US Soaring Team Committee 2009

Created in 1995 and redefined in 2003, the US Team Committee has been tasked by the SSA Board of Directors to, “oversee the affairs of the Soaring Society of America with respect to its representation at Federation Aéronautique International (FAI) approved World Gliding Championships” In the last several years the committee has been making progress toward the goals of a more competitive, accountable, transparent and sustainable US Team program. For the Committee reports and financials click here.

For US Team Committee contact info click here.

Chairman: Doug Jacobs (Appointed)

Few pilots have had the racing success of Doug Jacobs. This 57  retired Financial Executive from Providence, Rhode Island has won the U.S. National Championships eight times including the prestigious Hatcher "Top Gun" Trophy in 1994, 1995, and 2003. Internationally Doug became World Champion in the 15-Meter Class and was awarded the Unberto Nannini trophy at the 1985 World Gliding Championships in Rieti, Italy. Since his win in 1985 Doug has represented the United States in seven World Gliding Championships, finishing as the 15-Meter Bronze Medalist in both the 1987 and 1991Championships. A strong supporter of the sport, Doug is a former Treasurer of the Soaring Society of America, a Lincoln Award winning contributor to Soaring Magazine and member of Sugarbush Soaring (Vermont) and Greater Boston Soaring Club (Massachusetts).  

Ken Sorenson (Appointed)

U.S. Contest Committee Chairman Ken Sorenson soloed at Segelflugschule Oerlinghausen in Germany in 1970 and received his glider license the next year at the Adrian Soaring Club in Michigan. He started flying competitions in 1975 and has since flown in many Regional and National contests. He was privileged to be a member of the 1993 U. S. Team that flew in Borlange, Sweden. Ken has been active in the Soaring Club of Houston where he has made his home in Texas since 1978. He has been on the SSA Rules Committee since its formation in 1992 and became the SSA Contest Committee Chairman in 2001. Ken has accumulated approximately 3700 hours in gliders and 1200 hours in power planes. A few years ago he was finally promoted to the position of crew chief and coach in order to share this great sport with his son Danny, who has also been consumed by the challenge and camaraderie of glider racing.

SSA Executive Director (ex officio)

vacant

Richard Walters (Elected - Term Expires 2009)

Richard Walters has been soaring since 1972. He has logged over 3000 hours and has been racing US Nationals since 1985 with four wins in four different classes. Germany 2008 will be Rick's fourth World Championship. Rick's father, Fred, and uncle, Carl, were both glider pilots during the formative "Bishop Wave Project" and Southern California scene during the 1940's and 50's. A refugee from Silicon Valley in 1990, Rick gave up an engineering career and started a general contracting business in Minden, Nevada specializing in green building. Soaring related duties include a term on the SSA Rules Committee, Minden-Tahoe Airport Advisory, Airsailing Trustee, and Competition Director for a Nationals and several Regional contests.

Sam Zimmerman (Elected - Term Expires 2010)

Sam is a retired Neurologist currently splitting time between Greenville South Carolina and Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The flying bug started for Sam early in college when he soloed a J3 Cub after only 7 hours. Flying went on hold until medical school and residency could be completed. The US Army took Sam to Germany in 1967 where he discovered soaring and joined a local German soaring club. He soloed in a Berg Falke, and soon transitioned to club L-Spatz. He later bought an L-Spatz and flew it 150 hours, earned a Silver C badge mostly from winch launch while in Germany. After returning to the US, Sam spent several years in the Atlanta area where he made acquaintance with competition soaring in an SH-1. He attended his first Nationals in 1976 at the 1st 15M national in Bryan, Ohio, winning one day. Since 1976, he has flown numerous national and regional competitions, earning a few regional wins, and some top 10s in the nationals accumulating nearly 4500 soaring hours in a variety of gliders including PIK, LS3, ASW-20, LS-4, LS-6, Discus, LS-7, LS-8 and, currently a Ventus 2cx. Sam was team MD and crew for Ray Gimmey at the 1981 WGC in Paderborn, Germany. He functioned as captain for the 2006 US team during the winter organizing phase, but was eventually added to the team as pilot in 18M class, and finished the '06 WGC in Sweden in 17th place. As a charter member of the Airscapes glider club located in Spartanburg South Carolina, Sam has been actively involved in supporting the sport and is a former Region 5 Director. He has performed weather duties for several regional and national contests, Sam continues to find the sport of racing gliders irresistibly fascinating and challenging. Since retirement he has ramped up participation to typically three nationals a year and could not do this without the unflagging support of his wife Leigh.

