Saturday 20th August 2011 – prize giving ceremony
I think I am too old for late evenings – or early mornings – as I couldn’t sleep very well. Also those horsefly bites on my legs are now quite nice: hot, itching and huge, red, swollen bruises, so I spent most of the night scratching them (I know mum, I shouldn’t do that). All I could see in my dreams was FAI diplomas which I was going to print this morning. The printing went all well, all names were correct and on right places.
Prize giving and closing ceremony was what you can expect: little bit late, few not-too-long speeches, hugs and kisses, so many trophies and prizes that pilots had difficulties to carry those away, national anthems and of course loud cheering. Congratulations to the winners, well done Tim, Alexander, and Tobias and Felipe, Łukasz, and Jon.
Now I am sitting in the container, and trying to hold my tears – not succeeding on that very well – as there are several people coming to say good bye, and they can find me even I am hiding here. Who is the softie now…hmh.
Past four years I have done websites for Junior World Gliding Championships, starting 2007, first JWGC2009 and now JWGC2011. Website project for one JWGC took always two years – from the beginning until the end. One question came to my mind: what am I supposed to do next winter…if not planning and updating competition website? Perhaps I’ll learn how to drive with trailer and start crewing for my friends. Or perhaps I will go to Australia to meet all the lovely people I know, or why not USA or Argentina. Or perhaps you will come to Räyskälä, perhaps we will meet in Leszno, for the next JWGC. So many possibilities, all you need is a flight ticket.
Anyway, nothing can keep me away from gliding airfields, and you might feel that as well. So I hope that we will meet somewhere again in the future. Loved the time here and it’s really sad to say goodbye again. Again, thank you Axel for asking me to come to Musbach, it has been absolutely great.
This is the end. This is good place for what Marina said in the closing ceremony: “On behalf of FAI, I declare this 7th FAI Junior World Gliding Championships officially closed”.
