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HANG GLIDING AT GROUSE MOUNTAIN

By PAT RICH

Hang. gliding § and Grouse Mountain go well together.

The peace found at the top of a mountain and the silent grace of the hang gliders could not be more com plementary And the perfect Viewing conditions that tasted throughout the weekend made the — fitth annual Grrouse Mountain Invitational Hang Crlding Championships the perfect therape uth spectator sport

Howerver conditions id not start so well and ghauter pilots only bad a chance te participate in ome oof the scheduled heats Thursday as cloud obscured the top oof the mountary at cdeub met clearupti date afternoon

On Friday thying was not able oto begin until after lunch tut trom that time on

the skies cleared and Saturday and Sunday's competition went right on schedule

Fifty-nine pilots were entered in the event, mainly from Calwforma and Brntish

Columbia. with some participants from as far away as Austraha Texas and Hawa

Despite the calibre of the visiting pilots. it was a West Vancouver resident. 29 year old Robin Pederson who was the dominant pilot throughout the Compe tition and the casy overall winner

Pederson who owns a North Shore hang gliding Company and diving company has been hang xhidling for six years and has been flying on the Grouse compe ion since began

He has consistently placed

among the top competitors

but ths was the first: ume Pederson has actually won the competition

Watching the progress of the compettnon, he made it look casy

The competion involved sin heats of groups of three ghders compcting = § against each other aad then one round ol one on one competition and an Open Window round where pilots tned to stay in the arr as long as possible

During the three pilot heats. the gliders were launched within seconds of cach other from the Peak and maximum puints were awarded to the pilot who stayed in the au the longest

bach of the other ghders ta the heat was awarded a frachon oof the maaimum points depending on how long they stayed in the au

Additional points were awarded for the landing. Maximum points were awarded for landing tn a five footin diameter circle on the playing field at) Cleveland School in an upnght position without: any parts of the ghder touching the ground.

Ghiders lost a lot of points tl they failed to land in the field oof landed out of control, instances of which did occur dunng the event

Pederson = said that knowing the mountain was no advantage during these he ats

“You always fy the man” he said

He said the obyect is to fly your ghider in such a way that “he can't see you but you can see him ©

Ihe heats résembled dog fights as milots wheeled tor

CONTINUED ON PAGE 87

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EASY WINNER in the race for the goal line, B.C. Lions Larry Key put on an _ incredible burst of speed to beat three Ottawa

- Roughriders and score

a touchdown on a 60- yard third quarter run Saturday at Empire Stadium. For story see page B2. (Eric Eggertson photo)

3rd Annual Hockey Sale

p. B3

TORTS

1199 Lynn Valley Road pens)

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