In 2014, “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift was 13th on the top single list, Germany won the soccer World Cup, we found out what the Apple Watch would look like, and I went to my last Paragliding World Cup…until last month!
After taking ten years off from competing at a World Cup level, I was over the moon to get an opportunity to compete again in Turkey, a country I had studied for a semester in college.
The Paragliding World Cup is akin to World Cup skiing, where each pilot must qualify to enter by placing well in smaller competitions, and the Paragliding World Championships is similar to the Olympics, where every country is allocated spots for their athletes as long as they meet a standard of competence. What doesn’t change between the two events is that one gets an amazing opportunity to share time with a group of 120 like-minded, fringe sport-obsessed individuals who truly understand the “why” of what makes world-class paragliding competition pilots tick.
A paragliding competition is similar to a sailboat race, but in the sky with virtual buoy/pylons where we fly courses over three to six turn points arranged depending on the weather over a 40-100 mile long distance. The start is an en masse race starts at an arranged location and a pre-determined time, and then the fastest person to make it through the course gets 1000 points. The second place person, who is often only five seconds back, gets 995 points, and so on. At the end of seven days, the sum of each pilot’s scores is compiled, and the one with the most points wins. It is a mix of sailing, chess, sailplane racing, Formula One in 1980 but at 40 mph, and adventure mountain sport!
Cemili is a small rural town in Turkey two hours north of Oludeniz made famous by Brooke Shields in the seminal work known as The “Blue Lagoon.” The local government went to great lengths to make a Paragliding World Cup viable, from carving out an incredible launch to building a pilot’s lodging compound replete with a lovely pool and a good restaurant. Paragliding competitions are usually seven days long because weather often prevents us from flying for at least two days. This year in Turkey, we flew all seven days, and in a groundhog-like experience, we woke up, flew until our hearts were content, got home, ate, slept, rinsed, and repeated for the whole week! We would launch, immediately get boosted to 12,000 feet, and then spend the day frolicking at cloud base racing with 120 other like-minded nut cases! It is what dream competitions are made of…getting to practice your obsession in blinding good weather for seven straight days with an all star cast of characters from all over the world.
Traveling is hard when leaving family, but I am extremely grateful for Facetime/WhatsApp, etc. While I lament much of my kids’ upbringing being connected, this is one real positive. As I went to bed, they were starting their day.
As I make one more attempt to race in the World Championships for the US Team, I am enjoying the twilight of my racing career more than ever, and it is comforting to know that while racing paragliders may change slightly technology-wise, the core fringe culture is essentially unchanged.
Racing for glory is a hilarious pursuit and allows space for a host of personalities that I am honored to know. From Greek astro physicist to a French mountain guide to US consultant for Accenture.
It’s a blast!
Congratulations to my US teammate, Violeta Jimenez, who finished second overall and became the first US woman to podium at a World Cup!
It was a treat to watch your grand performance. I can’t wait to see more!
I’m off to the Pan American Championships in Brazil this week! Stay tuned for more tales from the international paragliding competition circuit!
Nick Greece
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KAVU Item to take on any trip!
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