Mobydisc said...

I think the first windsurfing Olympics was held on Div 2 boards.

Nope. The first taste for Windsurfing at the Olympics was in 1984, both at racing (Windglider, a big ugly log perhaps, but not a D2) and on the Original gear for freestyle and slalom as a demo thing.

Freestyle and slalom attracted fair crowds, whereas racing was about as much a non-event as it is now. Neither windsurfers nor gentiles would take time off work to watch an O-race. Then and now, and regardless of equipment.

Mobydisc said...

I saw a few minutes of an Olympic windsurfing event once. It was basically air rowing as far as I could see. That isn't what windsurfing is about.

Too right. In fact, O-racing is just what windsurfing is not about: only a small percentage of windsurfers do race. Racing is fun for those doing it, but it's not representative. Perhaps it's time simply to relinquish the spot to the other past-time ?

By the way the names of the syncro swimming team for Beijing were:
Eloise Amberger
Coral Bentley
Sarah Bombell
Tamika Domrow
Myriam Glez
Erika Leal-Ramirez
Tarren Otte
Samantha Reid
Bethany Walsh

Any of these names ring a bell? Any of them doing uncle tobys ads?

just as a side note... the Neil Pryde was chosen with the RS:X setup after a lengthy process where the IOC invited different manufacturers to provide a full kit matching certain criteria.

If I remember correctly the two front runners where Neil Pryde and Starboard. I believe Starboard has a solution that was more geared towards ultra light wind. The Neil Pryde gear was a bit more oriented towards windsurfing in planing conditions.

In the end the Neil Pryde solution was selected and the RS:X class was born. I am not sure what the final reasoning for choosing Neil Pryde was.

evlPanda said...

gregc said...
Unfortunately though I dont think we do the right thing in promoting the sport, it is technical and it is difficult to learn and expensive.

This is why I like it so much.

Ditto.

Can't be that difficult to learn: millions of people used to do it, of all sizes and creeds.
Funny how people didn't find it difficult then, on crappy gear too.

"windsurfing is technical, difficult" = "I only do stuff that comes easy, with little effort".
Hey, cool.

RSX in the right location...Looks good to me.

Yes it is technical, expensive and hard to learn, yes there are a huge number of people that love it. Dont disagree with any of that, however, we are dealing with the younger generation now and they demand things right here right now.

I have my GF sailing now from time to time and she said to me she loves the feeling but bloody hates the rigging up and why dont we have something simple and easy as far as rigging goes. I actually tend to agree. Ok I know that now people will go but what about the old days when we had to tie our booms on etc, but this isnt the old days and we expect things to be simpler. I read the other week that high end maxi yachts will be using an inflatable luff in the next decade with no actual mast at all (really not sure how this works but someone in a white coat has worked it out).

We need young guys and girls coming into the sport, we need that increased market so that we get to keep our manufacturers in business and the sport growing. The real question is how do we do that?

gregc said...
I have my GF sailing now from time to time and she said to me she loves the feeling but bloody hates the rigging up and why dont we have something simple and easy as far as rigging goes.

In regards to gear being difficult to rig. I can't agree with that. If you have the right components you should be able to rig and be on the water in less than 5 minutes.

I guess the short answer is people have become "lazy" and want instant gratification. Just look at surfing. How many people will bitch about how bad conditions are when all they have to do is get in the car and drive two beaches up the road.

Not sure how kiteboarding fits into that given how much longer it can take to rig if you mess up your lines.

K Dog said...

gregc said...
We need young guys and girls coming into the sport, we need that increased market so that we get to keep our manufacturers in business and the sport growing. The real question is how do we do that?

How to attract young people? Not by RSX or RS or One Design - they are as sexy as dinghy sailing.

Most likely it will be wave sailing, free style and a bit of speed sailing.

Yup

and that's why I suggested indoor for the Olympics - televise that with all the ooh and ahs from the crowd, and a commentator saying it is sooo much better and you can do more stuff on the open ocean - people will be queing up at WS shops.

But, no we have supreme athletes pumping around a course in 5kn!
Whilst they are mega fit and it is technical, the average person can't see that and it is not on the TV

The complexity of rigging and the gear is not what turns people off unless they are not the sort of people who are not interested in sailing or windsports. Compared to all other forms of sailing a windsurfer is a very simple craft. There are no mast stays, no rudders, few ropes of which most are quite short. No need to learn complex knots. If you have a collision it probably won't cost much. Capsizing is no big deal on a windsurfer.

Despite this in many places there are many more dingies and small yachts than windsurfers.

Personally I don't think trying to attract young people is the way for the sport to grow. Though its unfashionable I think attracting middle aged to older people would be more productive. There are many ex windsurfers who could be all returning windsurfers. Plus there are many people who want to have a sport or hobby as they phase out of working life that is a bit more interesting than golf. These people have money to spend.

Windsurfing works quite well as a mature age sport as its something you can keep doing well into your sixties and seventies.

Mobydisc said...
Windsurfing works quite well as a mature age sport as its something you can keep doing well into your sixties and seventies.

Gee, I hope you're right. I'm only just trying get a start in it and I'm staring at 60 next year

dinsdale said...

Mobydisc said...
Windsurfing works quite well as a mature age sport as its something you can keep doing well into your sixties and seventies.

Gee, I hope you're right. I'm only just trying get a start in it and I'm staring at 60 next year

You are living proof. When I was younger and windsurfing, one of the best windsurfers at South West Rocks was an old bloke called Ken.

Gorgo said...

BTW In 20 years I might have been asked about windsurfing maybe 5 times. In 10 years of kiting it would be getting close to 100 times. In the early days it would be more than 5 a day. Windsurfing sort of makes sense when you look at it. Kiteboarding just doesn't compute to a lot of people.

In 18 yrs of windsurfing, when I have brought it up they invariably say - "do you do those loops and things? That's cool" (but, granted, I do mention wavesailing)

Not once have I heard "do u race around a course like in the Olympics?"
Most people are completely unaware of the Olympic class. Then again many of them would also be unaware of any Olympic sailing (yachting).

Make it indoor. Indoor is tricks... fast... easily televised ... easier to display sponsors logos. Can be set up anywhere. What is the PWA waiting for?

Then again maybe kiting needs an image boost too as in the last few years when I mention windsurfing many people ask if i "get dragged along by that parasail / parachute looking thing".