TAXI !

After landing is when you’re most apt to damage your sailplane.  Obstacles are much closer and more numerous, and a graceful aircraft becomes an extremely wide contraption on one wheel whose stability and control effectiveness rapidly decrease as airspeed bleeds away.  Well after touchdown, you must continue to FLY the airplane on the ground until it stops moving – and after that until help arrives if it’s really windy!

Regardless of any other factor, the moment you’re firmly on the ground extend spoilers or negative flaps to glue that ship to the earth.  After slowing below stall speed, you may choose to retract them and extend your roll to some convenient stopping place, but before turning toward any obstacle (other aircraft, people) or down even the slightest degree of slope, be sure to test your wheel brake.  As speed decreases, larger and quicker control inputs become necessary to maintain full control.  Consider it a point of art to come to a stop before either wingtip touches the ground.  This skill is easy enough to learn; do not settle for anything less.When you do taxi to one side with rudder the outboard wing will move faster and begin to rise.  Uncorrected, this can make the inboard wing touch down and cause a ground loop.  Counter that unwanted bank at ground level by applying simultaneous opposite aileron (cross-control, but only as needed) to keep the wings level through your change of direction.In strong crosswinds, even an extended roll to a normal stop may be surprisingly challenging.  Just as in crosswind takeoffs, windward wing slightly down and countered by opposite rudder is technique essential to staying in line with the runway.  As speed bleeds off, the crosswind will erode directional control.  Try to stop before that happens, or at slow speed you’ll eventually weathervane off-line from the runway.  In very strong crosswinds this loss of directional control at the end of taxi is inevitable, so plan for it and manage your energy so it leaves you in a safe and convenient place – not in the middle of a busy runway…  or a fence.