Ron Tabery (Elected - Term Expires 2011)

Ron Tabery’s first glider ride at age eight was with Neil Armstrong, but he had to wait until age 14 to solo in a SGS 1-26. His principle instructor was his father, George Tabery, who is remembered for having demonstrated the concept of water ballast in 1947. Ron entered competition soaring in 1979 winning 8 consecutive contest days flying an ASW-12 in a regional championship—a feat he has not since repeated. Many of his 5,000 soaring hours include competition and record flying. Tabery is five-time U.S. National Champion and has won the Hatcher ‘Top Gun’ Trophy twice.

Internationally, Ron has competed in five World Championships and a Hitachi Master’s. His performance at the world level includes two 5th place finishes — in St. Auban, France and Leszno, Poland — and four top-10 placements. As a life-long advocate for competition soaring, Ron introduced and developed several contest sites including Uvalde, Brady, and most recently Fredericksburg, where he served as competition director. Tabery is a life member of the SSA, a 28-year member of Fault Line Flyers in Austin, participates in the OLC, and holds most of the Texas Open Class speed and distance records. As a member of the U.S. Team Committee, he will work to develop creative methods for funding and to enhance the team’s competitive capabilities. Based in San Antonio, Ron is vice-president of an energy company and enjoys soaring whenever Central and South Texas weather permits.  

The Soaring Society of America’s Board of Directors established the United States Soaring Team Committee during the 1995 SSA Convention held in Reno, Nevada. Largely through the work of Mark Huffstutler, the SSA Board approved the formation of a committee to “oversee the affairs of the Soaring Society of America with respect to its representation at Federation Aéronautique International (FAI) approved World Gliding Championships”. As defined in 1995, the U.S. Soaring Team Committee was an operational body primarily focused on the effective conduct of the U.S. Team at specific World Championships. The makeup of the original committee was five members, a Chairperson and four Committee members each charged with a specific area of authority. The chairperson served from the time of their election until the last day of the then current World Championships. As more FAI classes and World Championship venues were added it became obvious that the original system established in 1995 could no longer meet the needs of U.S. Teams and the soaring community.

At the February 2002 Soaring Convention held in Ontario California, the SSA Board of Directors adopted a proposal creating the U.S. Team Policy Task Force. The goal of this task force was to accomplish a fundamental review of how U.S. soaring teams operate, solicit community input, investigate areas for improvement, develop solutions, author a report and provide implementation assistance. Task Force members included Jim Payne, Tim Welles, John Seaborn, Jim Short, Ken Sorenson and Doug Jacobs.At the January 2003 Soaring Convention held in Dayton Ohio, the U.S. Team Task Force presented its findings to the SSA Board of Directors. The Task Force defined and examined 14 areas and made recommendations based on their findings. Central among these findings was the need to modernize the U.S. Team Committee organizational structure with a broader responsibility for overall team management, subject to SSA Board oversight. A critical element was the creation on both appointed and elected positions to provide consistent long-term management of the teams rather than the previous single event focused structure.

At the 2003 Dayton meeting the SSA Board voted unanimously to adopt the Task Force recommendations and charged the appointed members of the U.S. Team Committee to form the new organization. In early April 2003 the committee election was concluded and the new U.S. Team Committee was formed. Appointed members included Doug Jacobs, Ken Sorenson and Dennis Wright with Dianne Black Nixon, Tim Welles and John Seaborn the elected representatives. The first meeting of the new U.S. Team Committee was held in September 2003 just prior to the mid-year SSA board meeting in Dallas.

US Soaring Team Committee Structure

The six-member committee includes the Contest Committee Chairman, the U.S. Team Chairman, the SSA President, plus three members elected by the members of the SSA. The procedure for selecting the three elected members is nearly identical to that used for the Rules Committee elections: nominations from SSA directors, SSA-conducted election and staggered elected terms with one position up for election each year. The establishment of this committee provides some much-needed institutional continuity to U.S. Team management as individual volunteers come and go. Operational aspects of the U.S. Team will be handled by the U.S. Team Chairman and the various team captains.The U.S. Team Committee and the Rules Committee differ in three areas. First, the SSA or the U.S. Team Committee will appoint a designee to administer the election. This designee may be the SSA or a third party. Second, the election will utilize the Internet for much of the communications and voting, and third, the entire SSA membership is eligible to vote rather than competition ranked pilots alone as is done for the Rules Committee. For more on the U.S. Team Committee please read the New Form of U.S. Team Committee & Election Process document available here in PDF.

US Soaring Team Task Force

At the February 2002 Soaring Convention held in Ontario California, the SSA Board created the U.S. Team Policy Task Force. The goal of this task force is to accomplish a fundamental review of how U.S. soaring teams do business, solicit community input, investigate areas for improvement, develop solutions, author a report and provide implementation assistance. See the U.S. Team Task Force findings including all the posted topics for public review and comment here...