Leo Geary Memorial Trophy 2006 winner

Peter Grove writes:

"We held the NZ Paragliding Nationals again in January, and for the first time ever the winner of the Leo Geary Trophy is a woman - and a lovely one at that - her name is Sandy Yong.

We were frustrated by some bad weather during the competition this year so only managed to fly two days out of a week. Sandy was placed 24th out of the overall field of 51 pilots, and she was the 2nd of thirteen women competitors (several of whom are vastly experienced pilots)."

Sandy Wong won the Leo Geary memorial trophy in January, 2006. She writes:

"I work with the Department of Conservation in the field a lot & it seems the last thing i want to do when i get home is check my email!

The Leo Geary trophy hangs pride of place on my wall at home. I was very surprised to be awarded the trophy. There was fierce but jolly competition amongst the contenders who are good friends of mine. One of the best things about the Wanaka competition here in New Zealand is it brings friends who we might not have seen each other all year back together to have fun and fly together as well as meeting new friends. The competition just has the best vibes, it's more like a party atmosphere.

A bit about myself... I learned to fly in Spain, exchanging chalet maid work for flying lessons. Perhaps most of my flying has been in the UK with occasional trips to Europe to fly. 2 years ago, i returned back to New Zealand after being away for 10 years. The flying here is a whole different kettle of fish to anything I've flown anywhere else. The paragliding community here is small but really supportive & friendly. They are a wild & whacky lot. I have really only started participating in competitions since returning to New Zealand. And really it's not just for the competition, it's for being in an environment where I can learn from those around me, shows me undreamed of goals to aspire to, and to have a whole lot of fun with like minded people whatever we get up to.

My aims.... To continue on this learning curve of the sport, to fly a myriad of places, to continue to be inspired and ultimately to continue enjoying to fly.

Will hopefully send a photo when I find something suitable.

Cheers Sandy"

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