myiW Current Conditions and Forecasts Community Forums Buy and Sell Services
 
Hi guest · myAccount · Log in
 SearchSearch   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   RegisterRegister 
RS:X sues ISAF
Goto page Previous  1, 2
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Southwest USA, Hawaii, Mexico
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
MrFish



Joined: 04 Sep 2009
Posts: 248

PostPosted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 3:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

zirtaeb wrote:
Screw the Olympics.
Does any sport attract more kids than trick skateboarding?
Is it in the Olympics?
BMX racing IS. But most kids like freestyle biking.
NP/JP/Cabrina can easily produce a Slab copy of course kiteboards that can be adopted as the standard.
Ever sail an RSX? Total pig that won't hold up after 30 practice sessions.
What sport is more popular to young adults and kids than surfing?



Yeah, that's what I used to think to. But, in other countries besides the US, Olympic windsurfing drives a lot of young people into windsurfing, and they don't even start on RSX, but on beginner gear, longboards, whatever is lying around.

The RSX board itself is besides the point now.

I think Pryde isn't doing this for money; he sincerely believes that windsurfing is better than kiting for youth, as do I, and even I'm sure a lot of kiters (I know plenty of kiters whose kids windsurf, because kiting is just not very safe). A lot of the local sailing clubs will stick with windsurfing too, and some will drop it, but I doubt any are going to add kiting as an alternative to sailing lasers-it's just to different of a sport, they don't have the instructors, equipment, it's to dangerous, and it often needs totally different launches than other sailsports. They already don't have every Olympic sailing class, so they're probably not adding this one.

OTOH this is a huge bonus for the kite companies and the kite schools, if they can extend kiting down to the youth level that's a huge mostly new market for them, and even if there are some high profile injuries or deaths, sad to say, that may even help their visibility.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
alexw



Joined: 04 May 1998
Posts: 46

PostPosted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 3:39 pm    Post subject: Neil Pryde Reply with quote

Please listen to Neil Pryde discuss the issue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbEg8EQ6XCc
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
mikecole



Joined: 21 Sep 2000
Posts: 164

PostPosted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I too wondered why this was presented as "kiteboarding at the expense of windsurfing" when there are something like six different dingy classes for sitdown sailors. I think adding kiteboarding as an olympic sport is great. Taking out windsurfing was a bad decision.

Mike
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
windchamp2



Joined: 02 Jun 2010
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The umbrella group your talking about already exists- its the international windsurfing assoc. All major windsurfing classes are members except rsx & pwa.

[/url]
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 8:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's too bad that windsurfing in the Olympics is reduced to a course race. In reality, it represents very little about what windsurfing is really about. If one was to consider how snow skiing and snowboarding are represented in the Olympics, I think that it's been better represented across many different disciplines. Lots of variety to appeal to many interests.

Even in the current Summer Olympics, we have differing facets within a sports discipline. In gymnastics or swimming, how many different events are featured?

To be honest, windsurfing is encumbered by being linked to traditional sailboat racing. Often the theater is too technical and boring to enlist any real interest, especially in conditions that many of us wouldn't waste our time. As constrained as things are, there's not much room to grow.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
KevinDo



Joined: 02 Jul 2012
Posts: 426
Location: Cabrillo Inside

PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 2:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://katelaven.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/isaf-gets-antsy-about-rsx-action.html

Confused
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
alexw



Joined: 04 May 1998
Posts: 46

PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 2:40 pm    Post subject: Fresh Breeze Reply with quote

There was some good racing in winds up to a fresh breeze (21mph or ~18knts) in this race -- #4, I think...

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/sailing/prelims-rs-x-laser-laser-radial-49er-elliott-6m.html
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Southwest USA, Hawaii, Mexico All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2
Page 2 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You can attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum

myiW | Weather | Community | Membership | Support | Log in
like us on facebook
© Copyright 1999-2007 WeatherFlow, Inc Contact Us Ad Marketplace

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group