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thombiz



Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 799
Location: Corpus Christi

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2012 9:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Olympics and windsurfing or even kiting in the Olympics does not impact me or anyone else I know or have met in the windsurfing sport as near as I can tell. It is a venue open to a very very very select few. Hell, I've never even met an Olympic windsurfer or seen an Olympic class windsurf board first hand. There was a time when I gave serious thought to becoming an Olympic athlete and racing either Flying Dutchman or 470's in the Olympics. Problem was, who are you going to race and spar against to hone your skills. There's nobody for miles and miles and miles even sailing 470's or Flying Dutchman, let alone sailing one well enough to be anywhere near Olympic level of refinement. Plus, who has the quarter million dollars it would take to mount a meaningful and successful campaign. You'd think that living here in windy Corpus Christi that I would know someone, anyone, with an Olympic class board, or there would be frequent scheduled club racing. The opposite is actually the truth. There hasn't been any racing here for a long time. That is the new reality! There are World Class Regatta's and PWA windsurfing to determine who is the best at any given time so I really see no need for Olympic inclusion. Plus, the changes over the past couple decades where off season professional athletes are allowed to compete just makes it a show about professional or near professionals. Prior to that, it was about true amateur athletes competing to see who is best.

Also, having a petition after the ruling is like closing the gate after the cows have left the pen. The time to make your voice heard was back when the Olympic Committee was try to make the cases for or against windsurfing. It's like raising hell after you dented your new car. The time to raise hell was before the ding.

I do wish the supporters of windsurfing in the Olympics success, I want them to keep in mind that many of us just don't see the point in it.
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mrgybe



Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 5180

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2012 9:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You might consider copying your post to the thread "Why is windsurfing fading away?". Your experience is not replicated in many other parts of the world. Any Olympic event attracts young athletes and sponsors to the sport. Those youngsters bring some of their friends and relatives along with them into the sport. The TV/ spectator exposure also creates interest. That benefits all participants in windsurfing. Incidentally, the petition website indicates that the decision can be overturned in November if there is sufficient opposition. Go on, sign it........it will take you two minutes.
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iceratz@comcast.net



Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 346

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2012 10:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

evans wrote:
Sorry but watching any sail powered race that is non-planing is like watching the grass grow.
It's just the way it is. Sad


Agreed. So what if windsurfing were allowed the use of modern equipment and make it a planning event? Today's gear is miles ahead of RSX Oly gear.

So, why does kiting get the easy road to sucsess here and get to use production equipment without the strict One Design Oly requirements?
FOUL!
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techno900



Joined: 28 Mar 2001
Posts: 4161

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2012 11:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hate to see any athlete that was training for, or had ambitions of racing in the Olympics get the rug pulled out from under them. On the other hand, some new faces will now have the opportunity to be Olympians.

Olympic sailing doesn't do much to promote sailing in my opinion. However, it does justify the continued existence of a few racing classes and because of the numerous sailing clubs around the globe, the Olympics offers the pinnacle of competition for those that choose to pursue it.

With or without Olympic windsurfing, I don't see any impact on the global windsurfing community. Planing or non planing competition, what's the difference? Few if any spectators, no TV/media coverage, it's just another unpopular Olympic event. Don't get me wrong, I think all Olympic events are a big deal, but for many it's just about the athletes and little else.

I think kite boarding offers some "flash" that Olympic sailing typically doesn't offer, so that's the appeal.

If it truly isn't "one design", that will be a huge problem given the very rapid development in course racing board design. If you don't the right board and kite, you could be "toast" regardless of skill.
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DanWeiss



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 2296
Location: Connecticut, USA

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2012 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To some, the current inclusion of the Windsurfing medal events does make a huge difference in whether or not windsurfing gets installed in an existing Junior Sailing Program.

There are some parents who simply will not get behind a new windsurfing program or otherwise vote to fund the fleet purchase if there is no clear track for that aspect of sailing to bring their kids as high as they might ever wish to go.

Dinghy sailing of any kind can be clearly tracked to the Olympics, whether keelboat, dinghy, multihull or skiff. Windsurfing has been said by some to be viewed as largely a diversion of effort and expense absent a pyramid of achievement and opportunity. The people holding this strict view thankfully are in the minority. The ability to claim, however, a windsurfing development pyramid that offers travel opportunity and high caliber training and coaching available only because of the Olympic events has been of vital importance to those of us working hard to install new windsurfer fleets in existing JSPs. After all, most yacht clubs race and most select gear that will combine access, affordability and a direct link to national and international competition. The Optimist and 420 are two examples. These kids sail on gear in some small part purchased with an eye to the pyramid and often continue to windsurf without ever starting an Olympic campaign. They purchase new and used gear, travel to hot windsurfing destinations and generally fill in from the bottom up. They are windsurfers.

I therefore disagree that Olympic windsurfing does not impact people without clear ties to racing. To some degree, it does. Thombiz, perhaps some of your sail repairs have been related to the kids in TX who were on the first US Windsurfing Team USA program as most of their initial training occurred in your neck of the woods.

As far as I am aware, no North American yacht club or sailing center owns a fleet of RS:Xs. But over fifty purchased fleets of Techno 293s because the T293 offers all of the above and is designed for kids, unlike the RS:X. It should be noted that the new RS:X One was intended to capture some of the T293 youth market by offering gear much more similar in function and feel to the RS:X. Will either or both the RS:X and RS:X One classes survive? I doubt the RS:X class has much of a future as we know it.

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Ugly_Bird



Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 335

PostPosted: Thu May 10, 2012 10:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

geohaye wrote:
Signed the petition.

"there is no reason why we cannot have both Windsurfing and Kitesurfing as Olympic classes"


+1
Forwarded to friends too.
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bviehman



Joined: 24 Feb 2003
Posts: 47

PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 1:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Actually Dan,

I have a fleet of 5 RSX, 3 I purchased, 2 were dontated, so the Youth Windsurfing team that I coach at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center could race on them and get a further start in Olympic windsurfing.

Also the youth windsurfers at Miami Yacht Club had purchased several as well.



Thanks,
Britt
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DanWeiss



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 2296
Location: Connecticut, USA

PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's great to know, Britt! My mistake.

For those unaware, Britt is one of the nation's leaders in developing youth programs and is one of the best trainers of instructors and high-end coaches in the game. Britt is a member of US Sailing's Windsurfing Task Force and directs US Windsurfing's Junior Development Program and co-coaches Team USA with Karen Marriott. Britt also leads US Sailing's Windsurfing Youth Development Team.


His operation, North Beach Windsurfing provides everything one might want in terms of gear, tuning advice and instruction for first-timers all the way up to the Olympic and budding World Cup sailors. Best of all, Britt is a great guy and deals with everyone honestly and fairly.

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www.USWindsurfing.org
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TeamChad



Joined: 17 Feb 2009
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 10:09 pm    Post subject: Olympic Windsurfing Reply with quote

The ISAF vote debacle got even more ugly today:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10806124
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TeamChad



Joined: 17 Feb 2009
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Neil Pryde responds to the ISAF mess:
http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=97225
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