FLEDGLING SPN PLT GETS TOO LOW TO RETURN TO ARPT. LANDS IN FIELD.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING ON A SOLO TRAINING GLIDER FLT. THIS WAS MY 5TH SOLO FLT IN THIS PARTICULAR AIRPLANE. MY LAST SOLO GLIDER FLT WAS 7 MONTHS AGO. AS A RESULT; I GOT CHKED OUT AND HAD A REVIEW FLT WITH A CFIG AND RECEIVED A NEW 90 DAY PROFICIENCY ENDORSEMENT FOR THIS TYPE OF AIRPLANE (SGS-1-26). I STARTED WITH AN AERO-TOW TO 2500 FT MSL AND ABOUT 2-3 NM E OF THE ARPT. ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY; THERE WERE MANY VERY STRONG THERMALS IN THE AREA. I WAS LOOKING FOR LIFT AFTER THE RELEASE AND FLEW DOWNWIND TOWARDS AND OVER THE LAKE WHERE 2 OTHER GLIDERS WERE CLBING IN THERMALS ABOVE ME. REALIZING THERE WAS NO THERMAL ACTION AT MY LOCATION AND ALT; I DECIDED TO HEAD BACK TOWARDS THE ARPT. IT WAS AT THIS POINT WHEN IT CROSSED MY MIND FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT IT WILL BE TIGHT TO MAKE IT TO THE ARPT. WITH A HEADWIND OF ABOUT 10 KTS AND NO LIFT; I LOST OVER 1000 FT WITHIN A SHORT DISTANCE. I WAS AT AN ALT OF 1300 FT WHEN I KNEW I WOULD NOT MAKE THE ARPT AND LOOKED FOR AN APPROPRIATE FIELD TO LAND ON. I FOUND AN OPEN GRASS FIELD; ON PVT PROPERTY; NEXT TO SOME FARMER FIELDS. I MADE THE DECISION TO LAND THERE. I FLEW 1 CIRCLE ABOVE THE FIELD TO FIND THE BEST PLACE AND DIRECTION TO MAKE A HEADWIND LNDG; THEN STARTED MY DOWNWIND AT 1000 FT; AND CROSSED ABEAM THE TOUCHDOWN POINT AT 700 FT. I EXECUTED A STANDARD TFC PATTERN AND MADE A SUCCESSFUL SHORT FIELD LNDG. NEITHER ME NOR THE AIRPLANE WERE HURT. THE FIELD I PICKED HAD AN ESTIMATED LENGTH OF 380 FT. MY LNDG DISTANCE WAS PROBABLY AROUND 130 FT. THE MISTAKE I HAD DONE AND WAS TOLD BY THE FLT OP SUPVR AS WELL AS MY CFIG WAS THAT I WENT TOO FAR DOWNWIND FROM THE ARPT; FOLLOWING PEER PRESSURE. ESPECIALLY FOR MY PROFICIENCY LEVEL IN GLIDER FLYING I MADE A BAD DECISION. AS FAR AS THE LNDG GOES; I THINK I MADE NO MISTAKE AND EXECUTED THE BEST ACTION FOR THE SITUATION. WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS IS: ALWAYS HAVE A LNDG AREA IN MIND; KNOW YOUR RELATION TO THE CLOSEST ARPT AND FLY A STANDARD APCH FOR LNDG; EVEN IN SUCH AN EVENT. ALSO KEEP THE WIND CONDITION IN MIND; ADJUST DISTANCES AND BEST-GLIDE SPDS APPROPRIATELY.