Hey Mike,
I remember those days (well - on my 'good' days; haha). One big reason that the taxi back was eliminate was to keep traffic off the runaway. By the mid to late '70's we were running 3 flight lines (as were most contests) and it would have been a nightmare if there were planes taxiing all over the runway. The emphasis shifted more to flying, though take-off and landing were still judged.
I always land in front of me (ok almost always) so I can just walk out 10 steps and pick up my airplane.
I've actually been concerned about wear and tear on my landing gear so I've started landing inverted... :-)


KIDDING!!!
Will B.