It is Friday. It is the first weekend of July. There is a lot of pilots at Løp. It is Midnight Sun Cup in Bodø!

It has been a lot of work, but in the afternoon most is ready: shop, food, prices, pylons, games, cup office, road signs etc.

The boss upstairs hasn't promised the best of weather, but at the briefing 0700 pm the first competition heat is set to the same evening / "night". A bit windy for the beginners in periods, but most are able to fly their tasks.

In an attempt to break new social records we have guitar playing and soup serving later in the evening, however only the soup might remind you about the Salvation Army. They who sing along to the bitter end wake up with relief Saturday morning - already at briefing 0900 am (or was it a bit later?) it is clear that this day will blow away.

The national broadcasting channels planned live transmission from Keiservarden with gliders all over the place ends up with a frozen reporter in a borrowed flightsuit, talking about imaginary visions of action in the air - perhaps he should have joined us in the first alternatively competition that day: indoors Go-cart race mixed with Laserwar, the game where both men and women return to childhood.

Without any flying, there is plenty of time in the evening for barbeque, refreshments and great stories, even some true ones. Spirit is high in the beach competition, and the referees recieve a substantial amount of bribes. Rope is pulled, songs made and performed, there is skiing and at last a winning team.

Sunday on the other hand - great weather, and the competition heat starts immediately after briefing, lasting until the price ceremony. All competitors recieves their honours as diplomas, and prices are given to the three best in each class.

The number of competitors this year is 47, a big drop from last years 71. Let's blame it on a not to good weather forecast, and a big number of non-competing pilots. We are happy to see guests who have travelled a long way this year too, from North-England, London and Stockholm. Veteran Trevor mentioned a possible club trip from Green Dragons in 2000, you will be very welcome.

Since we flew on the night before saturday, baptising and entering for the Midnight Sun Squadron is now the last event of the day. This years candidates also have the honour of testing out the new baptising rules who go a bit further, deeper and more wet than earlier years. Congratulations!

For some of us the summers adventure dit not end with that. We took a trip to the Lofoten islands the week following the cup. Ferry form Bodø on Monday afternoon, base at Vestvågøy and two days with great "paranoia" conditions at site Hornheia. Old man weather then turned against us, so only the most eager ones got a couple of flights later on - this will however defenitly be done again next year, so see you then!

RESULTS