***

1994  Hobbs NM

Sharon Smith

There was once a pilot named Sally

Who said soaring’s right up my alley

To glide and to climb

Is so very sublime

I will never go back to the galley.

***

1995 Sugarbush, VT

Deborah Rowels

There once was a WSPA seminar

That brought pilots from near and from far

They flew and had fun

Said, “let’s get some sun”

But were spending more time in the bar!

***

1996 Hemet, CA

Anne Kind

No one flies distance with ease.

Excuses are thick as dog fleas!

No money, no plane.

No crew, no brain!

But Sharon’s is “How will I pee?!”

***

1997 Caesar Creek, OH

Sharon Smith

The Globetrotter’s one of a kind.

It looks like the back end of a hind.

The two pilots must sit

Shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip.

But Carol & Larry don’t mind.

***

1998 Texas Soaring, TX

Janet Sorrell, Chris Schniers

There was once a restaurant Oasis

It was most famous of Texas places

Then the rain came to town

Lightening bolts all around

Now all that’s left is traces

(note: the annual dinner was suppose to be at the Oasis

on Thursday night. Tuesday night it was hit by lightening

and burned to the ground)

***

1999 Tidewater Soaring, VA

Linda Mathias

There was a gal with a side by side glider

But her bum grew increasingly wider

She gorged on candy and cake

Enough for a huge bellyache

But, alas, no room for anyone beside her.

***

2000 Air Sailing, NV

Melody Charlton

Once trained in on-board facility

We were able to soar with fecility

When the thermals were week

We could take a leak

Then fly on and cover more reality.

***

2001 Sugarbush, VT

Marsha Hawk

There once was a girl named Louise

Who ate vegie burger with ease.

They made her so silly

She laughed willy nilly.

So don’t feed her anymore, please!

***

2002 Caesar Creek, Oh

Donna Morrison

There once was a pilot mild and meek

Who was determined to reach her peak

She dove and she spun

Until it became fun

She let lose at Caesars Creek.

***

2003 Moriarty, NM

Lucy Anne McKosky

A pilot named Lucy took a slider

She wasn’t looking beside her

She was such a dope

She got caught in the rope

And almost went flying sans glider.

***

2004 Harris Hill, NY

Cheryl Beckage

A gaggle of ladies headed out the door

Cooking and cleaning they found a bore

When clouds are popping

The ladies start hopping

And in the sky they soar

***

2005 Air Sailing, NV

Anna Dobrin Schippers

The coyotes are giggling at midnight

Cables look snake-like in flash light

A Mighty Gorilla

in the back of the Grob a killer

Are memories of Air Sailing

***

2006 Chilhowee, TN

Roy Gereau

A glider instructor named Hector,

Would use only his stick to direct her.

It was fine for controlling

Her pitching and rolling

But her yawstring went wild

And he wrecked her.

***

2007 Avenal, CA

Lucy Anne McKosky

A pilot from CCSC

Went up in a 2-33

The lift was outstanding

So she put off her landing

‘Til she had to come down and pee

***

2008 Central Indiana Soaring Club

Jamie Morris

Lost in the thought of the sky

Watching how the birds do fly.

Oh how nice to be

So high and so free;

How awesome it is to fly. =)

***

2009 LAC Lesce, Slovenia

Nora Geusen

A young girl in a Blanik

Made the towpilot get in panic

Loops and rolls

She performed while in tow

Hopefully a future expert in aerobatic

***

2010 Air Sailing, Reno, NV

Laurie Harden

At Air Sailing dusty and dry,

Gathered dozens of women to fly,

Ground school and rope breaks

Land outs on dry lakes

Spirits soar as they take to the sky

***

2012  Chilhowee, TN

Tom Johnson

I wanted to fly like a bird

But my friends all said “That’s absurd”

I came from the stix

Now fly with these chix

And my fun meter pegged off the board

***

2013  Moriarty, NM

Kathie Taylor

There was a young lady of yore,

Wanting nothing so much as to soar.

On a day that was warm,

She flew into the storm,

Landing vertically in a down pour!

***

2014 York Soaring Association, Ontario, Canada

Valerie Deschamps

There was a young lady near Arthur

When gliding went farther and farther

So on Acro she trained

Except when it rained

And can now do loops, rolls and hammers’

***

2015 Minden, NV

Kate Harks

In Minden there is excellent soaring

So WSPA came here exploring

They didn’t need motors

Just utilized rotors

And aced out the OLC scoring

***

2016 Varese, Italy

Leah Condon

Once on Campo dei Fiori

I accepted the stick with a “si”

Though a bit ridge shy,

Took control in the sky

And soared like Adele Orsi

***

2017 Chilhowee, TN

Pat Valdata

Two Pilots named Linwood and Randy

Thought flying the ridge would be dandy.

When the lift up then quit

Linwood said “Man oh shit

Now wouldn’t a retrieve crew be handy?

***

2018 Truckee, CA

Kate Harps

When WSPA convened here in Truckee,

We all thought “gee aren’t we lucky”

Then came the hail,

The mop and the pail

So, our dining room wasn’t all mucky

***

2019 Highland IL

Lucy Anne McKosky

The seminar at Highland was grand

We came from all over the land.

Great flying, great lectures, great handouts

Then thunderstorms, lightning, and landouts

***

2021 Springfield, VT

Lucy Anne McKosky

We came to Vermont so green,

And found a lively soaring scene.

Great pilots galore

Shared knowledge and lore.

We’ll go home better pilots and keen.

***

2023 Üebersberg, Germany

Jakob and Ada Grosser. Illustrated by 6 year-old Ada

There once was a Cathy from America

Who wanted to solo in Swabia.

She needed a glider and a medical as well

And a ride to the airfield, but not a hotel.

She preferred bunk beds and trailers to the Astoría.

…

2024 Sunflower Aerodrome, Kansas

Major Elisabeth Westfall, USAF

There once was a girl with a glider

And with her best friends beside her

She soared up above

As free as a dove

Her soul wild and as fierce as a tiger

…

15th Annual Women Soaring Pilot’s Association Seminar, July, 1993, Black Forest, Colorado

Winning “Epic Limerick” and 1st Recipient of the Flying Goddess:

https://womensoaring.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Goddess-of-Flight.jpg

Ruth Dusenbery

There once was a lady named Phyllis,

Who organized, assigned, and arranged us,

From all over we came,

With soaring our game,

To break records and test mettle within us.

From morning ’til night she would peer,

At multiple schedules held dear,

As we wandered by,

We could all hear her sigh,

“I’ll just move the front to the rear!”

We tried to pretend we were raptors,

But g.d. weather made us captors,

Of shelters and spaces,

That gave us dry places,

To change schedules, and prove us adaptors!

Our tow pilots tried to keep us in sight,

While with foreign controls we would fight,

In many strange ships,

With curses from our lips,

Toward landings that were no delight.

But after a few days we would gain,

Renewed control to maintain,

We then wheeled and soared,

Without getting gored,

And hearing the “Back Seat” complain.