 AM and I just set up my “office” for this first day, always special, always a bit tense, but everybody, pilots and crews are relaxed and ready to go. When I read a book I always read the last pages first. Wish I could do that here; I would know already the three winners in the three classes. May the best in each class win.
Wishing everybody a great safe and successful competition.

Looking back on the practise week , it seems that this hot weather and those very blue skies as they call it here,  those brutal conditions, are changing now for the real Uvalde weather. So I wasn’t worried this morning when I saw a layer of high clouds. They told me they would disappear, burn off and then it should be a great day. That’s what ‘s happening already now. Let’s wait to hear what Dan the [meteo] man tells us at briefing.

Yesterday we saw that Uvalde weather already with great blue skies and 5/8 of cu’s.  Have been at many comps and…at several,  the day of the opening and the day of the closing ceremony were the best. We will see what happens here!

Only heard enthusiastic stories about the Pre-Worlds party, the Parade and the Opening [see picture courtesy Frans Guise]. ‘They do everything BIG here,” is said a lot. As said they even closed the highway for an hour and that’s not “just” a highway but the main road from Mexico to Canada. There you are, they think big!

One interesting little bit of news from the Dutch team; the crew of Steven, his dad Harry, was in the back of the P51/Mustang with Conrad, passing over during the opening—what about that!!!! At that stage Harry could not know that when they flew over for the 2d time, they were saying prayers on the ground.

All crews are complete now, the last have arrived and after 7 days the pilots want to play the REAL GAME. They are EAGER to go. The safety meeting was yesterday at 7 and a few things had to be still cleared but all in all EVERYBODY is ready. I was a bit amazed that there was not ONE mandatory soaring day during practise, to have everybody up and landing.

Back after the briefing and I am going to keep a daily social blog as well, separate to the important soaring news, to update you with the “less important but still interesting things” happening during the days. That blog will be updated every time when there is “news”.