Had some overseas visitors with us on the weekend. We wandered into our local visitors centre and while there I started to check out all of the tourist post cards and brochures. Every single post card showing a coastal shot featured a kite surfer in it. Every single one! The shots looked modern and showed kiting in a good light. I then proceeded to search for windsurfing shots and you know what comes next. I managed to find a few windsurfing shots and each one was on a daggy old long board, a sail designed in the 70s and some overweight, hairy middle aged guy on the board.

Needless to say, this does nothing for the image of our sport but raises a few questions:

[1] Should it be someones responsibility to provide updated photos to the tourist organisations (eg State based windsurfing associations)
[2] Why is it that the kiters get into the modern shots? As a group are they more motivated / better organised and hence getting better publicity over windsurfers?
[3] Is the general public over windsurfing and looking for something new?
[4] Do we address this issue or continue to let it destroy the image of windsurfing? If yes, how?

FormulaNova said...

Can you scratch out Rockingham and replace it with Lancelin on all the postcards? That'll solve the problem

Questions 1 to 4... why do you care?

You will have to face it that kitesurfing is more visually interesting, but why would that affect your interest in windsurfing?

I was thinking of responding a similar way, then apathy set in.

PS what you did with that windsurfing show on the Community TV station was brilliant, another one of those would be good. And even you couldn't resist showing that kitesurfer at Gearies?

I think it's partly to do with the fact that kitesurfing is the newer sport so people are more interested in it and also do do with the fact that in lighter winds kitesurfing can appear radical - which is unfortunatley the conditions we all seem to get a lot of.
I went to the Lancelin classic this year and the whole town went out to party that evening which was amazing for windsurfing and really put the sport on a pinnicle. In fact it is the busiest night the town have with fireworks, live bands etc... and everyone is brought together by our amazing sport. We need more events like that in high wind conditions and it helps to spread the word.

good windsurfing to watch is mainly done in 18knots and over, not many people are at the beach in these conditions to see the sport at it's best and with a 5m sail on a wave from any more than 500m away, you can hardly see whats going on.
People are intregued by seeing other people having fun and usualy wish they could be part of it, if it's not in there face like 20 guys with 13m of bright coloured kites floating 23m above the water, than they don't rush out to learn it. like they all have with kitesurfing.
I think what has dramaticaly droped the numbers of new sailors to the sport is that there is less light wind big board sailing done on the lakes rivers etc. like a hell of a lot of people used to do in the 80's when the sport was booming. people need to see how much enjoyment you can get from just getting on the water, even in 5knots on a long board. most people see short board sailing and think it looks too hard to learn or you have to be super strong, then don't bother try, where as if the see someone crusin around on a one design they are keen to give it a bash.

Little Jon said...

What's wrong with fat, hairy and middle aged?

Hey I was thinking that too!!!

*YAWN*

I hate to say it but... SHUT UP AND SAIL!

Looking over the first post again, I came across this;

"Should it be someones responsibility to provide updated photos to the tourist organisations (eg State based windsurfing associations"

I have to wonder about the volunteers from associations being "responsible" for going out and getting pics. For a start, why? Who has shown us that old pics of bright, colourful sails is a problem for windsurfing?

Secondly, when? Those who run windsurfing associations already probably spend more volunteer time helping with the sport than anyone else; why should they give up more time that other people spend being with the kids, sailing, earning money for new gear so they can chase up pics?

Thirdly, how? Taking a picture like that is a skilled art form. How many of us know what an art director is looking for? Do we know how to frame a pic to allow for a logo? Do we know what colours come off whatever press they use and come out looking good? Or do you want the volunteers to commission photogs to get the pics, or to learn what ones postcard manufacturers want, then go through pro's pics, then hand over cash for the copyright, then send them to the postcard manufacturers. Cool - you wanna volunteer, or will you just lend the cash?

Fourthly, what then? Who uses those pics? Why would the printing company want to replace them? They want to make money selling postcards and bright coloured sails do that, arguably better than a see-through sail.

So just for interest in a slack time, I looked at Rockingham's website. The home page has a pic of a 1970s trailable yacht and some 1950s vintage Yvonne catamarans. The main-street pic shows 1990s cars. Then there's a pic of a 1960s Minnow dinghy. There's a pic of some "old people" with plastic sea kayaks, a tinny (pretty modern I think), a link to a surfing school with pics of kids on foamies on ripples, and an ancient split-screen Kombi on the logo......the bike shop has a banner proudly saying that they "sponsor the over-55s!". The MTB club shows pics of what seem to be low-tech fully rigid bikes and hardtails.

In other words, no one else in town seems to be worried about whether they are showing off This Year's Model, and no one else in town seems to be worried about having old people or kids in imperfect conditions or old gear in their pics.

Bring back indoor windsurfing. In the 90s in Europe it was huge and the couple of events that were at the London boat show a few years ago were also popular. Jump ramps, freestyle and racing and grand stand seats. It brough windsurfing to the masses. But even in Europe there are no events now...

stehsegler said...

In other words, no one else in town seems to be worried about whether they are showing off This Year's Model, and no one else in town seems to be worried about having old people or kids in imperfect conditions or old gear in their pics.

No offense... but that seems to be reason why Australia seems to more and more slip into mediocracy when it comes to design. Just take a look at free to air television. Most of the programming you see there is so badly put together it's sometimes outright embarrassing (no, I am not talking about content. I am a talking about look and feel). For example, if you compare a show like Australia's Next Top Model with Americas Next Top Model you will see that the production value of the Aussie production is outright cheap.

lol, i'd rather see both shows left on the cutting room floor. these days i only really watch abc2.

my take on the design thing is that there are actually lots of great designers in australia. A few of them being on this forum.

Mr love did an excellent job with the KA graphics. to me it's better than anything else on the market with the only contender being Gaastra.

there's lots of other areas where australia leads in design. take architecture for example. we have some of the best residential architects in the world in australia. sean godsell is one that particularly stands out. www.seangodsell.com/

for photography scott burrows is outstanding. www.aperture.com.au/

don't disagree that there are some good designers, photographers and creatives in general... but for every good one there seem to be 10 mediocre ones... you know the kind I am talking about: "I have downloaded a pirated version of Illustrator therefore I am a designer."

and

"I just bought the latest high end fandangled digital camera which can take great photos... therefore I am a great photographer."

To be honest the biggest problem is that we are living in a country where people will hire not the person who will do the best job but the person who is a) a mate and/ or b) do the job for next to no money.

There is a good reason why our most talented creatives are heading overseas. The only reason I am staying is because the windsurfing here is so bloody good...