I went for my first flight in a glider not long before getting the PPL. Got me hooked... I fly purely for the fun of it and the low cost (I got two flights for less than $90 AUS) of gliding is great!! Admittedly this was with a friend so it wasn't the full cost of getting seriously involved (membership etc) but for someone who has the time to justify the cost of joining GFA it'd be great - it's all flying. Once I have weekends free I'm hoping to get involved more...
And yes, those 'foot rest' things have a use in gliders!!!