flyinkiwi,
I think you did the right thing by posting that video. It is very good for discussion purposes. I have a couple of questions concerning that day.
What was the wind speed in terms of steady and gusts and at what angle to the runway?
Were any contestants (that you didn't show) using the wing-down technique? Were there any good landings (apart from yours, of course
)?
I was amazed by the performance of the 180 (185?) pilot. I would have thought that anyone flying a Cessna taildragger would have good handling skills.
Thinking back over my flying years, I realize that I haven't watched many serious cross-wind landings, except at gliding fields, where the pilots are usually very experienced.
Looking at the video, it seems that the pilots you showed were all from the "kick off the drift" school. Perhaps that was all they were ever shown. That technique works quite well in mild crosswinds, but clearly was difficult in the conditions in your video.
My crosswind landings, and more importantly, my confidence improved rapidly after I was shown the wing-down technique.